Final Thoughts on Ghana.
July 19th 2009 20:17
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Thoughts on Ghana
You know, it’s my final days in Ghana. And I think that maybe because it’s my final days here, I’m feeling more affectionate towards the place than possibly I would’ve before now.
Ok, I know that if you’ve talked to me before now I have had many untoward things to say about the place.
Yes, it has its bad points. It has open sewers and naked men. It has persistent hawkers and untoward propositions, but they all seem to add to the charm at the end of the day.
I’m thinking back on my time here, and while I’m desperate to move on to my next destination and a decent meal, I'm glad I’ve come here. I’m happy I experienced Ghana and the particular experiences it has to offer. I mean, having left a place where I suffer being stared at near constantly I think I could appreciate the anonymity I usually take for granted at home to a whole new degree. Also some fucking milk would be nice.
Ok Ghana, you get hassled, you get harassed, you will probably get ripped off at some point. But it all adds to the experience, I mean, outside of Accra you can experience some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, to name at least one, Ada Foa.
Ada Foa, I think may well be as near as paradise as you can get. Peaceful beyond belief and as enjoyable as you would like it to be. I mean, while I was there, I had three very different experiences on the three nights I stayed.
The first night, we listened to the local Rasta play the drums and sing hideously out of tune, but Mr 2, Huge-o and I could only appreciate his genius. Possibly because we were both high, but regardless I still feel the man has some talent. Eventually I fell asleep on a hammock and had to be ushered away to a tent for some safety against the hordes of death bringing mosquitoes. I feel, apart from the death by insect, that the evening reflected a quiet night with friends appreciating some music. We shared a moment that was ultimately trivial but will mean a lot to me whenever I remember it.
The second night was more eventful. With other Ubronis arriving from a camp nearby, we had some company and I would hazard a guess that most of us got quite loud.
We drank the local rum and stayed up talking about nonsense the more extreme sexual conquests.
The third night was a completely different affair. Which sounds pretentious, but still, it was.
After the second night me, Willie, and Gero were left alone.
Gero, the odd but well meaning and often hilarious German could not be persuaded to leave until he had caught a fish. That day, after the others had left and we had settled, napped and had lunch. We rowed away on a tiny boat captained by Eddie the Ghanaian. The boat was no wider than I am and was about as long as three of me laying down. So it required two to row (Gero and I), one man to steer (Eddie the Ghanaian) and one man to untangle the fishing nets, which was Willie.
We aimed to catch a fish. Which, between the three of us wouldn’t be too much to ask, you would think. One dead aquatic creature with the intelligence of my shoe, you would think would be hard pressed to avoid the infinitely more refined intellect of a superior organism. But sadly no. We were outsmarted by fish.
For three days before I joined them, Gero and Willie had tried to catch a fish. They failed.
And after the end of our day of failed fishing we hadn’t caught a thing either. I was beginning to think Gero knew nothing about fishing.
Eddie the Ghanaian covertly told me that we weren’t even fishing in the right spot but Gero was too single minded to even hear this. We got back to the camp at dark, so we started the bonfire.
Now I have to tell you, in Ada Foa, if not in the whole of Ghana. There seems to be a shocking amount of weed present. Not shocking because I was shocked by the fact it was there. Shocking because of the sheer amount the Rasta and Eddie the Ghanaian smoked. Naturally, we were nearby and so forced to participate in this heinous act. So by the time we finished dinner and got to sitting around the fire. We were much too high to even say a thing to each other. We sat in silence for what must have been at least two hours. Eventually, I stumbled away to my room and slept like id died. I still woke up at 6 though. Later Willie told me Gero had fallen asleep sitting on a deck chair knee deep in water grasping a fishing line. He still didn’t catch anything.
That might not sound really that fun, but it seemed appropriate at the time. I sat there and stared at the fire. I stared at the fire and thought about home, I thought about Julia, I thought about my friends and how I wanted to see them. But while I wanted to see them, I’m so glad I came away. I was just spiralling down a circle at home. Feeling worse and worse for myself and needing a change. So I’m still glad I’ve done this.
I think the trip to Ghana really has done something to change my confidence. Well I hope it has, it was a chance to do something outside my confidence zone, which this whole trip is. I mean, even if I have to do it alone, there’s places in Europe I’ve promised myself to see. I can’t avoid it. If I do, ill be doing myself a disservice.
I actually would recommend Ghana to somebody that wanted to experience an African country. If someone wanted to see how someone with nothing to their name lived, I would say come to Africa and it will change your perception of poor. I will humble you to your lifestyle.
I mean, it will piss you off at times. It will make you angry and sad on occasion. But it will also make you love people.
Outside Accra you can experience Africans who are so excited to see white people you can’t help but get caught up in it. It’s incredibly unique. In Accra, you get attention because you are white and thus seen to have money which can be exploited. But in the small towns, you’re a novelty just because you are white. It’s an interesting experience. It’s hard to explain.
You know, basically, I’m recommending Africa to someone who wants to see a different side of life. Cape Town was an eye opener, at times magnificently beautiful but also ugly in unnecessarily disgusting ways. The huge lifestyle and attitude difference between the rich and the poor there is putrid in a way I’ve never experienced before. The decadence present only 10 minutes walk away from people living in one room shacks, I feel, is the worst inhuman attitude to have.
Though it’s immature to ask someone to present a fast track solution to the problem there needs to be a reform of certain systems, as with Ghana (which is another post all together) that are just plainly failing the people of the country.
Regardless of all of this, I feel a certain attachment to Ghana. Europe, I can only hope, will be a bucket of fun but Africa was a learning experience.
I would be sad about leaving some people. But I have to say I’m going to visit the best of them to the best of my ability.
Ghana has its charms.
But fuck I could go for a proper fucking breakfast.
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