Abroni on the move

Yesterday I finally had a chance to wonder around Accra since I had only one afternoon interview scheduled. I have been studying my guidebook well and knew that Accra does not have all that much to offer in terms of tourist attractions. It is not exactly Rome or London around here. Ghana on the whole does not have the same appeal to tourists who come to see wildlife as for instance Kenya or Tanzania, although at the moment it is certainly a lot safer than the former. The CAN2008 will certainly have helped put Ghana on the tourist maps but overall it is still relatively untouched by the tourist industry. I would not go so far as to call it unspoilt as I feel that Ghana could probably benefit from some more of the tourist dollars. There are plenty of abroni’s like me in my hotel (including a group of Dutch girls all with blond corn rows) but somehow you don’t really see them anymore once you venture into downtown Accra. Probably they are all at the beaches.

I started the day in Jamestown, a fishermen’s village part of Accra that my guidebook euphemistically calls ‘atmospheric’. I would not have been surprised to see the word ‘authentic’ there instead. By authentic I mean that there is no layer of veneer slapped on it at all. The fishing boats laying on the beach all look extremely worn and there is a putrid smell of fish and open sewer everywhere. It is fascinating to see how different other people’s lives can be from your own, even if you don’t envy them theirs. As the only white person for miles around, and a woman at that, I attract quite a lot of stares. The nice thing about Accra though –and here I agree with my guidebook– is that it is perfectly safe for me to do this. I did not get harassed once and certainly never felt in any way threatened. Sure, there are an awful lot of random people asking me how I am doing but where is the harm in that? I wouldn’t recommend trying this at night but then, I also would not recommend that for certain areas of London.

My next stop rang a familiar bell as I found myself standing in ‘Oxford Street’, a nickname given by the locals to a street in the Osu district which is well known for its many restaurants. Don’t picture anything even approximating the London version though. We are talking mainly street stalls here and the selection of goods is fairly monotonous. At the moment it is mainly football shirts and Valentine’s gifts. I also passed by the N’kruma monument and the Independence Square so after just one morning I can already tick off many of the must-see-while-in-Accra check boxes. On the list still are Osu Castle, Makola Market and of course the beach.

If only I still had my camera I could show you pictures of all that I see. Instead, you will get my thousand words.