My first days in Ghana

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For those of you who just want the key facts, as you are worried about my safety/looking for a quick laugh, here is a brief summary:

· I don’t have malaria, but the mosquitoes are doing their best

· I haven’t spent more than the usual amount of time in the toilet

· I am not married to a local

· I haven’t taken part in any bizarre local ritual involving dancing, drugs or both

· Yes it is very hot

For anyone wanting more of a narrative, read on.

I arrived in Ghana at 5am on Tuesday 12^th June, just before dawn, and it was hot (high 20’s). Somewhat bleary eyed I made it through immigration without too many difficulties and hung around waiting for my internal flight. We were bussed out to our very small and somewhat ancient plane, clambered on board and sat listening to the engine making noises like an old car struggling to start. This turned out to be not too far from the actual situation. We were bussed back to the departure lounge, where I received a good introduction to the Ghanaian temperament. Every time someone from the airport appeared there was shouting, waving, and a general cacophony of disgruntled noises from all directions. But in just the way that British people tend to go straight from prolonged tutting to angry swearing, Ghanaians have a full range of ways to be noisily aggrieved without seeming to descend into unpleasantness. We were a few hours late but arrived safely. Fortunately the people giving me a lift had waited around, as I couldn’t use my phone, and Tamale airport isn’t big enough for taxis to hang around there.

The family I’m staying with are all devoutly Muslim, as are the staff at Mobility Foundation. Sadly this means I will have to find an alternative use for the bottle of Scotch I brought out with me as a gift. The shortbread went down very well (most people here have a very sweet tooth – everything seems to have sugar in it). The marmalade and English mustard were greeted with general bemusement, and I don’t think they have been opened yet. The family have been very kind to me, the food is good and they have been very patient with my attempts to learn a bit of the local language.

Mobility Foundation mainly does advocacy and education around health and social issues. Their focus is on including and influencing traditional leaders, as they can be a major fact in changing attitudes – if someone from one of the big cities comes out to a village and spouts a load of science that no-one really understands, they are unlikely to persuade anyone if the traditional leader opposes them. They are very well meaning, and not very organised, which is more or less what I was expecting. The Director has been away in Accra the first few days, so I don’t really have a clear plan yet for what I'm doing. The other staff have been very kind, they have shown me a round town and helped me to find a local Sim card etc without getting too badly ripped off.

I have spent most of my time at work so far teaching the accounts officer, Seidu, how to use excel. They had one computer at his school, and he hadn’t used one in the few years between leaving school and starting at Mobility Foundation. He is very keen to learn, and has kindly been picking me up from the family home on the outskirts of town to take me to work, in the middle of Tamale. Mum will be delighted to hear that my first ever ride on the back of a motorbike started on a rough and lumpy dirt track where people drive on the less uneven side, and ended in the middle of a big city where everyone seems to think they have right of way at all times. And helmets haven’t really caught on yet. But in fairness to Seidu he drove much more sensibly than those around us, although if I was driving on roads where people happily overtake on whichever side is convenient I would probably want mirrors and/or working indicators (actually I’m not sure that they don’t work, he just never touched them). Still, it was a nice way to see the town. Anyway, I’m now past all that as I am the proud owner of a local bicycle. It is built for neither speed nor style, but is very comfortable and has a spacious basket, useful for carrying the vast quantities of water that I am consuming. The larger roads have areas at the side that are almost cycle lanes, except for the odd marauding motorbike/taxi/street trader, so my journey to work is now much safer, although cycling in this heat does render my morning shower utterly pointless after about five minutes, let alone the thirty it takes me to get to work.

I was told by others who have been to Ghana that the children are an absolute joy, and so it has proved. The happiness (and, for some of the younger ones, confusion) on their faces when they see a white man walking or cycling past is incredible. I have enjoyed something of the heady scent of celebrity these past few days, knowing that I can make a child’s day simply by responding to their waves or shouts of ‘Hello’. I’m sure the novelty will wear off all round, but it’s nice while it lasts.

Next time: Food, language, football (its unavoidable here when Ghana are playing, even for me), the north/south divide and my first encounter with the family Grandma.

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Comments

[Sheila Turner]

hi
enjoyed the first episode, how is the update going