Accra — It took us seven hours from Julius
Kambarage Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to Dubai
Airport aboard an Emirates flight destined for Accra, Ghana.
We had been invited by Bioscience for Farming in Africa, a Cambridge
UK-based firm that has a programme on agricultural science reporting.
We came from Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana. With my colleague
Polycarp Machira, we spent six hours in transit at Dubai International
Airport. But it was a great experience wandering round the magnificent
complex full of a rich variety of wares from all over the world. Accra
is a combination of old and new buildings.
(An employee cleans the surroundings of the Afia African Village Beach hotel in Accra, Ghana Photo By Kenan Kalagho)
Three hours behind East African time, Accra is dry, but not as much
as Dubai. The temperatures were hovering around 34 degrees Centigrade as
we were driven to the Afia African Village Beach Resort.
This is close to the shanty surroundings along the Gulf of Guinea along the Atlantic Ocean.
Then we sat about with all the tiredness as we were forced to wait for another 40 minutes.
The hotel receptionist told us that tourists had just checked out
that very hour from our designated rooms. This is in spite of the fact
that we were booked much earlier; actually weeks before!
The fellows from Uganda with whom we boarded the same flight without
actually knowing each other had arrived much earlier than us and were
already complaining about the unchanged bed sheets in their rooms.
"The bed sheets in my room are stained and torn! I will not use those
bed sheets unless they are changed. Our sponsors have paid a lot of
money in accommodation to deserve this," complained Sarah Natoolo our
fellow from Uganda. Am sure the hotel workers did something to appease
her, I never actually got time to ask her the outcome.
Despite the fact that Afia African Village Beach Resort was a nice
place to stay, I realized that the staff lacked hospitality. It wasn't
only in Ghana. I was told by my fellow Nigerian Kandi Mohammed that one
would equally experience this same lack of warmth back home at their
hotels as well.
We were soon joined by our Ghanaian friend, Noah Nash, who took us
for a taste of a traditional dish of kenkey (a dumpling made out of
maize meal) and fish. Kenkey is made by mixing flour with water until
the porridge is thick enough to eat. It is similar to posho or ugali.
The only difference with kenkey is that after the final product, the
thickened flour balls are made and lapped in dry maize husk and then
placed in boiling water after which it is ready to eat.
Despite the fact that it tasted bitter, frankly I adored the dish. As
days went on, I was eager to taste other traditional dishes and managed
to eat joll of rice with goats' meat which I did like, but was a bit
reluctant to taste the 'Banku' a bitter kenkey typical dish.
During the evening we would drive to Osu Oxford Street for meals because the majority of us weren't pleased with the hotel menu.
Frankies is a popular place with special dishes that attract many customers daily.
(Frankies where special dishes attract many customers along Osu Oxford Street in Accra, Photo By Kenan Kalagho)
Osu Oxford Street itself is busy, filled with all kinds of businesses
from art craft gallery shops, to boutique or 'Kente', a special
'kitenge' garments shops, to plenty of kiosks alongside the roads
selling different kinds of foodstuffs and accessories.
The only thing I found awkward was when I discovered that several of
Accra's toilets empty directly into the drainage systems. This creates a
constant foul smell especially around drinking taverns.
The nights at the container taverns were always entertaining. On a
Friday night we experienced the mixture of traditional Ghanaian highlife
to the rhythm of reggae music.
The music reminded me of the long old secondary school days. The
place was packed to the brim with Indians, Europeans, Chinese and blacks
jumping together feeling the vibes in their hearts.
We were left with no option, but to join in without actually knowing
the meaning to the songs. The one thing I loved about Ghanaians is their
friendliness, irrespective of the hotel staff. That Friday night at the
tavern, we felt very much at home, even though hours later we would be
actually back home in Tanzania.
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