Ghana Tastes: Day 14: A Hands On Experience

Accra - Today was our first full day at the National Archives of Ghana. We arrived at 8:45 am in the already blazing West African sun, 15 minutes early. While waiting we met both a history professor from Michigan Tech, Jonathan E. Robins, and another, Matt Dziennik from Scotland. Dr. Robins was studying the historical production of palm oil in Ghana. Dr. Dziennik was studying Ghanaian troops in the British military. We are studying food and nationalism in Ghana so we reviewed some records which were pulled for us including personal letters of Kwame Nkruma and newspapers from the period of independence in 1957. Standards in the archives of Ghana are interesting. They require researchers to check their bags and to only use pencils but they do not require gloves and they allow you to handle original records no matter how brittle and fragile the paper may be. I had small fragments of 1950s Echo Star newspapers on my Battle of Plymouth, NC shirt when I left.

We ate lunch at the archives cafe where they were pounding fufu right in the kitchen. We were served, however, the plate of the day which was bean stew, grilled fish, rice, and plantins. At first Brandi and I thought we could share a plate but soon, even though the portions are abundant, we realized we were so hungry and the food was so good that another plate was necessary. These were ¢6 each ($2), a very good price for lunch.

At 3:30 when we came out of the archives the temperature was a deceptive 90 degrees. With a humidity of 72% and a west wind of 10 mph, the heat index was 96 degrees. Thus with sweat steadily soaking our lightweight cotton clothing we started down the street toward the Mokola Market. On the way we found a seamstress who also sells fresh eggs. She is hiring if you're looking for a job. We have the number.

At the market we found a fabric shop. In Ghana, for some unexplainable reason, if you want a dress you have to buy your fabric at one shop, then go across town to a seamstress to have it made. Why don't the dress shops sell the fabric instead of fresh eggs? Brandi bought enough at the Long Room to have a dress made and make me a matching shirt. Seven yards all together for only ¢14 per yard.

The market is crowded, loud, and sometimes the smell is almost unbearable. If you stop walking someone expects you to buy something. It may be food, cell phones, cheap jewelry, clothing, tools, car parts, beauty supplies, furniture, or sporting goods but if you stop they expect you to buy. If you don't stop the single file line will push you ever faster going forward. The paths among the stalls are extremely narrow. The ground is not level. The ground and the vendors compete for your attention. Think of the worst flea market you've ever been to only this one smells like an open sewer even though people are actively buying fresh vegetables, live crabs, and grilled fish.

Finally we wound our way through the Mokola Market toward Independence/Liberation Avenue where we found a football-loving taxi driver who brought us home to the Baptist Guest House for only ¢7. By the time we ate dinner with the missionaries, the rain was pouring down like a flood. The temperature dropped to 77 degrees and the south southwest wind got up to 22 mph. Nice. That's bearable and that's why Ghana is green.