Sam "Andretti" Our Driver

We inherited Sam as our driver after our bus broke down on the way to Akosombo.  When this challenge occurred, the six of us, our luggage and Mensah 'hitched' a ride with another group headed to the same destination do that we could board the cruise of the Volta on the Dodi Princess on time.

Waiting for us on the dock with our luggage in place was Sam in his red Ford van. Sam's van was significantly smaller than the 20+  passenger bus we used the first two days in Accra, but it was perfect. Barbara rode shotgun; I shared the second seat with Mensah and was able to elevate my foot by placing it on the cooler below the center console; Paula and Didi sat on the third seat, and Valerie was able to elevate her foot on Barry in the 4 seat.

Sam is Ewe (Didi's people) from the Central region of Ghana and drives part time for Sunseekers Tours and he could really handle a vehicle! He drove us with confidence and sometimes at speeds that made even me, who loves speed on the highway, to reach for my seatbelt!

The roads in Ghana get a mixed rating. Sam, however expertly negotiated the many potholes, bumpy unpaved clay roads and highways. He added information to Mensah's narrative; helped negotiate deals with merchants and of course was always there with a helping hand.

A race of sort developed between Sam and Frank, the driver for the group with whom we hitched a ride. Invariably that group's departure time was an hour later than ours. Yet, out of the blue, Frank would over take and pass us.

Hand signals from taxi drivers on the road let indicated whether it was safe to pass or not, whether there was a round -about ahead, if police were present and whether to slow down.  Mensah said these signals are mostly still used by older drivers (we'll talk about his concept of what older means later).

Two challenging incidences  for Sam were provoked by the police, actually the highway patrol. He was cool  and unruffled each time.

On the highway as we made our way to Kumasi, we were passed by Frank and suspected that another tag competition had begun.  What had been sparse traffic, began backing up and finally slowed to a standstill a couple of miles down the highway. Vehicles were parked along the side of the road and  at least a hundred people were on both sides of the highway. Traffic from both directions was stopped. To the right just ahead was a firetruck on its side just at the edge of a grassy area. Mensah jumped out of the van to survey the situation and after speaking with one of the officials, waved Sam around the stopped line of vehicles. He adeptly maneuvered our van into the oncoming lane and passed not more than five vehicles, when a crowd of shouting , some angrily shaking their fists approached the van.  I was more than a little concerned!

A tall, muscular mocha-skinned man whose scowl contorted his otherwise handsome face walked  over to the van and shouted:  "What do you think you're doing, do you want a slap?  I'll take you out of that van and slap you. Where do you think you're going??" The  military-style uniform in which he was dressed probably gave him the authority to do just that! He continued to shout and motioned Sam to back the van up to the back of the line, which by this time must have extended more than a mile.  Sam kept his cool,  backed the van into the space we originally  left then got out to go over and talk with some of the men who seemed so upset.

After about 15 minutes the traffic slowly began to move forward. Both Sam and Mensah returned and explained that there had been a terrible accident about an hour earlier .  Three people had lost their lives. As we move forward, the wreckage of the firetruck, which has apparently fishtailed on the wet highway en route to the accident site, was a battered mess lying in the ditch to our right. Two other vehicles stood mangled beyond belief; both cabs were flattened and twisted like a pressed accordion. We observed a moment of silence.

Sam further explained the crowds anger.  They felt he was being disrespectful and trying to rush through this place where three people had just lost their lives.  Yet, it was a uniformed authority who had originally given the clearance for the van to pass.

The other incidence also involved the police at the entrance of Kankun National Preserve. We were stopped at the entrance and directed to pull over.  Sam was asked for his license and immediately complied by producing a photo copy, explaining that the original was in another vehicle. He was ordered out of the van, but in a few moments we were on our way. These authorities were responsible for ensuring that poaching and taking wood from the forest did not occur, yet they sometimes expand their power. But, a little 'dash' goes a long way. (dash=cash)


 It was interesting to later learn Sam and Mensah worked together for the first time during our tour.  Together they were dynamic -always had each others back!

Home

Though I've been back to the familiarity and comfort of home for almost a week now, there are still many experiences about my trip to Ghana to share--the dungeons,our driver, the African American settlements,the school to which we took supplies, lodging, food, the canopy walk, and let's not forget the wigs!  I hope my traveling companions will also post comments on our journey to the Gold Coast, Ghana West Africa.

More on that "Day of Leisure"

Barbara's school group had visited this orphanage on their visit in February.  We are returning to drop off clothing and toys sent b y her school's dean and to tour the facility.  It is grossly overcrowded:50 infants and toddlers 2 to a crib; 80 boys ages 3-18; 40 girls ages 3-18, all in a facility built to house 50.  We walk through touching, holding, tickling and stroking, talking to as many of the little ones as possible. It's heartbreaking to see so many abandoned children.  Many of them come to the orphanage directly from the hospital, according to one of the Directors.  The children go to school 'as far as possible', and at age 18 must go out on their own.

While we were there  members of the Susan Wesley Mission Auxiliary Methodist Church came to donate items.  This spirited and lively group of ladies insisted on taking pictures with us and requested copies of the photos.

After leaving the orphanage, we head for roman Ridge to a batik workshop set up in a housing compound.  We stop at a corner and pick up a woman who directs us to the place.  It turns out she is Hattie our instructor, seamstress and entrepreneur.  At this place, her brothers yard where the workshop is set up, we encounter a group of students from South Carolina, whom we had noticed in the airport two days earlier.  They attend Charleston Southern University and are in Ghana to teach for about six weeks, I think.  They are accompanied by their professor who has brought groups over for the past 8 or 9 years.

Once their group has completed customizing their single piece of cloth with the waxed dipped stamps, we were given instructions and swang into action eaching choosing a length of cloth (3 or 4 yards) and  carved sponges to dip into hot wax and stamp on the white fabric which was later dyed to the color of our choice. Nobody burned, nobody got hurt!

Maybe I'll share a pic of my chocolate and gold design which was made into an off-shoulder dress with smocking by Madame.  Maybe not!

Valerie is Ga

Early in our tour, Mensah gave us background information on the cultural groups and languages spoken throughout the country.  He identified himself as being Ga, of the Ga Adengbe cultural and language group which primarily inhabits the area around the capital city.  When I asked if he could identify the cultural groups to which we belonged, he took on the challenge, categorizing each of us based on both personality traits and physical characteristics.

Valerie, he said was Ga like himself, outspoken, determined, brash. Didi, is Ewe who also live in the Volta and I think Kebo region and weave a special kente cloth.  The Ewe women were described as having 'fine' features and are also known for their bead making  and Depo rites (rites of passage for girls).

 Barbara is obviously of Ethiopian descent, from Africa's east coast. 

My people, he said, are those from the Northern Region of Ghana: the Gonja, Sisala, Mamprosi and Mossi people.  They are generally of quiet demeanor unless messed with.  These people are tall with conical shaped heads (be careful, no Saturday Night Live jokes).

Our Exceptional Tour Guide--Mensah

I don't think it an exaggeration to say our Tour Guide, Adjekueei Mensah, is somwhat of a Ghanaian national treasure. He is a young man with an "old soul" through which the concepts of Pan Africanism live and are discussed with everyone with whom he interacts.

Mensah's knowledge of Ghana's history, it's place in the history of the continent, and reading of historians like Van Sertima, Franklin and Quarles among others and the manner in which he has syntheized the information into a tightly woven story for his clients is impressive.

A we leave Assin Mansa on our way to Cape Coast, Mensah directs our attention to a sign which will guide you to his former school. He speaks proudly of the rigorous education provided at the Polytechnic intitute where he studied tourism and communication. He jokes that students dreaded when instructors went on strike or were otherwise away from class, because assignments were then doubled or sometimes tripled!

Mensah doesn't only passionately share solid historical and cultural information with us, his keen sense of humor keeps us laughing when he shares folktale, fables and especially when he is fending off merchants who regularly crowd around our bus to sell their wares. He astutely advised us on the quality of items--recommending the sturdiness of one wood over the other; testing thumb pianos for proper tuning; refusing to buy snacks from a vendor whose goods were not fresh enough: and even strictly forbidding Didi from looking at the wares of one mudcloth dealer who,according to Mensah, did not bargain in good faith!

We bonded quickly. He became our adopted son to whom much advice was given, questions asked, and teasing was done. We were respectfully referred to a 'Auntie' even though he learned the hard way not to refer to us as older women! He had an ally in Barry of course, who became known as 'Big Daddy'. Big Daddy counseled Mensah to "plead the fifth" when difficult peronal quetion were asked.

Quite the politician/diplomat, he handled himself well even on the occasion when we were pulled over or stopped at a checkpoint by the police. (more about that later)

Though strong of character and very intelligent, I was most struck by Menah's determined nature and his compassion. At different times in our journey, he spoke sadly of a recent family tradegy and of the taunting that he sometime still receives today because of his lighter complexion. It was in a conversation with the Director of the Center at Assin Mansa that I learned he had been called George (many African have 'European' names in addition to their given name). It was the name he preferred, he said, until he learned more about his history.

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Watch Your Step!(repost)

Sent from my HTC Tilt™ 2, a Windows® phone from AT&T
Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:40:13 -0700 (PDT)
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It's not what you think! There are no piles of dog, goat chicken poop to be wary of. But when in Ghana, you must be mindful of how you walk and how you step (up and down). It seems our American brains have been conditioned to lift our feet about six inches to get onto a sidewalk and approximately the same when climbing stairs.
In the five or so days we've been here, our depth perception and sense of balance has been challenged! We have all tripped and stumbled (me moreso than the others).
One member of the group even took a tumble at the W.E.B.DuBois Foundation and Museum. I won't call any names, but when Didi fell, no one in the group saw the accident. It was when they observed Frank, one of our tour drivers dashing to her rescue, that they realized what had happened. Frank has been called an angel ever since! Didi survived with a sore ankle and scraped knee.
There are hazards everywhere for the uninitiated brain! Every room, every entrance, every section is at a different height!! Step up into the lobby, step down into the kitchen, step up into the bathroom! Even the stair are at heights foreign to my brain, so in this place I definitely have to be careful when trying to walk and talk at the same time:-)
I can't forget to mention the hazard about which we were forewarned during our orientation last Thursday. Gutters! Open gutters. So remember, step over the gutter onto the sidewalk. Today I only tripped twice! Getting into the rhythm! Ha!

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Today, Wednesday is Ancestor Memorial Day

We're on the road to Elmina @ 8:29 am. Breakfast behind, we say our goodbyes to the staff of the Miklin. Even though Mensah says no stops, we pull over to the side of the road across from Sanal Pharmacy for water.
After less than 10 minutes we are on our way along the Kumasi Abwasi Cape Coast Road to Cape Coast.

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