Saturday Night Fever

When we arrived at Chez Afrique on Saturday night, only a few tables were filled at the sprawling, open-air restaurant. A few people gathered at the bar, and a band began their sound check.

As we waited for our drinks and food, we talked over the noise, and wondered when the real music would begin.

Ear-piercing squeaks rang from the speakers, a drummer slapped beats over and over again, and a keyboard sounded the same notes.

When the band finally began their set, it seemed never-ending, but in a good way (much like our delicious, heaping plates of red red and rice jollof). One song from the reggae-influenced band, lasting over ten minutes, effortlessly transitioned into the next without pause.  The upbeat fluidity of the music kept us nodding our heads and tapping our feet at the table.

After we finished our plates, we sat satisfied and digesting. More customers had filtered in by this time, and a few danced in front of the stage to the endless beats.

I eyed Monica down the table, then we nodded at each other and rose from the table, making our way to the dance floor. Jolene and Catherine followed us shortly after, and our dance circle began.

Driven by the energy of the band, we swayed our hips and let our arms move freely. After fifteen minutes we were still dancing, and the same song was still playing, but we slowly lost our steam. We looked at each other and admitted defeat. We could not make it to the end of the song, because there probably would be no end to the song. That, and we all had to use the bathroom.

After we left Chez Afrique, my energy came crashing down. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve just arrived in Ghana and I’m jetlagged. Or maybe I used up the remainder of my energy for dancing.

In any case, I look forward to more nights at Chez Afrique.