Ghana, West Africa
Trip Start
Jun 26, 2006
1
55
Trip End
Ongoing
Accra,
Ghana
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
we touched down and felt the heat and humidity of the tropics that we had become used to during much of our travels thus far. after making our way through immigration we went outside and met my cousin owusu who was holding up a sign with our names on it since we had never met or seen pictures of each other. i recognized the family resemblance immediately. we shared the same body type. what i like to call slim but toned. we all embraced. we could hardly let go of each other as water welled up in our eyes. he explained that his brother paa kwesi (pk) was on his way. pk arrived and we all hugged again. i was speechless. i had so much to say but couldn't find the words.
i apologized for dropping in unexpectedly. we had arrived 2 weeks earlier than planned because of a schedule change due to our plans to teach in the fall. no problem he said but we had clearly caught them off guard. they were so worried about what we would think and how to take care of us. it was humbling.
trying to find the words to express our emotions we took a ride with one of their friends to a guest house that they had arranged for us to stay in. they dropped us off and asked what we wanted to eat. they were happy and surprised when we named some of the ghanaian dishes (palm soup, fufu, & kenke) and returned later with rice balls and a delicious pot of palm soup. the first of many scrumptious meals we would enjoy during our 5 weeks in ghana. they also brought their little brother felix whom we me for the first time then.
the guest house was very nice it was in the home of a friend of a friend. pk had set it up and we enjoyed the comforts and delicious breakfasts that came with it for our first few days while we prepared for our trip from accra to asiakwa, my fathers birthplace and still home to much of the family. after shopping at some of the colorful, bustling, markets brimming with life we picked up the supplies we needed for our journey to asiakwa.
we took pk's friend bright's taxi to accra because of all of the supplies we had. it was about an hour and a half trip that took us thru the city and then thru the countryside. we passed thru several villages. most had a specialty like tangy barbequed chicken, breads, fried plantain, and smoked fish. we picked up more stuff on the road and made some friends along the way. after the town where we picked up some bread we took a turn and drove thru countryside filled with all kinds of trees that i'd never seen before. there was one species in particular that caught my eye it was very majestic and they stood above all of the others and were spaced out from each other.
we started to see a few houses and owusu announced that we had arrived in asiakwa. i felt the same nervous excitement that i had felt when we were approaching accra a few days before. we drove down a dirt road to a compound a group of children who had heard about our arrival followed the car and stared at smiled at us with wide eyes. we went into the compound and met my auntie who is a spitting image of my dad. i looked into her eyes and it was like looking into his. we all hugged and then we started meeting all of the family members as they came by and greeted us. "awaaba" is the twi greeting. we met my uncles, my father's younger twin brothers, their wives and children. countless cousins
what a reception it was overwhelming and i found myself speechless again. the kids weren't speechless however as they began to sing. family members and villagers kept coming and we were struggling to remember all of the names and relationships. we decided to give the kids some candy. what a scene that was. they were very excited to receive the toffee (generic term for candy).
we had a brief family meeting with the immediate family including my twin uncles the current elders of the family. they brought us up to date and we did the same. then we set a date for a ceremony/celebration for our arrival.
later that night we settled down and had our first meal with aunties cooking. Mmmm, delicious! she made palm nut stew and it was out of this world. i have to say a few words about my aunt.
auntie
not only is she a great cook but what a big heart. she takes care of the kids in the village who need looking after. she is also raising 3 girls and 2 boys booms, mary, aggie, stephen and evans. all of them treated us like royalty. it was unbelievable at times to realize i was here where my father had been born and raised. the entire village was very kind to us we were of course somewhat of a spectacle. everyone went out of their way to greet us. we were invited into countless homes. owusu acted as our tour guide and took us everywhere from the local orphanage to the towns sophisticated water supply system to a several funerals. i knew that funerals were an important and complex part of ghanaian culture before coming but know we really have a much better appreciation for the role they play in the culture.
black and red are the traditional funeral colors. music is integral as is dancing. there is a place for the elders to sit and you greet them and pay your respects when you enter. there are pre-funeral, funeral, and post funeral ceremonies. the pre-funeral ceremonies are to plan and prepare for the funeral. the funeral is actually 2-3 events including a gathering ceremony, burial, and another gathering. there are regular ceremonies to mark anniversaries of deaths as well. we saw small ceremonies as well as one for the son of an important chief.
there was always some music in the air and so it was natural to move to the rhythm. dancing just happens. music was all around and it just felt natural to dance.
everyone was encouraging and helping us to speak twi. we definitely got better but still have a long way to go.
we visited 2 other towns near asiakwa while we were there. one was where a big funeral for a chiefs son was taking place the other had a market where we found some material that owusu insisted we buy for ghanaian garb to be worn at the celebration we were planning for the community. it's customary to put on a celebration upon returning home. we had picked up many of the supplies in accra but we still needed a few things like outfits, fresh vegetables, kenke, and of course a goat.
we picked up everything except the goat and the produce that like plantains and cassavas which came from the farm at the local market. we went looking for a goat at some of the neighbor's houses. the family has several goats but they are all females and not to be eaten since they bear offspring (tough to be a young male in most animal species). we didn't find one but owusu located one which he took us to see later.
the next day which was the day before the celebration he and a friend killed the goat. amy and i watched (she hung in as long as she could). it was done very humanely and with reverence for the goat. after the blood was drained into a pit that had been dug and they put it on a fire that had been built to burn off the hair. then it was butchered. everything was saved including the tail, head, and hooves. the intestines, testicles, and internal organs were prepared immediately and as guests of honor amy and i were invited to share.
the rest of that evening and most of the next day starting at dawn was devoted to preparing for the ceremony. there was harvesting, fufu pounding, shopping at the market, and of course cooking. goat stew, ground nut soup, pk's famous fried chicken, jollof rice (prepared by amy with instruction from pk), various vegetable dishes, palm nut soup, fish stew, fufu, kenke, and banku were all on the menu. everyone was busy cooking or helping the cooks. stephan and evans were busy pounding fufu all day long. i took a turn and it was hard work, hard on the hands and a good workout.
pounding fufu is a two person job there is the pounder whose job is to pound the fufu mixture in a large wooden bowl with a large stick. the other person has the job of adding ingredients to the bowl, folding and needing the mixture while avoiding getting their hand smashed by the pounder. it's a real art that that has a rhythm that is fascinating to watch.
while all of the cooking was going on a large canopy was erected to protect from the sun and/or rain. people from all over town came by with chairs as the courtyard began to fill up. when the food was finally ready in the late afternoon we all went get cleaned up and dressed. amy and i put on our new outfits that had been rushed to be finished by one of the local tailors.
when we got there half the town was already there. everyone was dressed in beautiful and colorful garb, music was playing and people were dancing. a large cheer went up as we arrived and we joined in the dancing. after working up a good sweat we decided to give some candy or toffee as they called any sweets out to all of the kids that were there. we were mobbed in a good way. 20 minutes later with sweet tooth's appealed and after being rescued from the mass of children it was time to begin the ceremony.
we were introduced to the crowd and i gave a short speech and introduced amy as my wife. we were welcomed into the family by my aunt and uncles. stories were told about my father and his visits. he would come to town and set up a clinic and treat anyone who wanted treatment for free. he also was instrumental in the planting of the orange and cocoa orchards that are so critical to the family.
we also heard a lot of stories although i find them hard to believe about how wild my brother and i were during our 1st and last visit 40 years ago. i was surprised how many of the older people remembered that visit and would come up and introduce themselves and talk about when were there as small children. my few memories of that visit were of chasing and being chased by chickens and a big thunderstorm. kids still chase and are chased by chickens and we saw some big storms while we were there.
the rest of the evening was more story telling, dancing, and general merrymaking. it was a night to remember.
the rest of our time in asiakwa we spent touring the town. we visited the school my father attended in the 30's, the local orphanage, the town's new water treatment plant, the edge of the bush (forest), and lots of people. owusu who amy gave the nickname "governor" seemed to know everyone and was an excellent tour guide. we also started a restoration project on the family compound where my father grew up and where auntie currently resides.
we left asiakwa after 2 weeks and headed back to accra where we celebrated amy's 30th birthday ghana style! we had a pre party at pk, owusu and felix's. many of their friends and neighbors also joined in. happy birthday was sung which in ghana has 3 verses followed by 3 very vocal hip hip hoorays. we had a good meal and some of the local beverages before heading out to hear some live music at a very nice outdoor club were all danced for hours until a drenching rain put a damper on things. i think a good time was had by all.
after the party we left to visit the cape coast region of ghana. we spent a few days in the area. we visited elmina the former slave fort. as you can imagine it was a very somber and sobering experience. it makes your blood boil to imagine the atrocities that occurred there and all of the other places that slavery desecrated. the negative energy is still very palpable there. we had a very good tour guide who was informative as well as passionate about the history of slavery. the stories he told along with actually seeing the dungeons and cells made for a horrifying experience. the cruelty of man knows no bounds.
fortunately the cape coast area has some very uplifting experiences to be had as well. we toured the city and ate at a wonderful oceanside restaurant. the university of accra is ghana's first and largest university but cape coast is home to cape coast university the most prestigious of ghana's universities. kofi annan is its most famous alum.
we also visited kakum national park home to one of the worlds few rainforest canopy walks. the park offers lots of hiking and camping. it is home to lots of wildlife including pygmy elephants and some of the last chimpanzees of west africa. these animals and most of the other animals live in the remote parts of the park and we didn't see any but we did enjoy a hike and the canopy walk. the canopy walk allows access to the upper part of the forest which is usually inaccessible. there were seven suspension bridges between enormous trees suspended up to 40m (125feet) above the forest floor. they afforded spectacular views of the forest landscape as well as a few birds and insects (most notably some beautiful butterflies). it was a truly unique experience.
after cape coast we went back to accra. after the first few days we had taken our cousins offer to live with them and their neighbors in an area of accra know as la paz. it is a very poor (economically) part of town that is very rich in friendliness and hospitality. there were frequent blackouts here despite the fact that power remained on in the more affluent parts of the city. there was no plumbing as was the case in asiakwa (we were used to this by now from our time in india). water for drinking, cooking and cleaning had to be carried about half a mile from large tanks. young felix bore the brunt of most of this difficult task.
it was very comfortable there and our cousins took very good care of us. they did so much for us despite our protestations. felix did most of the chores. he is between high school and a hopeful admittance to some type of post high education. pk was the cook when he wasn't working. he is a hair dresser and recently opened his own shop. owusu was our tour guide. we went all over the city on tro tros. tro tros are vans or mini buses that are privately owned but run along regular routes and are a very efficient and economical way to get around not just the city but the whole country.
we saw the national museum, markets, a beach, and went to visit pk at work. amy got her hair braided by one of pk's co-workers soon after we arrived so we would go and visit them from time to time. for the most part we just hung out with the cousins and their neighbors while we were in accra.
after a couple of weeks in cape coast and accra we went back to asiakwa for another visit. it had been raining quite a bit while we were in accra and it continued when we were in asiakwa. further north it had been raining even harder and caused severe flooding. we witnessed one downpour that was amazing in terms of the sheer amount of rain that fell. the paths and roads in town became muddy brown swollen streams and rivers.
a few days later however after some sun things dried up enough that we decided to visit the family farm. the family has extensive lands which are farmed by different members of the family. the land also contains an orange orchard that my dad established years ago and a couple of cocoa orchards. the orange trees are past their prime and slowly being converted to cocoa. ghana is one of the world's leaders in cocoa production.
it was very interesting to see the cocoa plants, pods, and beans. we had never seen cocoa plants before and luckily it was harvest time. we saw the pods picked, the seeds or cocoa beans extricated, and then dried before being shipped to chocolate makers around the world. some very fine chocolate is produced in ghana as we discovered.
ground nut soup &rice balls
we went to the farm with owusu, cousin joseph and booms (girl who lives with auntie). we hiked the mile and a half or so to the family farm on a trail that many of the other town folk used to access their farms. the landscape is beautiful it's very lush and full of trees. every so often several hundred meters or so there is an enormous tree. unfortunately i forgot the name of the trees but they are very majestic.
we passed many people who were returning with lots of produce including plantains, bananas, cassava root, various vegetables, coconuts, palm nuts, fire wood, and cassava leaves (for the goats). we visited the farm first we met a man who is working some of the land for the family as he was preparing some forest land to plant more cocoa.
i'm happy to say that the cocoa in this area is all grown in a very sustainable manner it is planted with very little impact to the surrounding habitat. in fact we didn't even notice the cocoa sometimes. it doesn't require direct sunlight so it's an ideal crop for the forest environment. it's also being grown mostly organically for the most part as well. hmmm organic cocoa.... there must be a market for that. one of the many projects i discussed with owusu who also shares the business idea gene with my father and i.
we were going to do some harvesting ourselves but we decided to first head to the local river and have a look at that. half a mile later we came upon a family living in the middle of the forest. they had a nice house some animals and a big rack with cocoa beans drying on it. owusu explained that they have been working the land for many years and have a very close relationship with our family. we visited with them and then they took us to the river which provided a chance to cool off. then we went back to their house and the father showed us how palm wine one of the local beverages is made.
auntie at home
it's a very interesting technique involving the use of fire and a reed which is blown thru to facilitate the extraction of palm sap.we said our good byes and headed back to the farm were we harvested some plantains, bananas, cassava roots, cassava leaves, and gathered some firewood (down and dead only). we then loaded up for the hike back to town. not easy work hauling our load back to town let me tell you. we had nothing to carry anything in so we just had to gather up our goods and try to keep it together on the walk home. i was humbled by the ease with which booms carried her load perfectly balanced on her head, a skill which all the women in ghana seem to possess.
we made it back to town amid shouts of "iko" which means something like well done in twi. no time to rest however, once back with the goods it was time to prepare dinner which meant pounding fufu and palm nuts, cooking, and feeding the goats, just a small example of village life. there is electricity in town but it often goes out and while i'm sure there are some appliances like washer and dryers we never saw one the whole time we were there. our laundry was usually done for us against our protests although we did manage to do it a few times by ourselves.
it's a hard life endured with little in the way of resources other than what the land provides. yet there was joy everywhere we looked. the same joy we experienced in the slums of india. we spent a few more days in asiakwa and then it was time to say a tearful good bye.
we went back to the city where we had a few days before our flight. we just hung out, with the cousins and neighbors (extended family). families would cook for each other and watch each others kids. great community! the only other things we did were to visit pk's new hair salon and check on some exporting classes for owusu. it was still being worked on but it already looked great. its open now and i'm sure business is great. owusu and i looked into some exporting classes that he wanted to take as well as the process for him to get his business license. we also dropped by the national museum which has some very nice cultural displays including displays on drums and textiles two products ghana is famous for.
speaking of drums while we were in asiakwa we toured a djembe making operation with cousin joseph who makes drums as well as many other types of art including some beautiful sculpture.
sadly the day came when we had to leave. it was a very emotional day many tears were shed. it was very hard to leave. we had been there 5 weeks and it felt like home. we are very indebted to all of the family and friends in ghana who took such good care of us. it feels very good to have made the family connection.
market goods
it was time to head back to thailand and the world of work which we have been avoiding for the past year or so. but first a stop in kenya.....
if you haven't seen them yet there are lots of ghana pictures at smug mug. hope you enjoy.
Comments
Incredible to hear your story
Danso and Amy thank you for sharing your story of this journey home. I feel like I've been traveling with you all or vicariously through you. Very moving account of your emotional trip. Love and Peace Audrey