Author: Milana Homsi

Coffins and Crocodiles, a Journey Through Ghana (2 of 6)

Fidel Castro in Ghana?
Accra is not known for its museums, but Ghana’s monument to its first leader, Kwame Nkrumah, is a decent enough spot to while away an afternoon. It is a sprawling park of sculptures and grass that seems a tad out of place in the chaos that is Accra.

Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana’s first leader after independence from Britain in 1957. His presidency was and still is controversial: Many agreed with his socialist leanings and his agenda of a united black Africa, while others focused on his dubious democracy and his tendency to stifle opposition. He was overthrown in a coup in 1966 while away on a visit to China.

I wandered around the attached museum a bit, checking out pictures and artifacts from Nkrumah’s life. Pictures of Nkrumah with various world leaders take up most of the exhibit. Some pictures of Nkrumah with Fidel Castro caught my eye. I also noticed pictures of Nkrumah with China’s Chairman Mao, pictures taken, I assumed, while the opposition party seized his power away back in Ghana.

Kokribite
We took a day trip to Kokribite, a village a few kilometres outside Accra. Kokribite is the home of the African Academy of Music, an institute which promotes traditional performance arts such as dance, drumming and singing. The academy is located on pleasant grounds right on the shore, with a hideaway cove to boot. We ate a picnic lunch in the cove, and contemplated the ocean before us. Like along the rest of the coast, the waves here are fierce, huge – we fantasised that they came all the way from South America. The cove, however, minimises the force with which the waves break, making it possible to wade in the warm, salty water – which we did.

The Academy gives public performances every Saturday and Sunday afternoons. At 3 o’clock we gathered up our picnic and headed up to the outdoor performance area. There weren’t too many people there yet, two backpackers, a few families. We sat down and watched the singers and drummers take their positions. They began with a steady rhythmic drum beat, and added other instruments and their own voices. The piece they were performing is from the Gaa, one of the many tribal groups in Ghana. We watched spellbound as they beat their drums and sang. The performers were concentrating intensely on their music, sweat was pouring down their faces, their bodies were gyrating along with the beat. We were enchanted. Soon the dancers came out and formed a circle where they danced to the beat, wiggled their hips and stomped their feet in an infectious manner that made us want to jump up and join in.

Which we could, because the Academy also offers private drumming and dancing lessons for tourists at very reasonable prices. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to take any courses. As we left Kokribite with the rhythm of the drums still in our heads, we promised ourselves to come back someday and learn.

Off to Cape Coast
Cape Coast
We decided to take a local bus to Cape Coast, 200-odd km away. The State bus system (STC) had a decent reputation. Its prices are fair, the buses are in good shape and the schedule is fairly reliable. We find out the meaning of ‘fairly reliable’ as we wait at the bus terminal. An hour and a half later, the bus turns up. We crowd in with the dozens of others in a chaotic heap in front of the door. The fact that all seats were reserved made no difference, this was the quintessential Ghanaian line-up.

Cape Coast, as the name implies, lies on the coast, east of Accra. It is a crumbling old colonial town, picturesque yes, but with a sad, tainted history. This town was once the focal site of the slave trade for the region, the Cape Coast castle a holding centre and main administrative point. Here, slaves were kept before being shipped off to the Americas. This castle is only one of the 29 that dot the coast of Ghana, what was once nicknamed the ‘slave coast’.