When I was young, I was bit by the travel bug. Since then, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the ability to not only travel to numerous countries around the world, but also live in foreign countries. These posts include stories about my travels, cultural differences and travel tips.
For the past several weeks, every morning there has been drumming coming from the school near my office. Walking through town, the beats waft through the air from various schools and classes are sometimes suspended while the children arrange themselves in rows and practice marching. Ghana’s Independence Day, marking 60 years of freedom from colonial rule, is this coming Monday.
So much of the media surrounding Africa depicts places with mud huts, wide open spaces, people clothed in cloths or barely at all. Even if that portrayal is diminishing, those are the visuals in people’s minds when they think of the continent. Which is a big reason why I loved “An African City” so much.
Africa, probably more so than the other continents, is made up of countries with borders that were created without thought to the people who were living there. Ethnic groups cross these arbitrary lines on maps and some call multiple countries their homeland. These groups have different languages, customs and traditional ways of life. In Ghana, there are a few larger ethnic groups, that are often then further subdivided resulting in an estimated number of upwards of 70 languages.
One thing that many travelers will gush about when they travel somewhere is the hospitality that the people of other countries show to them. There are very few countries that I haven’t heard about their amazing hospitality. Ghana is no different. The people here are extremely welcoming. Even after being here for 10 months already, I still get greeted with, “Akwaaba!” or “Welcome!” at least once a week.
While much of the world spent 2016 focused on the voting of two countries (the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the elections in the United States), Ghana also held elections for parliament and the president.
There are a number of political parties in Ghana, but the two major parties are the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The election placed President John Mahama (NDC) against Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP), and Ghana decided it was time for a change. President Akufo-Addo was sworn into office on 14 January 2017.
Mention Nepal and the picture that comes to mind is that of impossibly tall mountains viewed from a pass that is adorned with flapping, colorful Tibetan prayer flags. Photo journals from any of the variety of hikes are certain to include the flags along with prayer wheels and Buddhist stupas along the routes. With all of these being a big part of the image of Nepal, you could be forgiven for believing that Nepal is mostly a Buddhist country.
In fact, more than 80 percent of Nepalis are Hindu.
This is my response to any number of requests or statements ranging from requests for me to take someone to the United States to whether I’ll make it to an event.
With that simple little phrase, I’ve shifted from a view that through my own work and effort I can make something happen to the view that I’m at the mercy of fate and God’s will. I don’t even believe in God. But, the people of Ghana sure do. And to be a part of the culture here, I participate in the recitation of a phrase that absolves me of control and accepts that the universe may have its own plans.
I had arrived the evening before with no concrete plans for the next day. I had one day in the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe before flying to the latter of the two main islands. After flipping through the slim guidebook and finding a suggested self-guided walking tour of the city, I made plans to wander through the colonial streets of the city and hit the highlights as suggested. The calendar had another plan for me. You see, it was St. Thomas’s feast day; and St. Thomas in Portuguese is, you guessed it São Tomé.
It’s been said that there are three stories that are told about the African continent: animals, war and conflict, poverty. A glance through any news publication and the vast majority of stories about this continent likely fall into one of those three categories. But there are many stories to be told about people and places within the 54 countries that make up this continent.
But to insist on only these negative stories is to flatten my experience and to overlook the many other stories that formed me. The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of the Single Story
In an effort to combat the single story that is told about Ghana, I asked some of my co-workers what they thought people should know about Ghana. This is what they had to say.
Walking around in Ghana, one of the most noticeable things is the ubiquitousness of colorful fabrics. Everyone is decked out in loud patterns and bright colors, from every hue in the rainbow. A trip to the market reveals that you can buy these fabrics in any length you want and have it taken to a tailor or seamstress to have some wonderful, custom clothes made. However, the most common length of fabric you’ll see around is two-yards and it’s not made into anything at all.