One month in Ghana

As of tonight, I have been in Ghana for four weeks. To sum up my time here so far, I thought I would talk about a few things in day-to-day life in Ghana. This is another long entry, but I’ve organized it into sections so feel free to skip any parts that you find boring.

Fanti – Fanti is a local language spoken in the Central Region (Cape Coast, Winneba, Takoradi) of Ghana. Twi and Ga are other common local languages. The volunteers all try to pick up some of the local language because it’s part of the culture but also to show that we’ve been here for a while so the taxi drivers don’t rip us off. Here are some useful phrases in Fanti:

Oh-tse-den? – How are you?
Boco – Fine
Me-da-see – Thank you
Wo-frem – My name is…
Adenti na wosisi me? – Why is it that you cheat me?
Mema wo akye/aha/adwe – I give you good morning/afternoon/evening
Woye nkraseni – You are a villager (meant as an insult)


Food – I still haven’t been able to stomach proper Ghanaian dishes. Don’t worry though, I have found more than enough food here that I can eat. My diet here consists of a lot of rice, bread, and chicken. I also eat plantains, eggs, really tasty bananas, mangos, oranges, pineapples, avocado, cookies, crackers, and ice cream (FanChoco – it comes in a bag and tastes like chocolate malt ice cream from home). Here’s a list of local dishes that I won’t touch:

Fufu – a congealed, doughy mass of something sitting in a fishy stew with tough goat meat on the side.
Any fish – I like fish at home but I really can’t stomach it here (see description of markets below).
Goat – the meat is really tough
Pig’s feet – ewwwww
Banku or Kenkey – some kind of fermented maize mash (though I swear mine had fish bones in it when I tried it).

Transportation – Taxis probably account for more than 80% of the cars on the road here. Their driving has taken some getting used to as they speed, swerve to the other side of the road to pass cars, honk constantly, and drive so close to pedestrians it’s a miracle more people aren’t shoved off the roads into the sewers. Like the tro-tros that I mentioned in a previous entry, they do their best to cram as many people as possible into a taxi. Last weekend we had nine girls (ten people, including the driver) in a car: four in the backseat with three on their laps and two in the front seat.

If you’re walking along the side of the road, you can expect to be honked at nonstop by taxis going in both directions. The driver will lean out the window and gesture at you in question until you wave him off. Taxi stations and tro-tro stations are even pushier as people are constantly in your face shouting, “Where are you going? Where are you going?” It’s also important to figure out the correct fares as quickly as possible because the drivers always try to rip off the obrunis.

Soccer – Soccer is huge here! I think I’ve described the STC station with its big screen TVs and bar. Last week we went to watch AC Milan play Liverpool for the Champions League final. There must have been three to four thousand people crammed into the small area. All the Ghanaians were cheering for AC Milan (maybe because Liverpool knocked out Chelsea?) and the roar was deafening when they scored. Right now they’re having playoffs between the top four Ghanaian teams so we’re planning to go watch a live game on Sunday.

Religion – Religion here is also highly emphasized. Christianity is the dominant religion in the south of Ghana while the north has a greater Muslim population. Ghanaian Christians are quite flagrant in expressing their faith. You can’t walk far without seeing a shop or small business with a name dedicated to God or Jesus. “If God Wills Beauty Parlor”, “Jesus Lives Light Hair Care”, and “My God is Able Stationary Shop” are just a few examples. Before our tro-tro ride to Accra last weekend, we had a man get into the tro and preach to us about finding God for fifteen minutes before he would let the tro leave. This is not uncommon and I have had many strangers come up to me to inquire about my Faith.

Garbage – I think I’ve commented on the garbage before but, coming from spotless Victoria, it really is remarkable. The amount of garbage here is amazing. Everything is packaged in plastic – cookies, ice cream, water, bread, even alcohol. The treated water that we drink comes in plastic bags that hold 500 mL each (you bite off a corner of the bag to drink it). Even alcohol (gin, rum, vodka) is sold in little plastic packets that resemble those soy sauce things back home. All of this plastic accumulates in scattered piles as there aren’t any garbage cans to collect them.

Bathrooms – You are quite lucky if you can find a public washroom that actually has a toilet. Many of them are nothing more than a drain or a shallow hole in the ground. Some schools simply have their students use the nearest open sewer. On Nicole’s first day here she had a taxi driver stop the car, walk around the back, and take a leak while standing behind the car in a busy street. For the luxurious washrooms that actually have toilets, none of them flush and none of them have toilet paper – not even the ones in the hospital. I’m so glad I brought a roll of toilet paper with me and I’ve taken to carrying around bits of it wherever I go.

Animals – Common animals seen wandering around town include goats, chickens, roosters, cats, dog, and lizards. Apparently, they all have owners but it’s beyond me how they keep them all straight. The cats and dogs here do not resemble the beloved household pets at home. They are all really mangy and underfed with ragged fur and scrawny bodies. Small lizards are quite common and frequently seen scaling cement walls.

Families – As far as I can tell, Ghanaian people are really family-oriented. It’s not unusual to have many members of an extended family living under one roof. The women seem to be the heads of their household, especially in the cases of wealthier families where the husband does not live in Ghana (Philo’s husband works in London and sends money back home). It’s amazing to see the women walking around town with a young child tied to their back and a huge load balanced on their head. The babies and young children are conveniently attached to their mothers like this so the women are free to go about their normal work.

Markets – Walking through a Ghanaian market is quite an experience. They are very densely packed labyrinths of stalls selling meat, fish, snacks, vegetables, spices, cloth, crafts, and other miscellaneous items. Inside a market it really feels like you’ve entered another world – one that is a bit of an assault to your senses. It’s relatively dark in the markets due to the metal roofs that partially cover all of the stalls. It is very crowded with aisles that are big enough for just one person but actually have several people trying to push past each other with large loads. The smells range from lovely aromas of nutmeg and ginger to the gag-worthy stench of raw meat in the sweltering heat. There is a visual overload as well with some stalls selling huge piles of fresh fruits or rice or pig’s feet while other stalls have stacks of brightly coloured cloth, jewellery, or electronic equipment. In Cape Coast, the main market is the Kotokuraba market, which is organized into a dense triangle of shops. Accra has the Kaneshie market and probably several others (though Kaneshie is the only one I’ve been to). Kumasi (inland from Cape Coast by about three hours) is home to, apparently, the largest market in West Africa. Nicole and I are planning a trip up there for next weekend.

People – In general, Ghanaian people really are very kind and very friendly. Of course there are exceptions, but they are relatively uncommon. The host families are lovely and, as further examples of Ghanaian kindness and generosity, I have had strangers guide me to my destination (even if it was twenty minutes out of their way), offer me a sheltered place to sit until the rain subsided, and argue with a taxi driver on my behalf if he was trying to cheat me. In addition to that, most people will greet you with a cheerful “Good morning/afternoon”, or “Obruni! How are you?” as you walk down the street. The girls here have also found that marriage proposals from complete strangers are not uncommon. We’ve all found a variety of ways to deal with this. I’ve taken to telling people that I’m already married – a lot of people confuse my gold ring as a wedding ring anyways. Though, in some cases, this hasn’t worked and the men have insisted that I need an African husband in addition to my fabricated white one.


Whew! Well, I hope that paints a better picture of Ghana for some people. It really is an amazing place and I love the atmosphere here. We have a culturally packed weekend coming up so I’ll update everyone on that early next week.