Arrival in Accra

The following interpretation of this proverb comes from Emmanuel K. A. Asante's Akan Proverbs: Their Origins, Meanings, and Symbolical Representation in Ghanaian Material Cultural Heritage. It was published by Asemba Publishers, Christian Council of Ghana in Accra in 2002. I purchased this piece of literature at the bookstore at the University of Ghana @ Legon.



An Akan proverb goes like this: "Woforo dua pa a, na wopia wo."



Its literal meaning is, "It is when you climb a good tree that you are pushed up."



There is a forest tree in Akan called the Pambewuo. It is a tree that has many branches, which causes children to want to climb it. When a child attempts to climb a pambewuo an elder will shout to discourage the child. The truth is that this type of tree is very brittle and loaded with thorns making it unsafe to climb. In the forest, there are many sturdy trees to climb. If an adult sees a child attempting to climb such a tree, then he or she will encourage the child. Thus, there are Akan wood-carvings, which show a man helping a boy climb a (good) tree.



I think this is a good time to discuss this particular proverb because of where we are in our trip. We arrived yesterday morning, and so far we have done very little as far as organized activity goes. Other than eating a few meals and resting, our our only formal destination (until tonight) has been a bus tour of the University of Ghana @ Legon located just outside of Accra. Many of the participants (me included) are "chomping at the bit" to go into downtown Accra. Max, our leader, has asked us to remain patient and not yet venture into town.



This situation reminds me of the proverb mentioned above. I believe we are waiting so that when we do go into town, we will have a better appreciation of the activities available to us. Every step of this program seems to be geared to mazimize our experience. All of us are here because we desire in our own way to learn more about Africa, indeed more about Ghana, so that we can dispel myths that students, colleagues, and friends have about life here. If Max believes that going into downtown Accra would be like climbing a pambewuo tree, then I think all of the participants can happily wait. We are actually scheduled to visit the Makola Market in downtown Accra tomorrow.



We are staying at the Erata Hotel, which is located between the Kotoka International Airport in Accra and the University of Ghana @ Legon. We toured the very large and spread out university earlier today. It is there where we will be attending lectures both this week and in August when we return to Accra.



The Erata Hotel (http://www.eratahotel.com/) is probably on the scale of a 3-star hotel in the United States. The food in Sohos Restaurant (at the hotel) is served buffet style. The breakfast has been delivered in the English style complete with eggs, hot dogs (instead of sausages), baked beans, and sliced fruit. Toast is an option, and they offer HP brand brown sauce as a condiment. The rooms are clean and air-conditioned. There is also a television in most rooms, which has access to about eight different channels (including CNN and Disney). Last night after dinner, in the bar area, a few of us watched a show entitled, Mentor III. The show features a talent competition that copies American Idol. Only tonight's show featured a theme. Each performer was required to perform a James Brown number. It was interesting watching Ghanaian amateurs interpreting James Brown. I have heard that the judges on American Idol can be quite brutal in their evaluation of talent. If that is true (I have never viewed American Idol), then the judges were true to form as they gave the performers little to be excited about. As one might expect viewers could chime in as to which performer was the best by dialing 888 followed by a code for their favorite performer on their mobile phones. TIGO, the local phone company, was offering selected callers a prize of about 44 new cedis ($50.00) for calling in. The television commercials were interesting also . They were all filled with energy, but my favorite was the commercial that showed women who owned stands in the marketplace discussing Ghana's new currency, the GH cedi, which is replacing the old cedi.



In my spare time yesterday, I joined my friend Andy ( a fellow GPA participnat) on a little walk in the neighborhood surrounding the hotel. Most of the shops have a wood frame with a roof. They are open in the front and are decorated with signs of what is being sold. Many of the shops have names that are faith-based. Here are some examples: Everything by God Fastfood, God is Alive Laundry, The Annointed Hand Supermarket, and the Blood of Jesus Enterprises ( a convenience store). There were a few women sellers cooking corn over a fire in a tub. It was Sunday and there are revolving black-outs (due to a power shortage) of electricity, so the dirt streets were not too busy.



Tonihgt, we drove to Augustina's (Max's wife) house for our welcome dinner. We drove through rush hour traffic at about six o'clock PM. We drove through many dirt roads of neighborhoods that were filled with houses and businesses of all kinds. When we arrived at our destination, we quickly discovered that we were attending a "welcome party" not a welcome dinner. We entered a beautiful room with a large visiting room. The speakers were cranking with disco music from the '70's including Donna Summer, the Ohio Players, and Kool and the Gang. We even got to hear Car Wash by Rose Royce. Later in the evening we listened to contemporary Ghanaian dance music. We ate with drinks available, and we danced for several hours. Our five Ghanaian helpers (Ben, Daniel, Seth, Francis, and Razak) joined us in our celebration. Many of Max's family friends and workers from the University of Ghana also joined in. I think everyone had a good time. We arrived back at the hotel at 11:00 o'clock PM.



Tomorrow, we will visit the U.S. Embassy, the Center for (Ghanaian) National Culture, and the Makola Market - all in downtown Accra. It seems we will begin to climb the good tree.



Check back with the blog!!!