Part 1 of my Ghana Trip in a Nutshell
“God placed the best things in life on the other side of fear” Will Smith
It's been a while, I know. Life has been happening at such a fast pace that I can't really keep up. I thought I had more than enough time to break down my trip to Africa week by week, to dissect and explore every single layer of this trip, to get into my feelings and to laugh about my wild encounters while in Ghana but when I finally found the time to sit down and finish blogging, the trip ended. 6 weeks, and all of the places I visited, the people that I've met, the food that I was able to try and became used to were now just a distant memory. It still feels surreal that I was just chilling in the motherland, hammocking on the beach and partying, but then I think about how grateful I am having had this opportunity and how much I've grown from this trip since I've been back to the States. I miss all of the people that I've met, the simple life that I lived, the music that I was so entertained by, and the food and culture I experienced while there. I can't really account for every detail of my trip - some of those moments are better left in Ghana - but I will tell you some of the amazing highlights of my trip or as I would like to call it, my Greatest Hits (in no particular order):
Volta River @ Adi Lake Resort
The Volta River, which is located in the Volta Region of Ghana was literally one of the most beautiful places that I've visited. The Volta River is one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world and it was unbelievable. We stayed in Adi Lake Resort, which offered such a breathtaking scenic view of the lake and mountains. I had the pleasure of spending my birthday here, among trying new things such as hiking. This was one of those places in which I could never capture the true beauty, but it definitely made for a wonderful place to experience some breathtaking views and great food. The vibe here was very different than the other cities in Ghana that we've visited; it was so calm, chill and quiet, unlike that of Accra, Winneba and Cape Coast.
Adi Lake was so significant because it was the place of many firsts; my first waterfall experience, and my first birthday out of the country -- which happened to fall on my Golden Birthday. Though my Ghanaian trip took me completely out of my comfort zone, this particular weekend pushed me well beyond limits that I couldn't even imagine. We took a dope boat ride when we first arrived, and it was great to see the surrounding cities, the fishermen and other boats with touring passengers while riding. It was such a relaxing experience and Adi Lake Resort was niiice. It was probably the only hotel that had amenities similar to what we have in the states; it had hot water, American plugs, soft beds, THE WORKS. These are luxuries in Africa, so I was pleasantly surprised when we had these amenities. The food was also amazing, I still think about it. I enjoyed every part of this trip. We got to see the Blood Moon in a clear sky and it was beyond real. Sitting by the water, relaxing and taking in the sites around us was definitely something I miss about being in Africa in general. Time was never a worry.
We also hiked to the top of this beautiful mountain on my Golden Birthday and it was an experience I would never forget. I never would've imagined myself hiking - let alone hiking in Africa - but it was pretty dope once I got to the top.
Boti Falls was a pretty dope experience too. We had to go down like 200 steps to get to this beautiful scene of two waterfalls surrounded by trees, sand and the works. It was so relaxing but the hike back up to the top was intense. I really enjoyed spending time there and of course cooling off in the water.
Cape Coast
Cape Coast was probably my favorite place to visit while in Ghana, but also the most emotional place. I loved that it was city-like; not quite as big as Accra but not small like Winneba. This is the place that felt most like home if I chose to live in Ghana; the people, and the atmosphere was just right. We got to do some drumming and dancing, eat some good food, and party with some pretty dope people. It felt like I belonged here. I didn't seem like a "Black American" as many Ghanaians would call me throughout my trip here; I was just in the moment in Cape Coast.
The beaches were beautiful here, and unlike Winneba, they were very vibrant with people dancing, playing and enjoying themselves along the shoreline. It was interesting to see how they turned the space surrounding one of the slave castles in Cape Coast into a place to meet up and have fun. This was where we learned to drum and dance, watched performances of Korye, a very talented performance group (who were our instructors for the drumming and dancing), ate and partied at Oasis, which is right on the beach and enjoyed bargaining for art and such. Cape Coast is definitely the spot to be while in Ghana.
Hiking for the first time was a WILD experience. We went to a place called Kakum National Park and did a canopy walk as well as hiked through the rainforest. First off, I'm petrified of heights, and this canopy walk was no joke. The bridge is very small, only able to fit one person at a time, and its moves of course because it's just wood and ropes. I took the short walk because I was too scared to do the long canopy walk but hey, I did do SOMETHING. The hike through the rain forest was beautiful until the small group I was with (my professor, program assistant, and the other graduate assistant) got lost. Look, we're in AFRICA, in a RAIN FOREST, lost. It's funny now because we made it out alive (lol) but it was the scariest 30 minutes of my life. It's definitely a story to tell.
But it was also a place that I came face to face with the realities of my heritage and what my ancestors went through as slaves. Black people in America always talk about slavery. I can tell you about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and walk you through the timeline of our civil rights history in America - history that has been filled with harsh realities that we were not even considered human and that history still affects how many are treated today - but to walk the trail that my ancestors walked was such an overwhelming emotional feeling that I never thought I would encounter.
One of the places we went was the Ancestral River Park, which is where Africans were brought to be cleaned up and sold into slavery. This is the place that they had their "Last Bath," were oiled up, stripped and separated from their family and sold to different parts of the world to become slaves. This place had emotional ties for me, and being the only black person on the trip, I have to admit that it was even harder for me to experience this without someone that looks like me so that we can talk about it, vent, or process what we were about to see.
As part of this experience, our tour guide led us through the same trail that our ancestors had to take in shackles and chains, to their Last Bath and then through the river to be sold. Adding another layer of emotion, we walked this trail barefoot, so that we would know how my ancestors felt during this time, and to pay our respects to those who died because of slavery. The feeling I had was a combination of anger, sadness and respect for those who paved the way for me. I never would've imagined that I would get the opportunity to pay homage to my ancestors in this way, so while I was excited to partake in this experience, I was also scared to face the realities of what my ancestors went through firsthand. Walking through that trail was so emotional and I really didn't know how to combat those feelings because I had no one on this trip that would completely understand my range of emotions; they could empathize and support but they could not relate. I wished that I was able to go through this stuff with more people who looked like me.
Arriving at the Last Bath and the Slave River was so dark for me. I managed to hold it together and not cry during this time, but I did pay my due respect. The tour guide told us that by making a wish in the Slave River (either by putting your feet or hands in the water) that whatever your wish is would happen. He gave all of us the opportunity to make our wishes in the river, which for me was a humbling experience.
The point that I broke down was visiting the Slave Castle in Elmina. The Slave River and Castle were the same day and we visited the Slave River first so it was already an emotionally draining day for me before arriving to the Slave Castle. But walking through that Slave Castle broke me down spiritually, emotionally and physically. I've never been in a space that made me so vulnerable so quickly, but seeing the living conditions of slaves firsthand, walking in the rooms that had little to no ventilation, seeing the chains and learning what went on behind these walls was more than enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I cried. Like, the ugly cry. I bawled my eyes out at the site of this place. My heart was heavy and sunken as the tour guide took us from room to room and explained what each room was used for as it pertained to slaves. It just wasn't something that I expected, or what I was used to talking about. We have this limited knowledge of what slavery was, but this trip to both the slave river and slave castle opened my eyes to new knowledge on the history of my ancestors.
Meda w'ase to my ancestors for paving the way and enduring the pain so that we wouldn't have to.