Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Happy 55th Birthday Ghana!

Ghana.

The name evokes so many feelings, memories, loves:

Cups of hot tea with sugar and evaporated milk
Fresh Ghanaian breakfast bread with jam
The way the sun rises and sets so majestically that it simply takes your breath away
The call to prayer in the morning and evening (I don't care for it any other time...)
The bright colors of tie & dye lined up inside a shop
School children carrying pencils on their head as they walk to school
The sight and smell of banku being stirred
The politics of the market women
Enjoying a Star with the sounds of Reggae and Highlife music blaring around you
The beeping of motos weaving in and out of traffic
Seeing a family of 4 smushed together on said motos
Being able to buy a soccer ball, kuli kuli, gum, or calling cards all from your car stopped at a traffic light
Hearing the phrase repeated just about anywhere you go: Pure water
How suffocating it gets right before a big rain
Being laughed at when you try to dance or speak like your friends; knowing they are laughing with you
How community is more important than schedules
Dancing at weddings and funerals
Omo tuo with groundnut soup and goat meat
Bargaining my way from the tourist price to a "local white lady" price
Arriving at a new place and having people tell you "you are welcome"
Coming back from a journey and having people tell you "you are welcome"
Long, bumpy, dusty roads
Cheesy Nigerian movies any time of day

The list goes on...

So Ghana, today I am thinking of you. Missing you. Remembering you. Thank you for fighting for your independence; it has helped make you who you are. But you have always been strong: a true "Warrior King."

                                                                                       (photo by Mona Hewitt)