Ghana

The four days I spent in Ghana were some of best days of my trip so far. The first day in Ghana, I went into the area of the city of Accra known as Nima. Here, I went on a street art tour with a few local guys who run a program that teaches local kids the importance of art and expression. We started our time there by meeting the local chief who told us about his role in keeping the peace within the community. Then we walked the streets of Nima with our local guides. As we walked around the area, the guys showed us the murals they had worked on with the local kids. They said that the murals have encouraged the local community to keep the painted areas clean and pick up trash around them. It was so great to hear these people speak so passionately about art and the impact it has on the community.

The following day, I set out to explore Accra by myself. I started my day by going to the Osu castle. Unfortunately, when I got there, I found out that the castle is closed on Saturdays. I was still able to see the fort and check out the surrounding area. From there, I went to the National Center for Culture, which is a place where local people come to sell art and other handicrafts. As I walked in, I heard someone call my name. I could not imagine who it could be and felt my body tense up. When I turned around, I saw one of my guides from the previous day’s art tour, Seidi. I went over to him and his friends who were sitting on a small bench on the outskirts of the market. His friends introduced themselves as Chaz – Nicknamed Ezy, and Jaguar. The three told me they were the “Neighborhood watch” and pulled a chair up for me to sit with them. I spent a few hours hanging out with them talking about music, local culture, and art. They took me to see their art, and introduced me to their friends and family. Seidi, who is a wood carver, also took me to see where he carves his pieces. We sat there, watched the local kids play soccer and exchanged email addresses. I then said goodbye to my new friends and they helped negotiate a fair cab price to take me back into the center of Accra. There, I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then caught the shuttle back to the Ship. I was not expecting this day to be anything great, but hanging out with these guys was truly such an amazing experience. They welcomed me into their little group and taught me so much more than I would have been able to learn walking around by myself. Seidi said he comes to the states every so often, so we are hoping we can catch back up with each other one day.

The next morning I headed out to the Togorme Village. My group and I drove about 2 hours outside of Accra where we finally reached the small village. Upon our arrival, all of the local children came running up to our bus waving and shouting. As we got off, we were welcomed into a traditional Ghanaian naming ceremony. Here they danced and sang for us. They also offered each person in our group a hand made pot with our English, and new African names on it. My name was Ama Mawuukem. After the ceremony, we met our host families. The representative from my host family, a boy about my age, picked up my roommate and myself and walked us around the village. About 15 young children quickly joined our walk, holding our hands and climbing all over us. These kids were amazing. They were asking me so many questions, touching my hair, and telling me facts about their village. They brought us to their school and told me how much they love class and love learning. As we rested, one boy asked if he could try my camera. I of course said yes and showed him how to zoom, focus and shoot. Soon after there was a mob of little kids patiently waiting to try out the camera. My only rule was that they had to put the strap around their neck. Then, we went back to our host family’s home to rest. Four little kids stayed in our room with us and taught me words in their local language. The girls asked if they could do my hair, which resulted in an hour of braiding and tugging. It was hysterical. On our way to dinner, we stopped at a village funeral. This funeral was like one I had never seen before. There was dancing, singing, drumming and drinking. I asked my host what was going on and he told me that in Ghana they celebrate a person’s life after they die rather than mourn. I love this idea, it made me think back to all of the funerals and deaths in my life, and the way I have reacted to them. It makes so much more sense to celebrate the time a person had on this earth with joy and celebration, than to spend days and weeks crying over their passing. I will remember this funeral forever and will try to bring these ideals into the way I deal with death back home. We ended our night with dinner, a bonfire, and a drum circle. As I tried to sleep on my small, bare, foam mattress, I was able to reflect and really appreciate the way of life in the village. The people there were so happy, and cared for one another. In the village of over 1,000 people, my host told me that he knows everyone. The next morning, we woke up to the sound of the rooster at about 4:45 am. We headed to breakfast, said a sad goodbye to the village people and headed out for a hike in the surrounding jungle area. After a few hours of hiking and exploring we headed back to our ship and ended our time in Ghana. My experience in Ghana was one full of welcome and friendship. I will never forget the kindness I experienced in both Accra and the Togorme village. I hope to go back to Ghana one day for a longer time frame so I can really immerse myself in the rich culture that envelops the country.

I can’t believe I am saying this, but on to our final stop – Morocco.