Hello Steve,
Yes, I'm back from West Africa. It was a very exciting, fun trip! Here's a bit of the written log I've compiled:
GHANA: DAY TWO
Feasts and Festivals
If an award were given for the country with the friendliest people in West Africa, Ghana would be a strong contender. Spend a few hours in the breezy capital at Accra, and you'll swear the wind and waves off the Gulf of Guinea have infused the land and people alike with equatorial warmth. Sure, even Ghanaians might admit that Accra's not the most beautiful city in West Africa, but dammit it's their city - not one catering to safari-hatted tourists or Western expatriates - and Ghanaian pride is evident across the board.
For a country that's borne the brutality of colonization - from the stripping of its mineral wealth to the enslaving of its people - Ghana retains a remarkable sense of self. Its craftspeople have a long, rich cultural history to draw from, and their work is thick with that tradition - be it the colorful kente cloth of the Ashanti or any of the stools, icons, beads or baskets you'll find in the major markets. Even the leftover forts and castles, recalling five centuries of European influence, today seem less like Ghana's ghosts than players in her narrative.
The Ashanti tribe of the Akan are the largest tribe in Ghana and one of the few matrilineal societies in West Africa. Once renown for the splendor and wealth of their rulers, they are most famous today for their craft work, particularly their hand-carved stools and fertility dolls and their colorful kente cloth. Kente cloth is woven in bright, narrow strips with complex patterns; it's usually made from cotton and is always woven outdoors, exclusively by men. The Ewé also weave kente cloth, and their more geometrical patterns contain symbolic designs handed down through the ages. Kente cloth is only worn in the southern half of the country and - as distinct from other forms of traditional weaving - is reserved mainly for joyous occasions.
Unlike virtually all other West Africans, Ghanaians do not use masks, although this is not to say they don't believe in supernatural powers and the fetishes used to invoke them. Rather, in Ghana this is most often accomplished using wooden or clay statuettes, often placed on altars in fetish houses. Fetish dolls in particular are treated like magical items, and women who want to ensure themselves beautiful, healthy children can be seen carrying the dolls around on their backs, with only the dolls' flat, fat heads protruding from their slings. In all sculpture, gender is very important, and body parts - especially the head, buttocks, breast and navel - are exaggerated in size.
Ghana has the highest percentage of Christians in West Africa, but the belief in traditional animist religions is still extremely common. Though each ethnic group has its own set of beliefs, there are some common threads. Though they all accept the existence of a Supreme Being (as well as reincarnation), the Creator is considered to be too exalted to be concerned with the affairs of humans. There are a host of lesser deities whose moods can be swayed through sacrifices, and ancestors are often deified as well. There are no great temples or written scriptures; beliefs and traditions are handed down through word of mouth. The Ewé, for example, have over 600 deities to turn to in times of need. Many village celebrations and ceremonies take place in honor of one or more deities. Ju-ju, a strong, spiritual magic is generally believed by all the people.
My second day in Accra proved quite exciting as it happened to be Ghana's Independence Day. Many festivities and festivals were put on throughout the city. Spectacular costumes and traditional African dance were the order of the day. In the festival of Obungu, held in Osu, a suburb of Accra, many men wore the traditional Ashanti kente cloth as they danced fiercely to the almost hypnotic pounding of the animal-skin drums. The women, dressed traditionally and mostly topless, some wearing only thin loincloths, performed dances that were first performed many hundreds of years ago to please the rich and powerful Ashanti Chiefs.
After the festival, I enjoyed a bountiful feast of West African foods. The Ghanaian diet is comprised mostly of very simple, healthy foods. These excellent foods are reflected in the physical health of the people, as most have glowing skin, shining eyes, and are in excellent shape. All the time I was in Ghana I saw very few obese people, yet all seemed to eat well and were not undernourished. Soups, which are more like sauces, are the mainstay of Ghanaian cuisine. They're usually fairly thick broths and are eaten with a starch. Popular stews include groundnut, garden egg, fish, bean leaf and forowe, a fishy brew with tomatoes. Other main courses are jollof rice, a paella-like dish with meat; kyemgbuma, crabs with cassava dough, meat and potatoes; and gari foto, eggs, onions, dried shrimp and tomatoes accompanied by gari (course manioc flour). Another ubiquitous staple is fufu, which consists of cassava, yam, plantain or manioc that has been cooked, pureed and mashed into a ball. Kelewele, a spicy dessert of fried plantains seasoned with chilli pepper and ginger, is a popular street-stall item, as is askenkee, a cool, white, nonalcoholic beverage made of corn. Pito (millet beer) is the booze of choice in the north, while palm wine is more popular in the south. A national drink is Guinness Malt. It is nonalchoholic and contains many vitamin and mineral supplements. It tastes like a bitter, dark beer without alchohol. I must admit, other than coffee and bottled water, I stayed more towards Coke and Pepsi!
After an evening spent with many new friends met at the festival, I retired early to be prepared for my new adventures on day three, which included the Pan-African Futball (soccer) Games at the Accra Stadium. Some new friends had invited me along as their national team, the Black Satellites, were playing for the Championship against Nigeria. |
