By Stephen Ssenkaaba
Ghana has embraced us with open arms. Akwaaba, the Ghanaian Twi language word for welcome is lovely to hear and sometimes say. What a week to get our internships going! Many of us arrived Saturday afternoon, July 02. The excitement as we inspected our rooms and checkedout our third-floor apartment in the leafy East Legon neighborhood was palpable. Our journeys to Accra had been mostly smooth, except for a couple of delays and a few changed flights. Coming from Uganda, a country that shares some similarities with Ghana, it was surreal for me hitting the Accra streets. The moment we drove out of the airport, resonant scenes started playing out- almost immediately: traffic jams that snake the roads, women and young men squeezing their way through the maze of traffic selling merchandize to impatient motorists as they wait for the green traffic light to set them free, motorcycle riders whizzing past motorists. Accra feels like Kampala, the Ugandan capital, I thought to myself as I looked out of the window of our bus. Except in Ugandan drivers keep left. We had a ride through Accra the Ghanaian capital, a day following our arrival. Not as much traffic that hot Sunday afternoon as the previous day. Some parts of the city, especially around historical monuments and some key centers of business and government administration such as the President’s office, looked clean. Others, especially around the congested markets and slums, not so.
Ghana wears her heart on her billboards
Driving through Accra, I noticed the towering colorful outdoor advertising along the city streets. The adverts offer an interesting glimpse into Ghanaian life. For instance, I could tell that politics is a big deal in this country through the political campaign posters pinned in different corners of the city. I could feel the pulse of modern western tastes beating through the opulent cosmetic and beauty products on display in giant billboards. I also noticed the smaller, funny posterspromising to fix men’s erectile issues and provide enhanced bottoms for women.
When they lose a loved one, Ghanaians celebrate. The numerous colorful and celebratory posters and billboards marking the demise of relatives, community members or friends are all tooabundant to miss. With their Biblical allusions, these posters remind us about Ghanian’s faith in the afterlife. As such, death is not just the passing of a loved one, it is a “Call to Glory, A “call back home”, or a “Transition”. Perhaps the most prominent billboards are those displayingchurch prayer sessions, miracle festivals and deliverance meetings. If you miss the hyperbolic wording on these billboards, you won’t miss the shiny suits, smiley faces of the presiding pastors that grace the advertising displays. All these are telling emblems of Ghanaians hope and religious sensibilities.
During the first week, we had an interesting dance session with Ghanian UO professor Habib Iddrisu at the University of Ghana’s drama school. The thunderous beat of the drums, the resounding echoes of our stumping feet and the beads of sweat unceasingly dripping down our tired faces a clear testimony of the refreshing aura that this cultural activity has, thus far afforded all of us. More importantly, we have had a great opportunity to interact with ordinary Ghanian folk, to learn about their culture and participate in it.
An even more poignant dancing was in the slums of Nima in Accra, where we joined the orphaned children that attend Anani Memorial International School. Their joyful smiles as they sang and invited us to a collective dance rekindled thoughts of how lucky some of us have been and how thankful we should be. As we prepared to visit Elmina and Cape Coast castles over that weekend, we relished the good moments we had had so far.