Accra (Repost)
“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I
know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life”
I woke up in my dorm in Volta Hall to the sounds of Ghana.
The sound of wild birds like I have never heard before filled the air, and I
felt as if I had woken up in the Amazon or deep in the Congo. After Breakfast
we headed for our tour of the campus. Our Assistant Director Dorcas was our
tour guide. We hopped in the bus that would become our best friend for the next
few weeks. The campus was much more impressive than I thought it would be. It
is a massive campus that hosts almost 40,000 students, and is very spread out.
The buildings are built in a Colonial
Japanese inspired style. The white buildings are beautifully contrasted
against the red Ghanaian soil and green surrounding foliage.
After our tour, we met our program director Dr. Rose Walls,
a.k.a. Auntie Rose at the International Programmes Office. From there we went
into the city of Accra for Lunch.
Accra is a vibrant, bustling city. At any given moment
during the day the sound of traffic, people haggling and selling products in
the street, and the honking of horns can be heard from anywhere. People are
walking around carrying all kinds of things on their heads: water, phone cards,
fresh fruit and veggies, electronics, etc. We went for lunch in a part of town
called Osu Marketplace. There is a bunch of vendors and street food, and tucked
away off the main road is a variety of restaurants to eat at. After having one
of the best burgers in my life thus far at a place called Pinnochio’s, we
headed for the Nkrumah Memorial.
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| Crowded Street in Downtown Accra |
The Nkrumah memorial is in the heart of Accra, near the
Capitol building, the Soccer Stadium, and many other sites of political and
historical importance. The Nkrumah memorial was built to honor the first
President of present day Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was the leader in
Ghana’s fight for independence from British rule. Nkrumah is an extremely
important figure not only to the Ghanaians, but to all of Africa. Thanks to
him, Ghana was the first country to achieve their independence from European
colonialists, and it was the methods and tactics that he used that inspired all
of the most of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to follow in the subsequent
decades. We met with an enthusiastic tour guide who gave us a detailed history
of Nkrumah’s life.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial
After the Memorial we went to a local arts market. The
Market I made a friend who at first wanted to sell me a bunch of stuff at his
store. I kept telling him I had no money, but that I wanted to truly be his
friend, so instead he showed me around his little village and allowed me to
take pictures of the people.
For any Photographer, taking photos of people is hard to do without first making friends with people, or else you could really offend someone. Some Ghanaians believe pictures steal a part of the soul, so they are very hesitant. My Friend’s name was Kevin. He showed me how the big building near the center of his little town was a European Trading post, and now it is deserted but his people live in the horse stables.
For any Photographer, taking photos of people is hard to do without first making friends with people, or else you could really offend someone. Some Ghanaians believe pictures steal a part of the soul, so they are very hesitant. My Friend’s name was Kevin. He showed me how the big building near the center of his little town was a European Trading post, and now it is deserted but his people live in the horse stables.
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| My Buddy Kevin in the Arts Market |
Then we headed back to the university to prepare for our
first dance class. The African Dance program at the University of Ghana, Legon
is the best African Dance program in the World. The Instructor, Oh! Nii Sowah is
an incredible human being, who really showed us the spirit of Africa. He
explained to us how music is the heartbeat of Africa, and dance is the soul.
According to him, in Africa, a man has not contributed to his society unless he
has danced. In the class we were taught to let go of our ego’s, our
insecurities and inhibitions, and to become one through movement. Dance in
Africa is about becoming collective, and shedding all individualities to be
one. It was so much fun.
After the Dance we broke into two groups. Some people went
to the drums and some went to learn some African Singing. I chose to do
singing. The song we learned was one that Oh! Nii Sowah wrote. He said the words were not
words at all, just merely sounds, but what gave the song meaning was the emotion
behind the sounds. When Oh! Nii Sowah Sings, it is incredible. The depth, vibrance, and
presence of his voice is comparable to the likes of Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan, the
legendary Qawalli singer. It was such a amazing experience to learn from him
and a great way to end our first day. After Dance Class we got dinner at a restaurant
with live music, and it was a lot of fun. This description of my day leaves out
a lot of of detail, but for the following two weeks to come, each day was just
as jam packed with activities, so it will be so much to reflect about.
Osu Street
A shop in Osu
Typical Traffic in Ghana. This Green Van is called a Tro-Tro. It is the local form of public transit in Accra
This post is an extract from Brennan Lagman's blog http://worldlyobserver.blogspot.com/2014/02/akwaaba-welcome-to-accra.html
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