Friday, August 12, 2011

Ghana: Make Peace Happen Challe!




Even though I have left Africa, I could not avoid writing new posts regarding   events and places that called my attention during my stay.
I remember reading about Football Games as “one event that will allow you to truly see Africa” whilst in Ghana.
I hesitated. Is it another experience of people dealing in the worst way with a score they do not approve of?  Swearing at the opposite team fans and even racist remarks towards the players like it is in Ecuador?
Well Ghana, you’ve proved me wrong.
Accra was eager for Michael Essien’s Charity Match: Africa XI World XI.  Expats whose favorite sport was rugby were suddenly discussing the performance of the Black Stars, Ghana’s National Team. All of a sudden street vendors stocked themselves up with Ghanaian flags all over Accra and residents from cities such as Cape Coast – for once- were spending a holiday in Accra.




The celebrations started on May 24th at around 13h00 with the arrival of the players. Lisa Salmans, general manager of Citizen Kofi described the players as “hitting the ground running”. Citizen Kofi was one of the venues where the players had a party with fans, after Michael Essien’s fundraiser in Labadi Beach Hotel.
The Citizen Kofi venue, the night before the match was a  joyful, relaxed celebration.  A carefree Essien  kept joking around with fans. Sadly a not so friendly Didier Drogba, who looked annoyed when asked for photographs.




May 25th Arrived. People gathered in  their houses to share a few Stars and to pep themselves up for this celebration. It was African Union day and Ghanaians, proud to be the beacon of stability in the region, Hosts of the AU Match, had plenty of reason to celebrate, big time. Challe!

The match in itself was rather slow. Then again, these types of fundraising football games are made for the players and the public to enjoy. Baby Jet (Asamoah ) was part of the half time entertainment with Essien joining as a backup dancer. Children from SOS Children's Villages were the reminder of the topic that was being raised to public light: Make Peace Happen in Africa.



If there is one negative aspect of this match, had to be the obnoxious amount (if I could stretch the meaning and use of obnoxious) of pick pocketing. IDs, Mobiles, cameras and even Kebabs were the targets. Accra is a relative crime-free city but the pick pocketing for some put a damper on their celebration mood.
I ought to mention that Ghana was a land to which I arrived because I had no other option, and of which I had only seen the bad things of. People demanded money everywhere; Expats and tourists where constantly being ripped off, all the attractions or parks where dirty and let’s not even mention customer service (or rather, lack of). But once I was able to get out of my narrow minded set of “there is nothing like Abidjan” I was able to enjoy Accra. I enjoyed it quite a bit and at some point I called it home.  I even forgot of my blog during my stay in Ghana, but I got to admit it was because I was having a lot of fun, with the vibrant, relaxed nightlife and weekend trips.
Ghana is not on the world headlines (unlike Ivory Coast) for a good reason: Stability and a hassle-free way of living is a way the nation is described. And let’s face it: Stability rarely makes headlines.
 By the time of the football match I just needed re assurance of my feelings towards Ghana. And I could not have chosen a better time to admit Ghana had a special place for its people and is a place I definitely want to return to.