18.12.2018
The N 1 road to Accra was a main highway and rather busy. There was a lot of traffic of any kind. But I took my afternoon nap for a while.
I woke up to a funny sound … Rain! There was a very heavy rain shower. The first rain I had in West Africa and it was strong! It had been cloudy and humid all day and now came the release, I guess. But as suddenly as it had started it stopped again and a bit further the road was totally dry again.
Approaching closer to Accra we did a photo stop at a coffin maker’s workshop. We learnt already a few days ago, that funerals are one of the most important events in Ghanaian society, because they are considered an investment in the memory of the deceased. There are even calls for a 3-day weekend in Ghana to allow residents to attend more funeral parties – with emphasis on party – believe it. While most people in Ghana celebrate funerals lavishly in the belief that by honoring the deceased in proper fashion will grant favours for the family left behind, it is only the Ga people of Ghana who create extraordinary fantasy coffins for such occasions. And while a funeral lasts just a few hours … eternity is eternity and it is important to spend it in style.
The fantasy or figurative coffins from Ghana are functional coffins made by specialized carpenters in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. These colourful objects, which have developed out of the figurative palanquins, are not only coffins, but are considered real works of art.
The reason that mainly the southern Ghana-based Ga people use such elaborate coffins for their funerals is explained by their religious beliefs regarding the afterlife. They believe that death is not the end and that life continues in the next world in the same way it did on earth. Ancestors are also thought to be much more powerful than the living and able to influence their relatives who are still alive. This is why families do everything they can to ensure that a dead person is sympathetic towards them as early as possible. The social status of the deceased depends primarily on the importance, success and usage of an exclusive coffin during a burial.
Fantasy coffins are only seen on the day of the burial when they are buried with the deceased. They often symbolise the dead people’s professions. Various animals, such as lions, cockerels and crabs can represent clan totems. Similarly, only the heads of the families concerned are permitted to be buried in coffins such as these. Many coffin shapes also evoke proverbs, which are interpreted in different ways by the Ga. That is why these coffins are also called proverbial coffins “abebuu adekai” or in the Ga language “okadi adekai”.
Among the Christians the use of custom coffins is relatively new and began in the Greater Accra Region around 1950. These coffins were formerly used only by the Ga chiefs and priests, but since around 1960 figurative coffins have become an integral part of the local funeral culture. The Christians had taken over the figurative coffins from the traditional Ga who were using figurative palanquins and coffins already since the beginning of the 20th century.
Figurative coffins are produced only to order. Every master craftsman employs one or more apprentices, who carry out a large part of the work. This allows the artist to make several coffins simultaneously. The coffins are generally made from the wood of the local wawa tree. A coffin will take 2 to 6 weeks to produce, depending on the complexity of the construction and the carpenters’ level of experience. The painting of the figural coffins can take up to two days to finish.
The cost of such a coffin is high and can be anywhere from € 500 to € 3000 per coffin. It differs according to the type of wood used as well as the difficulty of the design. We saw some interestingly shaped coffins in the workshop we visited. They had a sort of show room with finished coffins on display and they had a workshop were several partly finished coffins were being worked on.
Not much time later we reached Greater Accra. Traffic was a bitch and we got stuck in traffic jam all the time. Our Hotel Paloma was on the north-western ring road and since we came in from the west, we did not have to go through the city center. We took side roads past the animal market to reach the hotel.
But first we stopped at the wrong hotel – apparently they have 2 different locations. So the drive through side streets took somewhat longer, but we reached the correct hotel before sunset. Due to many one-way-streets we ended up in the staff parking lot behind the hotel. That was not a problem, though. We just have to walk through the complex past the sports bar and the hotel garden restaurant.
My room on the 2nd floor was huge and very nice. I pretty much immediately went down to the garden bar, however, and had a Blue Paloma Sky Cocktail for sundowner – could not see the sunset, though. But it was a pleasant garden restaurant anyway and the cocktail was good.
We had dinner at 19:00 in the garden. It was probably not the best dinner we have had during this trip, but it was good enough. I had chosen mixed fried rice and with the Shit-o sauce it was actually not that bad. The cold Club Beer washed it all down nicely. Natasha and I even had a Orijin Bitter medicine to chase it. This kind of medicine is always good to settle the stomach.
Flo and I went to check out the Bingo Night at the sports bar around the corner after dinner. It was supposed to start at 19:00, but when we got there just before 20:00 the bar was still empty. They tried hard to make us stay, but we wiggled our way out of there again. It might have been a blast, if it had been packed. But there was literally nobody in there.
Therefore I went to my room, watched a movie and did some photo sorting and writing.
19.12.2018
Our Last day in West Africa!
Breakfast was at 07:00 in the garden restaurant. It was not the best we had, but it was OK. Departure for our city tour was at 08:00. Flo and Natasha had to check out and take their bags since they would transfer to different hotels for a few days of post-tour stay. Oliver and I could keep our rooms till 18:30 when our transfer to the airport was.
Our Paloma Hotel is on the ring road and we drove through heavy morning rush hour traffic towards the coast. I remember when I arrived almost 3 weeks ago and it was Sunday, there was almost no traffic and it was peacefully quiet. But on a weekday, traffic was a bitch.
Our first photo stop was at Black Star Square – also known as Independence Square. The Independence Square is apparently the 2nd largest City Square in the world after the Tiananmen Square in Beijing China. I had stood at Tiananmen Square last February – yes it was only slightly bigger.
The public square is bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and was commissioned by Kwame Nkrumah to honour a visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Construction ended in 1961 and it was named “Black Star Square”.
Black Star Square is the site for Ghana’s Independence Day parades on March 6 every year. It also hosts all major national public gatherings and national festivals, because it has a seating capacity of 30000. Today some sort of school rally was starting here and bus loads of students gathered to assemble for a march.
The square boasts 3 monuments to Ghana’s independence struggle – the Independence Arch, the Black Star Gate and the Liberation Monument.
The Independence Arch is a triumphal arch and was erected honoring the independence of the country in 1957. Ghana was the first independent state in West Africa, therefore this arch also stands for the beginning of the decolonization of West Africa.
Opposite the arch in the middle of a huge traffic circle there is also Black Star Gate. It looks a bit like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to me. On the gate there are 4 huge black stars aligned in the 4 directions. Below each star is written AD 1957 in remembrance of the year of independence and “Freedom and Justice” the motto of the state of Ghana. The Black Star as “Guiding Star of African Freedom” is also depicted in the flag of Ghana.
Also on the square is the Liberation Monument. It stands in honour of several veterans of the Burma Campaign during World War II, where they fought for the British Empire. After returning to Ghana, some military men protested peacefully and were on their way to Christiansburg Castle, the former seat of the government, when they were eventually shot to death.
Located directly east from there are Jamestown and Usshertown, the oldest districts in the city of Accra, which emerged as communities around the 17th century British James Fort and Dutch Ussher Fort. These districts were heavily developed by the end of the 19th century, and following the rapid growth of the city during the 20th century, they became areas of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use. We did only a slow drive through the area. Maha would not let us off the van, not even for a quick photo. He said the people were not friendly. Oh well. Whatever.
Jamestown is located close to the Atlantic coast and is the historical epicentre of Accra. It was where the city started as a small trading town before swallowing the surrounding settlements. The development of the predominantly coastal community is intertwined with the creation of the modern state of Ghana. Though it is mostly inhabited by the Ga and remaining a fishing community, Jamestown is however said to be quite cosmopolitan. People from far and wide take up residence there, as in most of Accra.
Although in a state of decay following years of neglect by subsequent governments, the districts are popular tourist destinations for those seeking to see the remnants of Accra’s colonial past. The original Jamestown Lighthouse, built by the British at James Fort in 1871, was replaced in the 1930s by the current Accra Lighthouse, which is 28 m tall. The lighthouse, which is 34 m above sea level, has a visibility of 16 nm and overlooks the harbor.
We did see a lot of cool street art in Jamestown, though. There were many colourful graffiti murals. Jamestown is a venue for the annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival that brings together people from not just all over the country but all over the world. The festival draws more than 300 artists from all over to Jamestown to lay siege to the community for one weekend in August to participate in Accra’s vibrant art scene.
The brooding artist culture and rich cultural history of Accra is everywhere in Jamestown. Spellbinding murals are interspersed with Victorian-era architecture. The creative drive to artistically represent history here is undeniable, but the presence of a new street-art scene is just as notable.
We drove the main road westward again to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Since I had been there already, I got off near the General Post Office. I wanted to buy stamps and mail some postcards while the others visited the memorial park. The post office was located within walking distance of the park.
I found it easily and bought enough stamps – they were quite cheap compared to Benin and Togo. The postcards I had written already before. They had nice historical letter boxes outside, but the staff at the counter said to put the postcards in the glass box labeled Foreign inside. So I did. And I can happily announce that all postcards I have sent from Benin, Togo and Ghana have in the meantime reached their destinations! It took them 2-4 weeks.
On the way to find the group again, I stopped at an ATM to get more money. We were going to visit a handicraft souvenir market later and I wanted to buy some things to bring home. So I needed money. I had to try however at 3 different ATM until finally one spat out money and as usual it charged a hefty commission – the local Ghana bank, not my bank.
The few minutes walk to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park were uneventful, but then I could not see our blue van … Hmmmm … where had they gone to? It had not taken that long at the post office, they could not possibly be finished visiting here!
I remembered the next stop was the handicraft souvenir market which was located close by and when I fiddled to find Maha’s mobile number he came already walking to get me. The others had opted to skip the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial and Museum and had gone straight to the market. They were already busy shopping for everything a tourist needed to bring home from West Africa. And I got right into it too.
Bargaining hard – I thought – I bought some brass souvenirs, a wooden souvenir replica of a King’s throne, a small elephant and in the end also a colourful bag. Then I almost was out of money again …
It was quite frustrating to walk around the huge market with the sellers used to tourists and them constantly shouting – Come to my shop, lady! – Here best price! – Here cheap price! – Come look inside! … They just would not leave us alone. It soon got on my nerves. They were so annoying – at least some of them. It was not possible to look in peace, constantly they were talking. Some were also very unfriendly – You you! Come to my shop NOW! … I snapped back at least once because somebody was just overdoing it.
I was looking for one of the cool colourful bags, but all had too short straps for me. We came past sewing workshops, but they could not make a longer strap quickly either. We also watched a wood carver work on an elephant.
Eventually we had all spent enough money and on the way back to the parking a man came running with a bag that had a nice long strap – he apparently had looked through all his stock to find it. I did bargain – but not too much. I gave him the equivalent of US$ 20 and Flo told me later she had gotten the same bag for US$ 10. Oh well, it was my good deed for today … I had bargained everything else down to a third of the asking price already. Like the 2 brass pieces they wanted to sell for Cedi 400 and I got them for Cedi 160, or the small elephant they gave me for Cedi 20 and had asked Cedi 60. Well, they still make a living and I am sure there are enough tourists who pay the asking price.
Well, that was the end of our city tour and basically the end of our tour as such. We drove west to La Beach to drop off Natasha who would stay there at Royal Palm Beach Resort for a few days on. I wanted to stay at La Beach as well and have a last lobster lunch. First I thought to go back to the public beach where I was on my first day, but then I decided to just stay at the fancy resort and eat there, it might be quieter. And it was.
I bid farewell to Maha, our driver and Flo. She would go back to Elmina for a couple more nights. She could go with the van because Maha and our driver were headed east to Ivory Coast for their next tour and drop her off on the way.
Natasha just disappeared to check into her room and was never seen again. I found a nice table at the seafront bar. It was only 11:00, so no lunch time yet. Instead I treated myself to a nice Bombay Sapphire & Tonic and enjoyed the view. No hawkers were allowed on hotel property, but of course that did not keep them from shouting from afar. But they were easily ignored.
I spent the rest of the morning reading. For lunch I opted for King Prawns and a Club Beer. It was once more very delicious!
Around 13:00 I left the beach and found a tro-tro outside to go back to Paloma Hotel. For Cedi 2 it went all the way and I did not have to change. I had figured out what to ask – You go Jamestown or Circle? – Circle! – Good. Circle was the huge interchange bus station at the North-east of the ring road and the hotel was close to there.
I got off at a junction before the hotel, because I wanted to buy a couple of Club Beer to take home as souvenirs. There was a Total gas station right next to the hotel and I bought enough to take home and a couple of celebratory ones – the last afternoon in Ghana. It was half as expensive as in the hotel bar, anyway.
When I arrived in the hotel I met Oliver in the garden. He had taken the bag with all my souvenirs back to the hotel for me, because I did not want to carry it around. I got it from him, because I had to do some serious packing. Plenty souvenirs I had accumulated during this trip. It all needed to be packed safely.
There was constructions going on in the hotel floor above our rooms and it was very noisy. The guy with the electrical sledgehammer probably sat right above. I suppose, they work during the day, because the tourists are usually out all day. Unfortunately not us. We had a night flight … But it did not bother me too much. I put the TV on full volume, wrote my journal, drank my beer and got organized.
Around 17:00 I picked up Oliver and we went down to the garden restaurant. I was not really hungry, but I had to have another Palaver Sauce before leaving West Africa for good! They had it on the menu with chicken and rice. It was excellent! Probably the best Palaver Sauce I had on this trip. Very yummy!
At 18:30 was our transfer to the airport. It would take usually about 30 min and at first traffic was good, but then we hit rush hour and got stuck in a big traffic jam. We reached the airport after 1.5 hrs! That was no problem – we had enough time planned anyway. The Accra Airport is very modern. Check in was quick. I had checked in online, but did ask if they could change my connecting flight from Paris to Frankfurt. I had 5 hrs to wait there, while Oliver had only 1 hr. But unfortunately there was no chance. Oh well.
Passport control and security check were no problem. They just wanted to see my souvenir table. I had packed it nicely in a bag along with some books as carry on. It was all tied up with string. Fortunately they did not make me open it.
I had not many Cedi left, so in the transit it was just enough to get a beer and a bottle of water. There were a few handicraft stores, but everything was really expensive. However, we found one store were we could spend our last Cedis – they sold miniature soapstone animals. I bought 4 different coloured ones. And then I dug through my pants pockets and found some more Cedi and Oliver donated 1 US$ – so I bought 3 more. No point of taking Cedi home. I had already saved a few brand new notes as souvenirs, anyway.
Our Air France flight was more or less on time. I had a seat next to the toilet tract and was initially worried it would be busy and smelly. But not so. They put a curtain in front and there was neither any disturbance nor any smell. Dinner food was good, enough drinks available and also some good movies. However, I slept a long time. There was no breakfast on the plane … Hmmmm … or maybe I slept through breakfast … that could possibly be.
In Charles de Chaulle Paris it was a very long way to the next terminal. I never liked that airport. The Terminal 2G is rather uninviting. We had to take a bus from arrival gate to the other Terminal. The security check personnel were extremely unfriendly here. I mean, I am used to Frankfurt International, where the personnel never touch a bock on the belt. But here they did not even say a word or smiled. When I asked if I should take everything out of the bag, they said no. – Shoes off? – No. – In the end the security gate beeped furiously and they padded me down completely without of course finding anything – I always beep for some reason. But then they made me unpack my bag – not problem – but I had to move the box myself to the other side of the security gate again … They would not touch the box, like they would do anywhere else in the world – even in Frankfurt. They made me go back and then had to repeat the entire padding down session again – even though I was doing all that moving in front of their eyes. Absolutely incompetent people …
After passport control I waved good-bye to Oliver. His flight was already boarding when we reached Terminal 2G. I had 3 more hours to wait. I treated myself to a very French breakfast – coffee & croissant.
My flight to Frankfurt was on time and as well uneventful. My bag arrived quickly I was out and on the way to the train station in no time. I had about 45 min until my train. Enough time to follow my tradition – go to the station’s supermarket to buy piccolo and water for the train ride. Then have Thai Green Curry at the Asia Shop for lunch.
My ICE to Dresden was on time and I got a good seat with a table to do writing and photo sorting. The train was crowded, but not so bad. I had 2 seats for me. And the train was on time!
Arriving in Dresden-Neustadt I got off, but luckily remembered at the platform that I had forgotten my souvenir bag in the luggage rack and ran back to get it before the train moved on. Then I actually though I had 40 min for the next S-Bahn home, but saw on the display there was another S-Bahn in a few minutes going to another station near home. So I ran with all my luggage up the stairs and along the platform – because the short S-Bahn of course had stopped at the far end of the platform. But I made it and hopped on just before the doors closed. It meant I arrived and hour earlier home than on the other train.
We drove a total of roughly 2300 km through Ghana, Togo and Benin on sometimes very adventurous roads, so a lot of local coloeur, experienced some wired Voodoo, saw some cool dances and ate good food. What a trip that was. Quick, but memorable!
