As the others were procrastinating about breakfast I took matters into my own hands and hopped over to Galitos for a chicken with spicy rice. When I got back we decided to go down town. The vague plan we had was to do some light shopping and to spend some time in our favorite beach resort hangout. Afterwards we would go to the La Palm Beach hotel – the most exclusive hotel in Ghana where they were supposed to have an African buffet. As usual we started from Frankie’s. From Oxford Street we walked slowly towards the ocean, exploring the small streets and venues. We spent a good deal of time looking for an ATM – cash withdrawals had not been working for the past two days. They still weren’t (i.e. it’s Africa).
After two hours of walking around we reached Independence Square – the same place we had seen that awful concert the second day. Today it was empty and we took a closer look at it. An armed soldier guarding the place turned up asking us what we were doing. He didn’t object and let us out through a gate that led to the beach. It might be added here that Ghana has a reputation for having corrupt police officers and government officials. Although we did see a few police ‘money collection points’ on the way from Cape Coast we never faced a situation where we had to bribe an official. Most of the time they were very friendly and polite – including the military guards at the square.
Me, Julianna and Matilda at Indpendence Square
It was getting late in the afternoon so we decided to take a taxi to La Palm for the buffet. In Ghana it is completely dark by 18:00. It grows dark very quickly – a matter of minutes.
La Palm is another of those ‘Africa avoidance’ hotels that allows westerners to be in Africa without actually coming in contact with the local reality. This particular hotel is the most expensive in Accra and the one where visiting dignitaries stay at. It looks like a very typical holiday resort with swimming pools and sun chairs. As it turned out, the African buffet was only available at lunch so we had missed it. Instead we just refreshed with drinks and decided to try the Golden Tulip that was rumored to have a buffet as well. As it turned out, they did, but today was not an African but a Caribbean buffet which we weren’t interested in. I enjoyed instead a barracuda with rice and as usual pepper sauce. The barracuda was nice although not very exotic. As a dessert I had a magnificent tiramisu while the others had a rather bad chocolate mousse. Although we didn’t accomplish much that day, I was pleased – the others (still disappointed with their dessert) were not.
One of the many mini-Geckos that lived on my veranda.
While there are a few super markets in Accra catering to westerners and rich Ghanaians, regular people get everything from their food to kitchen utensils from the markets. There are a number of markets in Accra but Makola Market is the big one. It is one of the largest in Western Africa. Spanning several city blocks, Makola is an endless maze of stands selling goods and services and is the real commercial center of Accra.
In Makola you can get basically anything from the basic food stuff to clothes, washing machines and live animals. There is no structured organization and you can’t easily get to a specific shop – you just follow the flow and on occasion react to an interesting smell or sight. It is completely chaotic and full of life and movement. Their solution to lack of structure is redundancy. A huge number of stands offer the same things. There is variation and specialization as well but to a much lesser extent. If you are looking for something chances are very good you’ll find it in the corner of the market where you are at – it’s seldom that you have to walk far. There are some sections in the market (food, fabric), but they are not definitive – more just like a vague suggestion. You can find food in the clothes section and vice versa.
I had wanted to visit Makola from my first day in Ghana – and so I did. Unfortunately it was Sunday then and everything was closed down. So, my last day, a Saturday was going to be ‘Makola day’. I also had a secondary motive. I was starting to regret having to go back and wished that I had opted to stay longer. Måns’ three weeks seemed like a more reasonable time to spend in Ghana than my mere ten days. To counter this feeling, I wanted to experience the same thing I did on my seventh day: Africa overload. I wanted to be so overwhelmed that I would be glad to return to the comfort of western civilization. In the end, I failed. While Makola was crowded and chaotic, this time nobody was pushing me around. The girls went their way still looking for fabrics while Måns and I took a stroll around the market enjoying the sights, smells and sounds. We had a drink and a papaya and Måns nearly bought a giant live snail – although I talked him out of that one. The salespeople seem to be a bit (more than usual that is) surprised seeing obronis in the market. And although nothing compared to the salespeople at the Art Market, we did get some unique attention here as well. A saleswoman put a piece of fabric on Måns’ shoulder as we were passing by and exclaimed “Looks good. Give me money!”. Another woman turned to me saying “Mr. White Boy, you buy my spices now!”. We had a lengthy conversation where she expressed a bewildered disbelief in why on earth I would not buy her spices. In the end I had to promise to visit her stand next time I was in Makola.
We didn't take any pictures in the market (as explained earlier Ghanaians don't like it too much), but the following short video from a travel TV show should give you an idea of what the place feels like:
Four days after I left Ghana there was a big fire at the Makola Market. Nobody was hurt but large parts of the place basically burned to the ground making it a huge economic disaster. Altogether it is fairly unsurprising given the cramped layout of the place and the fact that people cook there with open fires. There is a fire station next to one of the exits of the market, but that would have not done much good given the size of the area. They were very lucky that this happened very early in the morning before the market was open.
After Makola we once again went to the Riviera Beach Club near Independence Square. This time we had dinner. I tried a West African specialty called “Jollof rice” which is a type of rice mixed with tomatoes, onion and peppers. It wasn’t bad – I was going to miss the Ghanaian food.
At home I packed my bags and we backed up all photos from all cameras. Zayid accompanied by the others drove me to the airport and thus my stay in Ghana was over.
Conclusion
For a first visit to Africa Ghana is the ideal place - primarily because it is safe and people speak English. Yet you’ll get the full African experience which is certainly exotic and interesting for a westerner. I’m very glad that I visited Ghana – my only regret was that the visit was too brief. After I returned, compared to the chaotic and vibrant Accra, Stockholm seemed like a retirement home with everything moving in slow motion.
Although people are generally not starving in Ghana, the poverty is immense. What I saw and experienced made me appreciate so much more what we have – not as gratitude for something given, but as pride in something achieved. Western civilization is something remarkable and we should be proud of it and make sure that it prevails. The alternative is very unattractive.
In Ghana the little that works has been built by foreigners. All serious engineering projects are done by Europeans and all the hotels and restaurants are run by Lebanese. The educated, competent and capable Ghanaians move abroad the first chance they have and the rest seem to completely lack ambition. There is so much room for improvement and it is quite doable, yet nobody seems to be willing to do it. Ultimately they don’t seem to be too depressed about it either. But it has its consequences – like a 25% child mortality. I’m not going to speculate too much why things are the way they are but now I do know that it’s not a case of western exploitation or any of the other popular excuses. While the causes may be complex it is pretty clear that for the most part it’s their own fault – or achievement if you wish.
Not everything about Ghana is bad of course – on the contrary there are many nice things to be said about the country. The nature is spectacular, ranging from beautiful tropical beaches to dense jungles packed with interesting animals. Ghana is certainly one of the most beautiful countries that I’ve ever been to. The people are nice and helpful. There is something to be said about the African way of life. Yes, it is probably the primary cause of all their misery, but at the same time it is a very relaxed and laid back existence. People do things in their own time and when they feel like it. And although the individuals are not in a hurry, there are so many of them that the streets are vibrant and full of life. Any western city seems dead in comparison. While one would perhaps not choose that as a permanent setting, as a vacation the radical change of scenery is excellent. Ghanaians take their time to cook as well and the food is generally very good.
To conclude – Ghana was an unforgettable experience. I wish I had stayed there longer but I’m very glad I live in Europe.
Max the Monkey considering his banana
Footnote: All images except the B/W Nkrumah photo and the maps were taken by me, Måns, Julianna and Matilda. Four different cameras were used and indicated by a postfix in the filename: d = Canon 350D, mm= Olympus E-510, j = Canon 400D and id = Canon DI 860 IS. The images have been resized by the hosting provider to a maximum width of 1600 pixels.
Black star arch near independence square
Me, Julianna and Matilda at Indpendence Square
Enjoying an afternoon by the the beach
