Ghana is a fairly small West African nation.It was the first to attain independence from the British south of the Sahara.The beautiful country has many tourist attractions and a very rich culture and history.Ten things however do not cease to amaze me about Ghana.Take a read.
1.HIRED MOURNERS/WAILERS.
In Ghana, especially pertaining to some tribes, mourners or wailers,if you like are hired to wail or mourn the dead at funerals.Hired,as in, taking money as charge for wailing services.On occasions where the wailers hit a snag and are unable to wail freely or naturally, they rub menthol or mint in their eyes to induce the tears.
2.HAWKERS HAVEN.
Traders in Ghana hawk almost everything; from electronics and electrical gadgets and appliances to food,dog chains and even greyhounds.All in the streets and every available space.Most of these traders carry their wares on their heads while others put them on their shoulders, arms and hold them in their hands.Many of these hawkers shout the names of their merchandise to attract the attention of prospective buyers.It's common sight for sachet and bottled water vendors to literally run after commuters to salvage payment for items bought from them in heavy traffic jams.
3.STREET PREACHERS.
Preaching the gospel is not just a calling, and is not done in the chapels and temples only.The streets,lanes, pedestrian walkways and alleys are always inaundated with preachers who preach to the public via loud megaphones, speakers and all manner of sound equipment.The most fascinating aspect of this practice is that, the street preachers always have their offertory or collection bowls ready as field for the "sowing of seeds"(donations) into the ministry of the gospel.A donation attracts a personalized powerful prayer for the giver.
4."FREE RANGE TOILETS".
Many households especially,in the densely populated towns and cities in Ghana do not have toilets.For that matter, the nearby bushes and beaches have been turned into places of convenience by many citizens.They openly, brazenly and placidly squat at a chosen spot and defecate freely.Even though some households have toilets, some tenants deliberately choose the beaches over the pit latrines, saying whilst responding to nature's call at these areas, the natural breeze keeps one well ventilated and cooled, compared to the built facilities, some of which produce a lot of heat.
5.CONVERSION OF CARGO VANS TO COMMUTER BUSES.
In Ghana, public transport is mostly owned and run by private people.A good number of buses used in the cities like Accra, Kumasi and Tema are called 'Trotro',a parlance for shillings or cents, meaning, anyone can get by these modes of transportation because they are cheap.The shocker however is that, many of such buses are imported old cargo vans that are fixed with locally made seats to transport workers from one point to another within the cities.These buses are also modified by cutting windows on them and fixing them with glass.Most of the buses in question are of the make, Mercedes.
6.SERVING COOKED FOOD IN LEAVES.
Eating in and from leaves has been an old tradition in Ghana. Some cooked food vendors serve their recipes in special leaves and a huge percentage of the consumers love it.They believe that eating from leaves help boost their health since the leaves used in serving has medicinal qualities.
7.BEND DOWN BOUTIQUES.
There are numerous second hand clothing joints and spots within the urban centres and even,in the rural areas.Consumers patronize these second hand clothes because they are very cheap and of high quality.In an economy where over seventy percent of the population live on less than two dollars a day, opting for used clothing is both frugal and expedient.A wide range of clothing types are put up for sale.Under garments, towels, shoes, bags,belt and caps.The cheapest joints distinguish themselves,as all a customer needs to do when buying is to just bend down to make their choice.Thi is how come the name,"bend down boutique".
8.POLITICIAN PARENTS.
The electorate in Ghana leave no stone unturned in making sure they derive some personal benefits from politicians.It is typical to find a queue of people in the residences of the people's representatives(members of parliament) anytime these law makers visit their constituencies.The electorate come to see these political figures with great expectations of receiving solutions to a myriad of problems that they face.
9.DRIVERS MATES.
Commercial bus(trotro)drivers have assistants called mates.These mates, mostly males are responsible for making commuters aware of the destinations of a bus.They do this by shouting the names of the suburbs they are plying.They also collect the fares for every designated stop along the route by cash and give change where necessary.They also alert the driver of where next on the route to pullover in order to pick passengers by tapping the body of the vehicle in a special way.Sometes too,they do the work of the side mirror.Quarrels and fights with passengers and commuters over cheating in fares aren't uncommon.
10.SUCTION BULBS IN THE RECTUM.
Suction bulbs are not known by many in Ghana for suctioning mucus from the nose of infants but rather, for ingestion herbal mix or concoctions through the anus.The practice is still common in rural Ghana.A mother would suck a good dose of blended herbs and ingest it to a child through the anus.This is to clean the intestinal tracks and relieve constipation.Sometimes,a heavy dose of spices and other herbs is administered to a faultering child as punishment.
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