Afrikan Bambataa

My First Week in Ghana

Coconut Grove Resort, Accra Ghana

“The journey, not the arrival matters” T.S. Eliot

I arrived in Accra tired, sweaty and full of life. Setting foot into Africa was such a surreal experience for me that all of the time it took us to travel here didn't seem so bad. We were set to stay in Accra for 3 nights before settling into Winneba, which is where we would be staying for the remainder fo the trip. We were greeted with a warm "Akwabaa!" (welcome), fresh coconut water and snacks when we arrived to Coconut Grove Resort and that instantly made me feel like it was meant for me to be here. I've come to realize this about Ghanaian culture; they are very warm with their welcome. We were greeted with warm smiles, assistance with our bags to our respective rooms, and if we needed anything in addition to what they have already done for us. Our rooms were very clean, spacious and more similar to an American hotel than I expected. Our first night was exhausting due to travel so we rested to head to activities for the following day.

We visited the memorial of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, which was Ghana's first president and the memorial was so nice. I learned a ton about Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the dedication he had for Ghana. He's worked alongside so many inspirational people and I enjoyed learning about his history. It was an honor to be able to visit both his and his wife's gravesite, which was apart of the memorial.

Shops @ The Art Market Accra, Ghana

The real fun came when we went to the Art Market. The Art Market is basically local shops that sell anything from hand carved drums, to paintings, jewelry, clothes and much more. The fun is the fact that you have barter your prices; just like any place, artists want to make the highest profit they can, so typically they overcharge their work. You have to negotiate your prices, be firm in saying no if the price doesn't work for you, and be prepared to have a lot of people constantly in your space trying to sell you their best work. It's nonstop, but a fun way to shop in my opinion. I didn't want to buy anything right away, so my goal was to just look around and see what people have to offer. It didn't take me long to find out, because as soon as we got into the space there were people left and right urging me to check out their shop or people that had carvings, drawings and paintings in hand waiting for me to take a look. I checked out a lot of cool shops and met some cooler people. This was an experience that I wasn't prepared for; I came to look at some art, purses, drums, etc. but I found out some more history of Ghana, I learned the Ghanaian handshake, I learned how to play drums and how they're made, I chopped it up with a few people who wanted me to relay the message that "We don't live in trees and huts in Africa, tell your friends back home." It was one of the dopest experiences that I've had traveling thus far, and I appreciated the moment. Though I didn't buy anything, I got so much from the time spent in the Art Market.

W.E.B. Dubois was a true boss. We got to visit his home in Accra, which has since been turned into a museum. Learning and relearning about his many accomplishments and contributions to black people overall was amazing. I was too excited to be there; I LOVE W.E.B Dubois, and The Talented Tenth is something I try to live by.

We ended our Accra trip on Sunday, heading to Winneba which will be our new home for the next 5 weeks. The commute to Winneba was different what we had seen in Accra; rocky roads, people waving to us, others trying to sell water or food on the street between traffic was a nice site to see. It just showed me similar between here and home for me, not much has been different besides the location. It made me feel extremely comfortable and I was looking forward to doing as much as I can while I was here. I'm definitely here for a reason.