The Great Guinea Fowl Debate

Artist's rendition of a Numida meleagris in its pre-cooked state.

Who makes the best guinea fowl in Ghana?

There are many debates in Ghana: Christianity vs Islam, NDC vs NPP, Chelsea vs Manchester United. However, Mr. O's office has been gripped by another passionate debate that cuts across the lines of class, ethnicity and geography - and it has been all about guinea fowl.

The humble guinea fowl is a strange bird. It is the size of a chicken, but with the colouring of a turkey and with very puffy feathers. The guinea fowl is actually quite picturesque, perhaps even poetic.  It is wily, but is very clean and can even fly short distances.

Most importantly in Ghana, it is easy to raise and is delicious. Again, similar to chicken, but a bit smaller and gamier - still, it is delicious if prepared right. Its eggs are tasty as well. In the North, one can find it easily, as it is a standard part of the local diet for those who can afford. Harder to find in the south, air travelers can actually buy frozen whole birds to bring on the plane in a special bag, like duty free liquor.

On a recent work trip to Northern Ghana, Mr. O decided to wade into the debate with a taste testing. Here are the results of his adventure:

Mba Yahaya, Tamale -  A local institution in the largest city in the North, this guinea fowl is very well-prepared, with tangy seasoning and complemented with sliced onions, green pepper and carrots. The meat was soft and moist.

They should consider franchising.

Saal Kaa Winne, Zebilla - This roadside stand in the Upper East serves it fried, but still tasty and moist, although a bit chewier. It came with fried yam chips in a little bag with a spoonful of suya spice thrown in, which made it almost a cousin to chicken and chips.

The Bird is the Word in Zebilla.

Comme Çi, Comme Ça, Bolgatanga - A sleepy restaurant with indifferent staff, this place has a secret weapon: Ghana's only guinea fowl pizza. Already good as a pizza, with shredded guinea fowl, onions and green pepper, it came together excellently and it is highly recommended - but not on the menu, so ask the chef.

Coming soon to a hipster bistro near you.

Insha Allahu, Navrongo - This was found on a tip from a well-traveled friend. This roadside stand on the main strip roasts the guinea fowl from head to toe and serves the whole thing chopped with a machete. There is a bar across the street called Jubilee Spot that will let you eat it there and wash it down with a cold beverage. The fowl was tender, the spices excellent (almost like a dry rub) and the whole thing was just perfect. This might be the best guinea fowl in Ghana.

It's all about the Chief's Secret Recipe.

Regardless, Mr. O's report has not satisfied all of his colleagues and perhaps his methodology was less than scientific. And who is an obruni to tell Ghanaians what is their best food? In the end, this is a debate that will rage on for many years to come. But don't take his word for it: give it a try - and don't spare the suya.

One More Chale Wote

Accra: the new Metropolis.

Ghana's biggest street festival keeps getting bigger and crazier. This year, Mr. and Mrs. O went to Chale Wote in Jamestown on a Saturday afternoon and were amazed with how busy the festival has become. The street was bustling and at times packed with people, the vast majority of them young, hip, middle-class Ghanaians. Every art piece was a space for a selfie, to be uploaded to the social media of the day.

This year's theme was African Electronics, in part the ingenuity of Ghanaians who can jerry-rig any broken-down machine and in part a fantastical look into the future from an African perspective.

There appeared to be fewer exhibits, at least on the street, but way more vendors selling interesting art, t-shirts and curios.

It was exciting to be there. On their first visit, it was decently-attended and on the second it had gotten noticeably busier and the art more exciting. This time, is was buzzing.

Mr. and Mrs. O are starting the one-year countdown to the end of his work assignment, so this will be their last Chale Wote. This has been a bit of a gentle reminder that there will not be a "next year", so in the coming months, they will need to take every opportunity that they can get.

Ga Adinkra symbols not usually seen by the casual tourist.

BMX tricksters.

The cool kids pose for a photo by Mrs. O.

Unfortunately, this was not working.

Akasanoma: a television set made in Ghana in the 1970s.

Murals under development.

The ruins of the Sea View Hotel becomes an art installation.

A parade of... something.

Even cooler kids.

Goodnight James Town!

The Merits of Hoarding Cheese

Living in a different culture gives one an opportunity to experience and embrace a new way of living. However, it also makes one homesick. To cope, people start sailing clubs, Irish pubs, ultimate frisbee leagues, etc.

"Special price"? Spoiler alert: $2.79 = GHC 9.

In Ghana, this happens at the most primal level with food. Where can someone get a decent cup of coffee? Which store has the best Norwegian salmon? And could you bring back some cheese when you are passing through Amsterdam?

Accra is blessed with a rapidly-increasing middle class and stores to accommodate them. Supermarkets bring forth a variety of fresh and frozen goods unimaginable ten years ago. It is said that you can get anything in Accra if you are willing to pay for it (and are not too concerned about quality).

Which brings us to cheese. Westerners enjoy cheese, but in Ghana, they crave it with an unholy desire. Any respectable party has a fresh baguette and a wedge of brie or Roquefort and any salad worth eating is garnished with feta. In addition to flying to Europe or South Africa, many plan a long weekend in Togo and a trip to the French supermarché is obligatoire.

Expat gots to have his chai latte chiller, son.

Coffee is another must-have, as it is uncommon in West Africa. Ghanaians mostly drink tea, Milo and Nescafé, with a handful of well-traveled locals enjoying a fresh brew. So expats bring ridiculous amounts to ensure that they are never in short supply to feed their addiction (this includes coffee pods, the latest craze). In fact, it was in Ghana that Mr. O first had his first cup of the devil's drink (with friends who were dying for some) and his consumption has only increased.

The strangest must-have food may be Nutella, which is ridiculously expensive. Back home, neither Mr. nor Mrs. O ever had it in their cupboard, but seeing the price of a jar in Ghana, they picked up two kilos on a trip home and now it is a regular part of their diet (and an easy treat for Little Miss).

This is all very irrational thinking. But it happens. Innocuous grocery items suddenly become positional goods and become desirable simply for their inaccessibility. So when one goes to the store in Spain, they immediately think, "This is SO cheap! It would cost twice as much in Ghana! I SHOULD, NAY, MUST BUY THIS." Eventually, one finds oneself at the airport lugging a giant suitcase of jamon iberico, kilos of gouda and boxes of instant oatmeal plus a purpose-built styrofoam box filled with a dozen French wine bottles - this does not feel strange, because every visitor is hauling their own suitcases of "essentials".

So smile at your fellow travelers and just remember: they're probably hauling just as much Nutella as you are.

This should cure Mr. O of his homesickness.

Things Fall Apart in Ghana (So We Should Probably Maintain Them)

Ghana: a handyman's dream.

On June 3, 2015, a terrible tragedy befell Accra: a torrential downpour flooded much of the city, filling houses, ruining furniture, disrupting electricity and even washing cars off the road into ditches. Dozens went missing and were presumed drowned.

The worst part: as people huddled under any cover they could find, dozens took shelter at a petrol station at Nkrumah Circle, the main transit hub. The flooding breached a fuel tank, coating the water with petrol. A nearby resident sparked their generator, which set off the lake of fire and blew up the fuel tank. Over 150 died instantly in the city's worst disaster in recent memory. Mr. O could hear the explosion from his house a few kilometres away.

A few key facts for context:

• The rains were heavy and constant for several hours, but not record-breaking.
• The main cause of flooding was the massive volumes of garbage clogging drains and waterways, as well as illegal settlements next to them.
• At least six hundred million dollars have been pledged in recent years to upgrade Accra's colonial-era sewer and drainage system, with almost none of it spent.
• The previous month, the Mayor of Accra was given an award of Best Mayor in Africa by his peers.

All of this to say: the disaster was a preventable tragedy.

In the ensuing days, there were national days of mourning and pronouncements of "never again". However, more cynical types will note that this is a cyclical phenomenon in which little gets done.

Another fine example: The Adomi bridge is a landmark structure that crosses the Volta River and is the main route for travel to the region. Last year, it was declared structurally unsound and closed immediately for emergency repairs that will take two years. Funds have been released for repairs and two ferries are now transporting vehicles across the river around the clock.

Despite being open for almost sixty years, nobody took the step of ensuring that the critical bridge underwent regular checks and maintenance. Surely, it was a concern, but budgets were tight and Ghana could not afford it... until it became an emergency and suddenly plenty of money was available. The same phenomenon recently happened on the similarly-aged and critical Tema Motorway: benign neglect followed by emergency action and copious spending.

The root cause? Ghana does not have a maintenance culture (full disclosure: I am repeating writer Elizabeth Ohene). As Americans would say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Just as Ghanaians will not take a car to the mechanic until it is beyond road-worthy, authorities will not fix a bridge until it is in danger of collapse, or address a massive sanitation and city planning issue until hundreds die in floods.

This is fine on a household level: the average Ghanaian will ride a bike until it literally falls apart or squat to use a broken-handled broom if the bristles still work. But one cannot jerry-rig a country. And people will seriously need to change their attitudes and demand better from themselves and their authorities before sustainable development can happen.

Two months on and the Circle Fire is already a distant memory. But the rainy season is slowly petering out and it will be nice and dry anyway. A recent radio ad started, "Noah didn't build the ark when it was raining." For a religious nation, it sounds like biblical advice worth noting.

Mr. O's Favourite Trotros

While Mr. and Mrs. O are blessed to have their own means of transport, most of Ghana runs on trotros, those privately-run vehicles that are bigger than a minivan, but smaller than a bus.

Most trotros are cheap, uncomfortable, hot, sweaty deathtraps that should be taken off the road. But until the country can afford a viable public transport system, this is the way to go. 

Trotros are also as essential part of Ghanaian culture: a place for gossip, debate and even the start of many a romance. For foreigners, it's also a great way to get to know Ghanaian culture and to meet people. Another great thing: a taxi driver can scam their passenger, but in a trotro, when the passenger sends their fare to the mate, the others passing it along know EXACTLY what the fare is and will call out the mate if he's trying to overcharge by a single pesewa.

The best thing about trotros is their decorations: each one has its own customized scheme. Flags (usually Jamaica), animals (tigers are popular), church stickers (Holy Anointing Fire Church Ministry) and always a motto on the back window (No Food For Lazy Man!). Whether it be a religious quote, a parable of wisdom or something altogether cryptic, it is always worth reading. Taxis have emulated this and some can be simple and some vehicles are covered in them. 

Watching for trotro and taxi stickers is a great way to pass the time on long car journeys or simply when stuck in traffic. It can also help to humanize the jerk who pulled out in front of you when his bumper reads, ''SWEET MOTHER''.

So without further ado, a sample of Mr. O's favourite trotros and taxis!

"STILL ALL DIE" - A gentle reminder from Jesus and his lamb.

"GOOD BROTHER - DR. JESUS" - A brother and a doctor! His mother must be proud.

"WHAT IS LOVE?" Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Some are unintentionally misspelled. Either this is supposed to say GOD FIRST, or who knows.

"gosple" - As in the Gosple according to Mrak?

"THE BLOO OF JESUS" - Looks like this one needs a little Vitamin D.

Looks a bit like "Only God Can Fudge"? Bonus points for keeping the stickers indicating its previous life as the truck of Palle Hansen, Danish Electrician.

"PIZZA AGENCY" - Snapped by a friend in Kumasi, apparently this is a thing.

The Riddler.

This sexist Mudflap Girl silhouette is at least representative of the average Ghanaian woman.

"AMERICA MAN" - without question.

"JOHN 10:8 - STILL VOTE FOR JESUS" - 2,000 years and still a solid candidate.

"COMPUTER DOCTOR THUNDER" - Spotted in Takoradi. Reader interpretations welcome.

And Mr. O's hands-down favourite: "OH! GHANA POLITICIANS ARE REALLY DECEITFUL".

These are just the ones that Mr. O has had the privilege of following, but this is just a sample. Trotro Diaries (Facebook, Twitter) is a forum for commuters with humorous anecdotes, trofies (trotro selfies) and the occasional hilarious sticker.

Expats have seriously underused the potential humour of trotro stickers. Recognizing Ghana's fervent Christianity, Mr. and Mrs. O considered commissioning "JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL" for their ride.

Also, a classic Ghanaian rhetorical question is, "WHO KNOWS TOMORROW?" One taxi that has been sighted but never snapped accidentally reads, "WHO KNOWS TOM ORROW?" Mr. and Mrs. O at one point seriously thought of getting a hollaback sticker that says, "WE KNOW TOM ORROW!"

Dumsor Days

These are interesting times in Ghana. On any given night, at least one-third (and sometimes two-thirds) of residents are quite literally in the dark - and these are the ones who are connected to the grid. For a number of reasons (including power plant shortages, unreliable gas pipelines from Nigeria and low water levels feeding dams), the national grid is functioning well below capacity. The end result is rolling blackouts, known as "lights out", or "dumsor dumsor" (Twi for "off-on, off-on").

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG, which may also stand for Electricity Comes and Goes or Either Candle or Generator) has become perhaps the country's most reviled public institution. To make load-shedding a predictable exercise, they have issued a timetable where residents are in one of three zones. Within a 36-hour period, for 12 hours, power is guaranteed, for 12 hours it will be off, and the remaining 12 hours are dependent on the overall demand. The catch is that the timetable is mostly unpredictable and neighbourhoods will go for days on end without power. The ECG is also facing a massive deficit for a logical reason: customers who do not receive electricity are not likely to pay their bills.

The end result? People make do, but any business requiring access to electricity (from internet cafes to cold stores) either have to shut down, or pony up for a generator and burn ridiculous amounts of diesel. Incidentally, two of the biggest businesses are selling overpriced generators and phone-charging services.

For larger businesses, the stakes are even higher: if a factory does not have regular power and cannot afford an industrial-sized generator, it simply shuts down and tells its employees to go home, reducing productivity to a fraction. Even the biggest companies are affected. So the economy is starting to slow down.

Like many relatively affluent residents, Mr. and Mrs. O have access to a generator, which has shielded them from the worst effects of dumsor. The hum of the generator in the yard (and neighbors' yards) has become a fact of life, as is the smell of burning diesel. In less than two years, Mr. O has gone from being a recycling, bike-commuting eco-hippie to a near-constant consumer of fossil fuels - one could say he has cashed in his lifetime of carbon credits.

But the alternative is worse: the 1% of Ghana live very much in a gilded cage: high walls, razor wire, guards, etc. Take electricity out of the equation, and it becomes a gilded sarcophagus. Quite simply, the infrastructure prepared for Accra's elite requires a lot of resources. Not only do westerners consume more imported non-recyclable goods and rely on private transportation, but even the houses built for them are wasteful.

In the case of Mr. and Mrs. O, their delightful temporary home is a giant concrete box that is completely inappropriate for the climate: it directly absorbs the equatorial sun, has no natural ventilation (no cross-breezes), and every room requires its own air conditioner. Back home, an AC unit was something installed in the bedroom before a heatwave; here it is an essential item in any inhabited room.

So when the generator fails and the repair guy is slow to arrive, things get hot and sticky in the house. The water pump is also electricity-dependent, so when power fails, best to fill the buckets with the remaining water pressure. At the university, a night without power was an inconvenience; now, a nightmare.

To keep things in perspective, even having a generator that works most of the time is a great privilege. So enjoy the AC, don't mind the humming and get used to the smell.

On the upside, Ghanaians keep a good sense of humour through it all. For example, here is an explanation of how dumsor happens.

Mountains and Monkeys, Waterfalls and Weavers

There's no getting around it: Ghana is a bloody hot and sunny place. Even a brief time in the open leaves most visitors exhausted. In addition to having little canopy left, Accra is stiflingly humid and sends expats to their air-conditioned offices and pools (or for volunteers and students, to a cold bucket shower and a fan). Northern Ghana has none of the humidity, but during the day, the sun is even more oppressive.

Thank God for the Volta Region. The area of the country East of the artificial Lake Volta features highlands that experience a lot of moisture and humidity, but the nights are blessedly cool as the wind and clouds blow through. The region is also the homeland of the Ewe people, who are known for their friendliness.

All of this makes for an excellent long weekend from Accra. Mr. and Mrs. O convinced a recently-arrived and adventurous family to join them to visit a hilltop getaway of which Mr. O had fond memories but was not sure of the condition of the place. However, the group was lured by tales of waterfalls and monkeys, so they made the trek.

The main bridge to the Volta at Adomi is closed for repairs due to... well, nobody maintaining it.With the emergency ferry experiencing lineups, the group took a dogleg through Sogakope to Ho, with a pleasant lunch and pool break at the scenic Skyplus Hotel.

The view over Ho at the Skyplus Hotel

The road to Biakpa Mountain Paradise Resort was winding, but freshly-paved and a lot of fun - driving on a Ghanaian mountain pass would otherwise not be for the faint of heart. But the drive is worth it: the air up in the mountains is very cool, with clouds passing by and featuring cold, fog-soaked nights and mornings until the sun burns it away.

The "resort" was very basic - and as an isolated former government rest house in the hills, but it had all of the essentials for a very reasonable price. It also had a few interesting bells and whistles added over the years by its entrepreneurial owner: The kids (and Mr. O) immediately took to the trampoline and the enclosures for rabbits and turtles.

The group decided to go for a guided waterfall hike, which went down a valley path through cocoa fields and dense bush. It also featured some not-so-family-friendly features, including rope paths down steep hills and a full-on rappel down a rock face to get to the waterfall. Having made it so close, the families decided to cheat death and do the rappel, with Little Miss tied to Mr. O with a large cloth and under explicit instructions to hold on for her dear life. Quite simply: it was probably one of the worst parenting decisions ever made by Mr. and Mrs. O.

Just a Sunday walk in the woods.

However, the payoff was huge: a beautiful waterfall and pool for swimming after a long hike in the humid bush.

Worth the journey.

The group also went for a day trip to the nearby villages of Tafi Atome and Tafi Abuipe, which are known for their monkey sanctuary and traditional kente weaving respectively. In the case of Tafi Atome, the area had a local nuisance of monkeys (which were a convenient food source), until someone got the idea to develop an eco-tourism project in the early 1990s. Since then, the village has been an attraction, which has been a boon to an otherwise remote and quiet community. Finding the monkeys was easy enough: a five-minute walk into the forest, where the guide called to the area troop, who came for the bananas the group brought. Hold out a half-opened banana and they'll be hopping up in no time.

New friends at Tafi Atome

While colourful kente cloth is most well-known in the Ashanti Region, the Ewes of the Volta Region have also been producing it for hundreds of years. Another community tourist scheme, a visit to the village is relaxed and a great cultural experience, as visitors are encouraged and can watch it being weaved by traditional loom.

Weaving kente at Tafi Abuipe

The workshop

The aforementioned bridge closure has greatly discouraged tourists from visiting the Volta Region, which has affected local operators, but it is still very much worth the journey, both for the cool mountain air in the oppressive heat of the dry season as well as the warm people. Ghana is known (somewhat suspiciously) as the friendliest place in Africa, but Volta is known (quite accurately) as the friendliest place in Ghana.
 

African Football Is Never Boring

 

Tonight is the final of the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). For people outside of the continent, this means nothing. But for the 54 countries inside, it's the biggest African sport event outside of the World Cup. Ghana is playing neighbour Côte d'Ivoire for the final - a meeting of giants. But this is not why African football is so interesting. Consider how we got to this evening:

Case Study 1: Morocco

In early 2014, the Ebola virus outbreak grew, from Guinea, to Sierra Leone to Liberia. In the ensuing panic, AFCON 2015 host Morocco decided that maybe they didn't want all of those other Africans coming and maybe sneezing on them. So at the last minute, they not-so-helpfully declined. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) then panicked to find a replacement host. For their idiocy, CAF decided that Morocco will forfeit their spot in this tournament and are banned from qualifying for 2017 and 2019 as well.  

 

Case Study #2: Equatorial Guinea

African teams have a strange habit of not following the rules and fielding ineligible players, which sunk a few teams in World Cup qualifying. Equatorial Guinea followed this tradition (fielding a Cameroonian in a qualifier) and were promptly disqualified.

However, with AFCON looking for a home, the tiny oil-rich and massively corrupt nation benevolently offered to host (and take Morocco's spot), so all of that disqualification business was quickly forgiven.

 

Case Study #3: The Mauritian Referee
In extra time of a deadlocked match between Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea, the Mauritius-born referee awarded a controversial last-minute free kick to the overmatched hosts, who scored.

This put them ahead of Tunisia into the knockout round. Saving face, CAF suspended the ref for incompetence. When the Tunisian Football Association's president accused CAF of cheating (football associations being notoriously corrupt), they banned him from all activities.

Case Study #4: Equatorial Guinea, yet again

In the semi-finals, the plucky host team's luck ran out and they were routed by Ghana 3-0. The Equatoguinean fans started pelting visiting Ghanaian fans and the team and a riot ensued, stopping the match and resulting in a large fine for the hosts. Ghanaians reportedly fled to their embassy for shelter.

And that in a nutshell is why African football is never boring.

Dust to Dust

This was supposed to look cooler.

As the new year rings in, the dry season has come with a vengeance. Accra is hot, dry and dusty.

The year in West Africa is separated largely into two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season is when farmers grow their crops and people enjoy the double-edged sword of cool weather and breeding mosquitoes. After October, the rains stop and the winds from the Sahara (known as the harmattan) slowly creep south, bringing the desert dust along for the ride. The lack of rain and clouds and dry air make for an intense heat. Meanwhile, every surface, from tables to tennis courts is quickly covered in a layer of red dust.

This year, the harmattan is particularly strong. Unlike last year, there has been nary a drop of rain in Accra to keep the red dust down and the city has become blanketed in it. On some days, visibility is reduced to a few hundred metres and one can stare directly at the sun by 3pm, so thick is the dust. Even washing the car seems pointless, so quickly it is soiled again. Yet, it is more than just a nuisance: everybody is getting sick, asthma sufferers rarely venture outside and flights are being cancelled, as planes cannot safely land on the runway in Tamale. It has been suggested that this year's cocoa crop is at risk due to the stress on the trees.

How dusty is it? Even the trees could use a wash.

In North America, climate change is still a topic of heated discussion, with a shrinking minority unconvinced. Go to Ghana and one would be very hard pressed to find a denier -  from farmers to politicians, everyone is concerned about the increasing temperatures, erratic rainfall and desertification in the region. Last year, the city had regular rains throughout the dry season, which was itself an anomaly. This year, the opposite is occurring.

On the bright side, the dust counters the thick humidity and reduces the intensity of the sun, which means that the mornings are nice and cool and the days are not too intense. Even with the intense heat, the local pool is surprisingly chilly.