My apologies for the delayed blog entry – we were quite busy for the past two weeks. Our Ivey course got pushed back due to a shift in All Nations (ANUC)’s exam schedule, so we decided to backpack across Ghana for a whole week!
We flew to Tamale, the capital of the North, on Sunday evening. It was an interesting experience because the airports in Ghana are very… simple, to say the least. They consist of one room for luggage, a small hallway for checking passports and visas, washrooms, and not much else. When we got off the plane, Tamale seemed like an empty desert with the occasional tree and calf. We got taxis to the TICCS hostel, and the drivers tried to scare us into hiring them for a ride to Mole National Park (a 3-hour drive) by saying that many “obrunis” (foreigners) had been robbed or shot on the public busses recently. When we verified our concerns with the hostel receptionist, he laughed and told us that Tamale is one of the safest places around.
After an amazing Indian dinner at SWAB Fast Food, we met up with Shivani’s friend, Miles, at the Jungle Bar over some delicious, ice-cold Star beers. He told us about growing up in Tamale, the impact of his month-long work exchange to Canada, and his career goal of developing sustainable agriculture to improve Ghana’s economy. The next day, he took us around Tamale. Since he knew every corner of town, we got the authentic local experience. We visited the busy markets where merchants sold everything from cassava to clothes to phones; the art square full of handmade paintings, drums, and bags; the largest tree in Tamale where we attracted all the children in the community; a shea butter processing shop that sold its products to The Body Shop; and local houses where Miles’ grew up with his friends.
We were so grateful for Miles’ hospitality and willingness to drive us around for the entire day. We could see that he had a heart for improving the quality of life in Ghana, and finding a way to cease government corruption and foreign exploitation. He told us his opinion on how “fair trade” could never happen, because Africa will always be exploited by large multinationals. For example, Ghana is a large exporter of cocoa beans to the U.S. and other countries. Large multinationals like Cadbury provide value-added activities by processing the beans into chocolate, and importing the finished goods into Ghana. Until Ghana is able to control more of the value chain while surviving against established multinational corporations, its resources and potential profits will continue to be exploited by foreign countries. Hearing Miles’ perspective got me thinking about the future of developing countries like Ghana – will they forever be stuck in this vicious cycle?
We ended our day by surprising Miles with a shirt that he liked at the art square, and he was almost reduced to tears. He told us that nobody had given him a gift in a long time, and he could not believe our gesture of appreciation. This small interaction reminded me that little things do go a long way, and spending time with people is one of the most rewarding experiences.
Mole National Park
We reserved a cab for 5AM on Tuesday, May 5th, but it never came. Instead, we barely made it to the Metro Mass Station by 5:30AM to catch our bus to Mole. The bus station also ran on “Ghana time” which meant that we didn’t actually board the bus until an hour later. We almost missed the bus because the ticket vendor had sold the wrong tickets to Michelle, and would not give us a refund. Fortunately, we managed to resell two tickets, and the Mole bus commander was nice enough to only make us pay a little extra for the correct tickets.
We stopped at Larabanga, the gateway village to Mole. We were quickly whisked away by local tour guides who made us pay to visit their famous ancient mosque. Despite the historical experience and the knowledge of Hassan, our tour guide, the rest of the villagers got a little too close for comfort. We were swarmed by young men and kids demanding money. They claimed to use donations to improve the mosque and fund a new school, and we can only hope that they stay true to those promises.
When we finally got to Mole National Park, it was nice to relax over some continental food, which took at least an hour to prepare, like all restaurants in Ghana. After lunch, we went on a Jeep Safari – a cool experience where we sat on top of a Jeep as it whizzed through the forest. Although we didn’t see many animals, we met our tour guide, Abdullah. He had worked at Mole for six years after completing his studies in tourism, and planned to return to school for more certifications. Ghanaians place a very high value on education, and everyone who can afford tuition is always aiming for the next degree.
The next day, four of us went on a 7:30AM walking safari to look for wild elephants. After crossing streams and seeing bushbuck and warthogs up close, we finally found a group of six elephants! It was an exciting moment as we observed them and inched as close as possible. Elephants are naturally black, but they appear gray and brown from the mud that they lather over their bodies to prevent flies. When a curious “baby” elephant approached us, we realized how big they actually are – at least two metres tall!
We also went on a canoe safari near the Mognori village. Our tour guide explained that when the government created Mole National Park, they took over the property of many villages. After many disputes over wild animals destroying farms and villagers killing the animals, both parties agreed to incorporate the villages into the park’s tourism attractions to distribute revenues. That evening, we relaxed by swimming in the pool while admiring the sunset from the peak of the park. After dinner, we gazed at a sky full of stars – the most I have ever seen – and it was astonishing. I will certainly miss those moments when I return home.
That night, the power went out – a usual occurrence called a dumsor. The Ghanaian government cannot produce enough electricity for the country, so it shuts off power in certain areas daily to account for the deficiency. When our lights finally turned back on, we were shocked. Josephine and Tina’s beds were crawling with colonies of ants! We quickly alerted the park staff, who made it seem like we were bothering them with our complaints. They finally gave us a new room (with no refunds) – but the damage was done by then.
Kintampo Falls
The next day, we travelled by Jeep from Mole to Damongo (20 mins), by trotro to Tamale (3 hours), and another trotro to Kintampo Falls (3 hours). Despite the sketchiness of our travels, I enjoyed seeing the little villages, herds of cows, gigantic termite kingdoms, and excited kids waving at the obrunis. We were bombarded by “Ghanaian drive thrus”, as I like to call them – children and women rushing to bus windows during stops in attempts to sell their products to passengers. Although a bit annoying at times, the convenience factor is unparalleled to anything in North America.
When we arrived at Kintampo Falls, we were greeted by another unnecessary but mandatory tour guide and entrance fee. The falls were stunning, spanning the height of 152 staircase steps. We jumped into the waterfall immediately to cool off from the sweltering heat, and the pressure of the cold water on our bodies was incredible. We also met friendly locals who showed us the best parts of the waterfall, like a small alcove where the water rushed over our heads. After our refreshing break, we grudgingly left the falls to catch the last bus to Kumasi.
Kumasi
We arrived in Ghana’s largest city of 4.7 million people at around 10pm. After trying many closed restaurants, we stumbled upon a receptionist at the Hotel de Kingsway who told us to go to Vienna City. To our surprise, it was a bar, club, and restaurant in one – a nicely furnished, air-conditioned building blaring impossibly loud American rap music, while serving drinks on the first floor and pricey meals on the second. The food was quite delicious despite the unexpected price increase when we paid the bill. Later on, we discovered hilariously that Vienna City was known for being populated by prostitutes at night – which explained a lot.
The next day, we went to the largest market in West Africa to buy some kente – Ghanaian fabrics. The market was way too crowded, and getting out was a suffocating and sweaty battle between women with huge baskets on their heads, men in a hurry, and lost obrunis like us. Finally, we made it out alive to go to Josephine’s grandma’s house for lunch. She greeted us with a delicious Ghanaian feast of chicken, sardine salad, rice, groundnut soup, fufu, and fried plantains. We went through their old family albums and heard about Grandma’s life story as an educationist. We also heard about Josephine’s late grandfather, who served as headmaster of Kumasi Academy, and was widely recognized for his great contributions to society. We spent most of the day lounging in Grandma’s house, which was a welcomed break from constant travelling.
On Saturday, we met Levi from Voto Mobile in the suburbs of Kumasi. The company was situated in a huge 16-bedroom mansion that served as both an office and house for Voto’s staff. Levi gave us a quick tour and answered our questions about the company. Voto Mobile aims to give power to the people by letting their voices be heard by decision-makers. Since most Ghanaians do not use the Internet but have mobile phones, Voto found a unique opportunity to use SMS and voice surveys to help NGOs and private companies gather data from citizens. Its biggest client by revenue is Facebook, but it prefers to serve NGOs to fit with its social mission. Voto currently operates in telecommunications infrastructure, software development, and business consulting – a complex but necessary matrix in the volatile, immature African tech space. I was truly amazed to see how a young company founded in 2013 has achieved so much growth and success despite its multitude of macroeconomic barriers and growing pains. Voto will be a great case, since there are so many directions to consider.
To head back to Koforidua, we took a VIP bus equipped with comfy leather seats, air conditioning, colourful lights, and a TV. However, our luxurious experience was interrupted by a salesman who pitched his Black Seed product loudly and proudly for 30-45 minutes – and people actually bought some! I was shocked by how many salespeople were allowed to solicit business on a premium bus.
Arriving back at our apartment felt like returning to a five-star hotel. The clean rooms, the working shower, the sanitary washrooms with toilet paper, the refrigerator – I appreciated everything in a new light. It’s funny how perspectives can change so drastically in such a short time. In just six days, I learned a lot about different Ghanaian cultures, stretched my risk and dirtiness tolerance, and deepened my appreciation of Canadian privileges and opportunities. Running out of cash forced our team to make sacrifices, although some of us were able to withdraw cash from Barclay’s to sustain the group. Living in unsanitary and sketchy conditions forced me to adapt, while making me appreciate the luxuries that I take for granted every day. Traveling with new friends also allowed us to share stories, while developing interpersonal skills in stressful, unfamiliar, and tiring environments. I also crossed three items off my bucket list – standing on top of a moving car, playing in a waterfall, and backpacking! Overall, the trip was incredible; we saw beautiful sights, learned a lot about Ghana and each other, and expanded our understanding of ourselves and the world. After this experience, I am excited to incorporate what I learned into how we teach our students this week!