Odwira Festival

Another trip up to the Akrofi-Christaller Center in Akropong, where the food is good (although not always as plentiful as we like), the weather is cooler, and the atmosphere more calm and quiet. Well, at least it’s usually calm and quiet. The Odwira Festival, a weeklong celebration changes all that. This was a time of dancing, drumming, eating, and all out celebration. It is the start of their new year, and is a time for the people of this area to remember their ancestors. It is also the time where they harvest their yam. We arrived on Wednesday which was the day of mourning. The citizens mourn for anyone who has passed in the previous year and the chief makes his rounds around town visiting every family who has lost someone. For the previous 40 days, or month (their year consists of 9 months of 40 days), there was a ban on noisemaking, funerals, and eating new yam. Starting on Wednesday, a funeral could be held for anyone who died in the preceding 40 days, and since the ban on noisemaking has been lifted there was lots of music. There was a town curfew on Wednesday and Thursday though, so everyone was supposed to be inside by 9pm and lights were supposed to be off by 10pm. Wednesday was also Stephanie’s birthday, and I think she may be the first person to ever have had a 9pm curfew on her 21^st Birthday. That is why we celebrated the night before in Accra. Thursday was the day of feasting. Early in the day we went to the chief’s palace where many people brought gifts to the chief and the queen mother. They were mainly in the form of food and drinks…and a few goats. Later on, there was a procession from the chief’s palace to the Mpeni tree, a tree that’s over 300 years old and is where the town began. Women carried bowls of food, mostly yams, on their heads and were surrounded by four guys. They carried these along the procession route, but along the way they would become possessed by their ancestors. This would cause them to be frozen in place and then suddenly take off running. It was the job of the surrounding guys to keep the woman from falling over and to keep the food from falling off her head. If either of these happen than it’s a bad omen. Once the women reached the tree, the food was taken from them and the food was brought into the walled in area surrounding the tree where it was sprinkled on the ground as a way of feeding the ancestors. The procession then made its way back to the chief’s palace. We were divided into groups to stand at different places along the procession to observe what happened in each spot. Deborah, Tessa and I were stationed at the very end of the procession, at the Mpeni tree. There was quite a large crowd in that area so I don’t feel like I observed as much as I could have otherwise. On Friday was the Durbar, a gathering of the town, chiefs, queen mother and everyone else who’s important. It began with a parade in which all of the important people were carried through town. Mixed in were brass bands and people drumming. There were also people shooting guns into the air in celebration. The skies then parted and it started to downpour. We all ran for cover underneath the tents and the parade continued up and down the street until the rain stopped. The chiefs were all protected by extravagant umbrellas. I felt bad for the guys who were carrying them though. There were usually about four guys carrying each platform that the chief sat on, but the platform was balanced on the heads of the four guys. Once the rain stopped, each of the chiefs was carried into the Durbar area and was brought to his stool where he sat during the ceremony. This was also quite a lengthy process. Once everyone was seated, there were speeches including one by the head chief. The first lady of Ghana was also there as the guest of honor, and she gave a speech. Most of the talking was done in Twi so I didn’t understand most of it, but it was still great to soak up everything that was happening around me. The drumming was excellent and the traditional clothing worn by almost everyone was really awesome. Six or so hours after arriving for the Durbar we had to take off for dinner even though it hadn’t ended yet. Friday night we went out and danced, which we had also done the previous two nights, but this night we were able to stay out later and the crowd was much bigger. Being the only white people in the area we gathered a lot of attention and a crowd would often form to watch us attempt to dance. A lot of the people would then join us. It was such a good atmosphere with all the people and the music. It was a lot of fun, and I meet quite a few really cool people.

You can also check out Melissa's descriptive post about the Odwira Festival on the group blog which I linked on the right side of the page.

Here's some pictures from the festival:

Drummers at the Chief's Palace

An Elderly Woman dancing at the Palace

Chelsea, Joel, ChiChi, Kathy, Jamie and Alison at the Chief's Palace

Me and Cassie at the Palace

A procession of people bringing gifts to the chief and queenmother

Cassie and Chelsea walking through Akropong

Tessa, Deborah, and I in Akropong

A lesser chief (or someone of importance) being carried through the streets

Drummers walking down the street with the rest of the procession

The Queenmother (I think) ...they were celebrating her 40th anniversary of being Queenmother

Learning to Travel and a Birthday Celebration

Learning to Travel

After class on Friday (the 15^th), Melissa, Melinda, and I decided to head into central Accra using a trotro. It was our first time using a trotro without a guide, so it was a fun experience. We had to figure out which trotro to get on that would take us to Tema Station in Accra. We met someone else who was going to the same place so he helped us get a trotro and said we could go with him. Once at the station, we did some planning for the next day (our trip to Boti Falls). We found where the trotro to Koforidua is and at what times in leaves, to make our trip the next day go a little more smoothly. We then walked to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, a park and gardens that houses the mausoleum where Ghana’s first president was laid to rest. It was a pretty place and there was a small museum there too. After that, we walked to the cultural center, a touristy market that sells a lot of craft things. The shopkeepers there are very pushy so it can be a little overwhelming at times. If you’re good at bargaining though, you can get some good steals. I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t bring enough money, but Melissa got some really good deals. I’m sure I’ll go back there again to do some shopping myself.

Thanks to Melissa for these two pictures:
On Saturday, Melissa, Sarah DN, Sarah G., Deborah, Stephanie, and myself got up fairly early and took a trotro to Tema Station and then another on to Koforidua. It was a couple hour trip, and the ride was pretty bumpy. Once there we ate some really good American food for lunch. A guy at the station actually walked us like 10 minutes to the restaurant. The people here are so nice. After lunch, we walked back to the station in hopes of catching a trotro to the falls. Little did we know that the trotros don’t run on the weekend, so we would have to take taxis. Taxis are a lot more expensive, and since there were six of us, we would have to take two. Deborah and Sarah G. decided to just go back to Accra because they were running low on money and also because it was kind of rainy. The rest of us four got a taxi and went on to the falls which were about a half an hour away. I just want to say right now that our taxi driver, Alleessan, was amazing. He was a pretty young guy, probably about our age, so it was easy talking with him. He stayed at the falls with us so he could give us a ride back. Boti Falls was amazing! The falls were really tall and very powerful. There were two separate falls, which are referred to the man and woman falls, the man being the larger of the two. When the water level is really high, it is just one huge waterfall. We stayed at the waterfall for quite a while and were able to walk around the back of them. We took some pictures and I asked our driver if he wanted to be in a picture with me. He seemed so happy that we asked. He then asked if we wanted to go on a hike since he knew the area really well. He took us on a beautiful hike in a mountainous rainforest. It was more treacherous than any hikes than I’ve been on in the U.S. especially since it was raining really lightly so the rocks were all wet. We went through a cave, had to cross through a stream, and about an hour later ended up at a rock called Umbrella Rock. It is a huge umbrella-shaped rock on top of the mountain. For 1,000 cedis you can climb up a tall bamboo ladder to the top and from there you can see for miles. It was so amazing. I’m not going to lie; it was also a bit scary. After climbing up the thin bamboo ladder, you had to step onto a ledge that was maybe a foot deep. You then had to walk a little ways along the ledge and then climb up onto the top of the rock, and it was a long ways up. Anyway, none of us fell and died so it all turned out well. We then hiked back and drove back to Koforidua. Our taxi driver didn’t ask to be payed any extra than what we had agreed upon at first for the drive there and back, but we did tip him pretty good. I think he had a good time. I even got his address and told him I would send him some pictures as soon as I can get them printed out. From Koforidua, we took a trotro back to Accra and we were all very proud of our successful trip. It was one of the best days of my life. The hike was spectacular. Everything about it was amazing, and I think everyone else felt the same way.

Stephanie’s Birthday

On the 19^th we all went out to celebrate Stephanie’s Birthday (which was actually the 20^th, but we were going to be in Akropong then). We went to a club in Osu called Base and had a really good time. There was a lot of dancing and a lot of fun had that night, and it was great that all 16 of us could spend it together.

Another problem that exists in Ghana is unreliable transportation. On the way to Stephanie’s Birthday Bash, our taxi broke down and we had to get another one. On the way home our taxi overheated and we had to pull over and wait for about 10 minutes. On one of my trips into Accra our trotro also overheated and we had to get out and wait on the side of the road for about 15 minutes. This can be a little annoying if you’re in a hurry, but usually I’m not so I just deal with it.

Out With Victor

Me and my roomie, Victor, have been getting along great. Unlike most of the students here, he has a car that he shares with his brother who is also a student at the University. Since he’s from Accra and he has a car he decided to show me around town a bit. Before that though, we went to one of his girl friends rooms in Mensah Sarbah Hall to watch a football game on their TV (Chelsea vs. someone). It was a good time and I met some cool people but let me just say I’m glad I don’t live in that dorm. There were 5 girls crammed into a room that was probably half the size of mine. The halls were dark and dirty and almost mazelike. It wasn’t very inviting and I probably would’ve been lost if I wasn’t with someone who knew the way. After that, we went over to some of his guy friends’ room in Akuafo Hall. Again, there were too many people crammed into a small room, but overall the dorm wasn’t too bad. We had a good time of conversation and people asking me questions. Victor and I, along with two of his friends, Kwame and Kikee (sp?), then went into Accra. They showed me some of the sights like the National Theatre, Independence Arch, the U.S. Embassy, the Ocean, a popular nightclub, and some other buildings of interest. It was a fun night but on the way home it got really interesting. There was a temporary police checkpoint set up along the road and the police were making everyone stop and they would look into the car quickly and then usually let the car continue on. For us though, they decided to give us some trouble. They wanted to look at the registration and all of the other documents (which we had and they were all up to date). They still insisted on wasting our time though. They insisted that the car wasn’t registered and so they wouldn’t let us go. The police then said we would need to go to the station. The police car with a few of the police took off and they allowed us to drive to the station, but a police officer (with a huge gun) had to ride in our back seat. We got to the police station and tried to figure everything out, but they still wouldn’t let us go. They said we had to wait for some other officers to get there, so we did. They finally got there and nothing changed. They still weren’t going to let us go. And needless to say, I had to go to the bathroom really, really bad during this ordeal. I felt like my bladder was going to explode. At the police station, I asked if they had a bathroom, and of course the answer was no. Public restrooms are very hard to find. So I ended up having to go in front of the police station where they told me I could go. Luckily, it was a pretty sheltered area, but it isn’t uncommon at all to see people peeing in the gutter right alongside the road. I actually see it all the time. The police officers were actually pretty nice though. We talked a lot and would occasionally ask politely if we could go. Finally after a couple hours of talking they decided that we could leave. So after some handshakes and goodbyes we took off for the University and got back around 2am. This is actually a fairly common occurrence in Ghana. The police are quite corrupt and this is a way that they make some extra cash. We most likely would have been able to leave at any time if we just paid them some money. Police officers here hardly get paid anything, so I guess this is a way they make some extra money. I was also told that they get really bored, so they sometimes do it for the conversation. I think the reason that they chose our car is because I was an American, and in Ghana an American usually equals money. We didn’t pay them anything though which I think is good because it really would have just reinforced the stereotype that they have of Americans. They think that Americans will pay anything and that they are easy targets to take advantage of. Even in the markets, people will try to charge Americans much higher prices, and a lot of them do pay it. Luckily, I’m not stupid, and I know when I’m being ripped off. Overall, it wasn’t a bad night though. I wasn’t ever scared a bit. I thought it was a little humorous and I just thought it might be a long night. Along with it being a really great story, I was also able to practice a little Twi with the officers.

Almost Caught Up

I have my two best stories to put up still, but they’re going to have to wait until next week. The first is from the night that my roommate and I went into Accra, and I have to say it was a very interesting night…I guess you could call it an adventure. The other is from my weekend trip up to Boti Falls with a few of the Calvin peeps. It was such an amazing weekend. I’m taking off this afternoon to go up to Akropong for the Odwira Festival. I should have a lot to write about after that and hopefully will have some pictures. I won’t be back until Saturday so I won’t be able to update until at least then, but more likely not until Monday.

The First Couple Weeks

The Trip

The 30+ hour trip started with a bus ride from Grand Rapids to the Detroit Airport. We then flew from Detroit to London-Heathrow and then on to Accra, Ghana. We had a 7 hour layover in London, so Melinda, Cassie, Chelsea, Stephanie, Joel and I decided to go into the city. Melinda had a friend who had been in London for a few days, so he met us and helped us find our way around and make it back to the airport in time. It took us at least an hour to get through customs and out of the airport and we were supposed to be back 3 hours prior to the flight so we didn’t have as much time in the city as we had hoped…but it was still definitely worth it. After taking the Tube into the city, we only had a half an hour to walk/run around looking at the sites. We saw Big Ben and Buckingham Palace along with double-decker buses and some of the other objects associated with London. We got back to the airport and honestly got through security in 15 minutes. I guess we could’ve spent a little more time in London. After arriving in Accra, we took a bus to the University and moved into our rooms. And by the way, the rooms are very nice. They are quite big and each room has its own balcony.

Orientation

Our first day in Ghana was a day of familiarizing ourselves with the campus. We were shown where our classes would be held along with some of the other parts of campus. The campus is huge compared to Calvin. It takes me at least 20 minutes to walk to class from the hostel. There are all sorts of places to eat on campus, along with stores, churches, markets, bars, internet cafes, laundry places, and all sorts of other places. It really is more like a small city. We also went into downtown Accra with our guides (students from the University). We took trotros (big vans that hold 20-30 people) to Tema Station in Accra. From there we walked to Makola Market, which is a bunch of street vendors that takes up a huge amount of the downtown area. It was very crowded and overwhelming. There were people everywhere and everyone wanted you to buy stuff from them. I don’t think I’ll be going back there unless I’m with someone who knows what they’re doing. To me it seemed like a crowded maze. I had my first bartering experience in Ghana when a bought a pair of sandals…I still probably paid too much though.

On Sunday, we were all supposed to meet at Legon Interdenominational Church. Somehow, Melinda, Sarah DN, Joel and I ended up at the Catholic Church next door. The funny thing is that I really didn’t realize it was the wrong church until it was at least half way done. It also turns out that we got there an hour into the service…oops. After church, we had a couple hours to kill until everyone else got out of church. Our group then went up to the Akrofi-Christaller Institute in Akropong for the weekend and for some more orientation. Since it was up in the mountains, it was a bit cooler and quite rainy when we were there. It was also very peaceful and quiet. On our trip up there, we passed by the house of Bob Marley’s wife and we got passed by the Presidential motorcade which consisted of 3 motorcycles and probably 20 black cars. A lot of the time in Akropong was spent without electricity since a storm came through the first night we were there. We were able to walk around the town one day and meet some of the people that lived there. They were very friendly and overall it was a very good stay. Before returning to the University, we stopped by the Cedi Bead Factory and saw how they made beads and jewelry. We also visited the Akosombo Dam which provides all of the electricity for Ghana and some for its neighboring countries. Since the water level is low, there is an energy crisis here in Ghana. We also saw Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in the world.

Things To Get Used To

There are several things that I’m going to have to get used to while I’m here. Some will be easier than others. One thing that you notice from the very beginning is the traffic. In Ghana, pedestrians do not have the right of way so you have to be careful when crossing the street. There is a ton of honking. At first I thought the drivers were being rude, but I’ve realized that it is just their way of warning you that they are coming up behind you. Also, there are very few traffic signs or lights. I have seen many close calls but somehow the cars never hit each other. I would definitely not want to drive here. Also, along every road, even on campus, there are cement gutters that are 2-3 foot deep and probably a foot across. You have to be very careful when you’re walking around, especially at night, or you just might fall into one. I’ve actually seen someone fall into one at night, but I’ll be nice and not mention her name. It was pretty funny after I found out she wasn’t hurt. When you go into Accra, the gutters have sewage in them which makes it smell quite bad in some areas. Another thing that has been hard getting used to is the cold showers. It takes some serious will power every morning to step into the shower of shockingly cold water. The food has taken some getting used to too. Lunch and dinner consist mainly of rice, beans, and chicken, and the food is really spicy sometimes. My breakfasts are usually egg sandwiches. I really would prefer a greater variety of food, but I can definitely survive on what they have here because it isn’t bad. The internet is very slow here and I either have to pay to go to an internet café or wait in a line for a computer if it’s free. Also, since there is a power shortage in Ghana, we usually lose our power every three days. Everywhere in Ghana is on a rotating schedule. If we lose ours Sunday morning from 6am to 6pm, then we’ll lose it again on Wednesday night from 6pm to 6am. It really doesn’t bother me that much, especially since I usually know when it’s going to happen, but it doesn’t always stick to the schedule. One last thing that I’m getting used to is the early rising of the sun. It is usually light here before 6am. Because of that, many people are up and around by 6, which means that I usually wake up around then too. The sun also set at around 6pm, so it gets dark really early. Although some of these things may seem a little annoying, I’m getting used to them and realizing that it is the way of life in Ghana. None of these are things that I couldn’t get used to, and none of them are really detracting from my love for this place.

The Beginning of Classes

My class schedule while I’m here in Ghana is as follows:

Monday:

8:30-10:00 African Politics and Development

10:30-12:00 Peoples and Culture of Ghana: Guest Lecture

2:00-3:30 West African Literature and Drama

Tuesday

8:30-9:30 African Drumming and Dance (Dance)

10:00-11:30 Justice and the Common Good

2:00-3:00 Twi Language

Wednesday

8:30-10:00 African Politics and Development

10:30-11:30 Peoples and Culture of Ghana: Guest Lecture

1:30-3:00 Twi Language

Thursday

8:00-9:30 West African Literature and Drama

10:30-11:30 African Drumming and Dance (Lecture)

1:00-2:30 Twi Language

3:30-5:00 Justice and the Common Good

Friday

9:00-10:00 African Drumming and Dance (Dance/Drumming)

All of my classes are with Calvin students. Professor Groenhout, who came with us from Calvin teaches our Justice and the Common Good class. The rest of our classes are taught by professors at the University of Ghana. Except for our dance class, our classes all meet in a small classroom in the Institute of African Studies building. The room barely fits all 16 of us, but it does have air conditioning which is really nice. Our dance class meets in a public place where anybody can come and watch us. There usually is a pretty big crowd watching us Americans attempt to dance…a little bit embarrassing, but still pretty fun.

The first week of classes also included a lot of fun nights. I went into Osu (a nicer part of Accra) one night with four other people from our hostel. Another night there was probably about 30 people from our hostel that went to a bar with live Ghanaian Highlife music. I met a lot of great people and had some good conversations. Us Calvin peeps also went to Kokrobite Beach on Friday afternoon.

Deborah’s Birthday

September 9^th was Deborah’s birthday so all 16 of us Calvin students decided to go out to eat to celebrate. We ended up going to The Dynasty Chinese Restaurant in Osu. It was a really nice place with great food. It was also quite expensive, at least by Ghanaian standards. We were all seated in our own private room at a huge circular table that fit us all. The surprise came with the bill, 1.5 million cedis! Little did we know that there was a huge import tax added to the price of each of our meals. Still, at only around $150, it wasn’t that much for 16 of us, but compared to our normal meals that cost from $0.30 to $1.00, it was a huge shock. It honestly took everyone throwing in all the money they had for us to cover the cost. It took us about 20 minutes to count out the right amount of bills and the stack was probably 3 or 4 inches high since the highest denomination any of us had was 10,000 cedis (although there is supposed to be a 20,000 cedi bill that I have yet to get my hands on). After the meal we had to get taxis to go back to the university. We actually had so little money left that we had to have someone run into the hostel when we got back to get more money to pay the drivers (and the fare was only about a dollar per person). It was a fun night and definitely a learning experience.

It's About Time I Write In Here

Okay, I’ve been here in Ghana for three weeks now so I decided I should finally get my act together and let everyone know what’s been going on. So far, it has been an amazing experience. I’m not going to lie, I had very high hopes for this semester, and in the past few weeks those expectations have already been met and far surpassed. It definitely helps that the Calvin group this year is the best group of 16 that anyone could ever hope for. I’ve also met tons of great people in the International Student Hostel and around campus. There are lots of new names to remember, but I think I’m doing pretty well at it. My roommate, Victor, is also amazing. We’ve had some really good conversations and some fun times already. He’s from Ghana so he has shown me around a bit. The Ghanaian people are also some of the most generous, hospitable and helpful people I’ve ever met. It is so refreshing being in such a different world from the United States and still feeling very comfortable and welcomed by everyone. I would highly recommend visiting Ghana if you ever get the chance. Anyway, I’m going to go back and write about some of the things I did in my first few weeks here. If I can, I’ll try to post a few pictures along the way. Feel free to e-mail me at jmb25@calvin.edu, or if you’re e-mailing pictures, at bushj85@gmail.com. It takes a couple weeks for snail mail to arrive, but you can send mail to:

Justin Bush
Calvin College
Institute of African Studies
University of Ghana
PO Box LG 73
Legon, Ghana