What Yo' Mamma Never Told You About Ghana

How To Measure Success.

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:21:00 +0000

People like to say that success is personal. That each individual must determine what success means for him or her. I've probably said similar things on this blog in the past.

I'm not so sure that success is personal anymore. I think I was wrong.

Success isn't personal.

Not if you're trying to spread an idea, make an impact, or change something.
It can be objectively measured.

Let's say you want to feed Ghana. You can't just wake up one day after feeding one small school in Madina and say you have achieved personal success. Sure, you have done something. And as my friend Paa Kwesi says...doing something is always better than doing nothing. But if your goal was to feed Ghana, then the only way you measure how well you're doing is by counting how many you feed today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, ten years after that and if the number keeps increasing and the people in Ghana are slowly shifting from eating imported food to eating your home grown food, then maybe someday you'll achieve success. Which in this case is only defined one way: feeding Ghanaians.

On the journey to make any kind of change, it can get confusing. People will start applauding you for change you have not yet made. If you don't take care, you'll start to think that the public recognition is a measure of your progress. It isn't.

Public recognition can be good. Maybe it will help you find more farmers. Maybe it will help you find more buyers. It may remind and encourage you that the task you've set before you is important and worthy of pursuit.

But it must never be mistaken for progress.

Remember, you did not set out to get public recognition. The task was to feed Ghanaians! Only in doing that, can you say you have succeeded.You measure your success by assessing progress in the task you set for yourself.

Only you will know how well you are doing in the attainment of that goal. So if it looks to you like the media is over-blowing your success, you're right.

At that point you need to get back to work. To the task of providing Ghanaians food. Not to granting interviews about the thing you have not yet done.

This New Year, Take Over This Blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:52:00 +0000

Happy New Year to you.

It's 2 am January 3rd. This is my 1st blog entry for this year.
It is also my last.

Okay don't freak out yet.

Here's the deal.

I started this blog over 2 years ago with a mission. I wanted to document every thing that I loved about Ghana and the life here. At the time, I was very excited about Ghana, and this is what kept me going for 2 years. But 2 years later, I feel that the mission is accomplished. We have in fact documented so much of what makes Ghana awesome. To keep at it just to keep the blog going would be pointless.

I'm still excited about Ghana and my life here but now my focus has changed.

I have grown. I have moved on. In fact, I moved on 6 months ago. Six months ago, I thought of closing this blog. I told my friend Yaw Agyapong about it, and he said no. He wasn't going to let me walk away from another thing in my life. He'd watched me not complete a phd. I'd upped and left America. I'd quit 2 jobs. He was like..."this is not your facebook profile page". You can't just erase it and start anew. Hehe. I really used to do that in college. I had a habit of cleaning my facebook wall. I would sort of re-invent myself every few months. haha. He wasn't going to let me quit this one too.

I listened to him. I shouldn't have.

See, the world tells us that quitting is bad. That winners don't quit. That you need to have follow through. You need to fight to the end. You have to complete what you start.

Bullshit.

I am a quitter.
That is my strength.
And there is space in the world for people like me.

I quit the things I no longer have energy for and find new passions. It also means that I do the things I do well because I am fully present when I'm doing them. Unlike most people, I like beginnings. I like creating. I hate managing. I hate maintaining.

The kind of experience a person like me needs is not one that is gotten from doing one thing for a very long time. I need experience in creating new things. This means that I need to create fast, then move, then do it again, then move and again and again. Seth Godin would call this shipping. To stay in a place really long, the place has to be the kind that allows me to ship lots and lots of things. Advertising was a good career fit. As is entrepreneurship.
The reason I should have quit 6 months ago is that it would have saved us all the last 6 months of sporadic blogging. Mediocre entries. No love posts. No fun stuff. I'm surprised you put up with it.
I was boring myself to tears!

You deserve better. This blog didn't become the most loved blog in Ghana by being okay. It was awesome. The posts were beyond funny. Stuff you force your husband and your friends to read. Stuff you share with your co-workers. That's us. That's what we do here.

So, I think that if we are to continue this blog, it needs to get better, not worse. I'm not the person to do that job.

Believe me.

Which is why I am looking for someone to take it over. A friend suggested this too:) So many of you love this blog and want it never to end. Some of you still email me suggestions for blog posts. I would like to find someone to be the Resident Blogger for 6 months. After 6 months, we can find a new Resident Blogger. I will support the resident blogger with blog ideas.

Time check: 2:52 am.

Shit, I have to go to work tomorrow.

Okay, let's round this up.

If you want to be the Resident Blogger, or know someone who gets excited by all things Ghana, let me know. If I don't find anyone to take over the blogging here, then this blog will officially close and I will at some point publish a book of the best stories and those who have read and loved this blog can have copies to share with your friends and children 20 years from now:)

If you're wondering how you can keep in touch with me, I have just launched a new blog where I talk about my current interests. Come visit me there, follow the blog, and spread the love.

Time check 3:52 am

Ghanaian Banks Should Be Offering Speed.

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:30:00 +0000

If you were looking for a really quick loan, say in 1week, or 3 days, or even 2 days, which bank in Ghana would you go to?

UT Bank. That was easy.

What if you were looking for a home loan? You'd try Ghana Home Loans or maybe HFC bank. Right?

Well, instead of a quick loan or a home loan, what if you were looking for something else. Something like quick service? If you didn't have hours to spend in a line. And really really wanted a bank where you'd never spend more than 10 minutes in line. Which bank in Ghana would you go to?

Err...I don't know.

If you do, please tell me because I would close all my other accounts and sign up with them pronto. After my husbands horrific experience last week...spending hours in an Ecobank branch to simply withdraw money (because the bank was again slow with giving him a checkbook and an atm card), I'm sure he'd join too. I would be so thrilled about finding such a bank that I would probably blog about it, and I'd tell everyone. Because it would be a remarkable find indeed.

And all the bank would have to do to steal me from Ecobank is offer me the only thing I really care about when I walk into a bank...which is speed.

But none of the banks is offering speed. And no, not the drug:)

Instead they're offering products. Lots and lots of products. Every company has their own special package for small businesses, for personal banking, this and that. The average person doesn't know what the packages do. And frankly we're okay without them. What we really care about, no one is addressing. Banks are trying so hard to distinguish themselves with these products and yet but the slight advantages that one bank's product has over the next bank's is not compelling to me or you.

We really just want to do our simple transactions and go home. Thank you.

Two banker friends pestered me so much about opening accounts with their banks. One was successful...but only because I felt sorry for him. Not because I was convinced that Barclays (his bank) was any better than Ecobank.

According to readers of this blog, the other banks are as bad as Ecobank or worse. Assuming that we're representative of Ghanaians, one could say that Ghanaians believe that all the banks offer the same thing. Crappy service. Except, maybe UT (Well, I don't know about their service, but hey, at least I know I can get a quick loan from them).

Since the banks are really trying so hard to distinguish themselves and are failing miserably, instead of offering complex packages, how about if they just went back to the basics. And tried to do a simple thing extraordinarily well? How about a true commitment to getting every customer out of their doors in just 5 minutes. Now that would be compelling and the next time an Ecobank customer complained about long lines, you'd better believe I'd let them know (and gleefully too) that there is now a new bank that does all this in just 5 minutes.

Slowly but surely, Ecobank would be forced to improve their service or risk going down.This isn't about doing the customer (me) good. This is about how Ghanaian banks can actually improve their bottom line by stealing more clients from under-performing banks by actually addressing the customer's pressing needs.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. Bankers...join the conversation.

3 Ways To Build Brand Loyalty - Lessons From a Makola Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:22:00 +0000

I want to share 3 business lessons that I've learned from Auntie Rosemund, a fabric seller in Makola Market.

1. It Pays To Be Nice

We needed to buy fabric for AfroChic. Adwoa (my business partner) suggested we ask Woodin to sell to us at the wholesale price since we were buying lots of fabric. As it turned out, Woodin only sells at the wholesale price if you're buying at least 100 pieces of fabric. (A piece = 4 yards or 6 yards). That was about double what we wanted to buy.

So the Woodin shop in Osu referred us to two Woodin dealers in Makola. Both of them had left business cards at Woodin so they furnished us with business cards. Adwoa brought me the business cards and I set about trying to contact these women. I called the first number. The woman on the other end of the phone sounded almost abusive in demanding how many pieces I wanted to buy. I tried to set an appointment to go see her.She told me that they're there so when I'm ready I can come. She was almost shouting at me. Okay...

I called the second number.That number was for TROSEMUND ENT. The response was more friendly. warmer. The person at the other end asked when I wanted to come. I suggested a day, and she told me to call her when I get to Rawlings Park in Makola so that she'd send someone to come get me.

That's when the first unfriendly woman got eliminated from the list. It wasn't conscious. I didn't decide to not go to her shop,but when the day came to go fabric shopping, it was to TROSEMUND that I went. Who could blame me? I'm human. I prefer to deal with people I like...not those who will bark at me.

TROSEMUND kept their promise and sent someone to walk me from Rawlings Park to their shop. After buying, Auntie Rosemund got someone to carry the fabric to the car for me. I was happy. I left their shop and would have forgotten all about them until my next purchase.

2. Follow Up With A Thank You Call

After about 3 weeks, I got a call from Auntie Rosemund! She had saved my number the first time I called. And was calling not to ask me when I would come and buy from her again...she called to find out how MY business was going. Wow! In a whole year of buying lots of fabric from lots of Makola women, this was the only time someone had followed up with us. I was impressed. It made me feel like an important customer.

Now I'm sure Auntie Rosemund does not call every single person who enters her shop. But having spent over a 1000 cedis at her shop, she realized I was a customer worth keeping and she made me feel important.As she should. It took very little for her to do that but that small act set her apart from all the other fabric sellers. I was blown away.

And the next time I'm going fabric shopping, guess who will be at the top of my mind?

3. Give And You Shall Receive

When I got to her shop, I was hungry. So I told her I would be back. I wanted to find something to eat. I asked where I might find food. What did Auntie Rosemund do? She bought me lunch. Free.

After I had eaten, I shopped. This time I didn't need to buy as many pieces of fabric as the first time. Yet I found myself trying to buy as much from her as possible. I even bought a few pieces of fabric for personal use.

And now I can't wait for January when I'll again be buying lots of fabric for AfroChic. I can't wait to reward her for treating me like an important customer.

See, Ghanaians often complain about customer service because we think of how people made us feel or wasted our time or whatever. How about seeing it from her perspective. Because she was nice on the phone, because she followed up with me after my first visit, because she bought me lunch...think about how much more business I'm going to send her.

Think about me putting her name on this blog and holding her up as the go to person for fabric in Makola. Her number is 024-443-8788.

Auntie Rosemund set herself apart from the other fabric sellers in a business where the offerings are pretty much the same. The fabrics you'll find in one shop aren't that different from what's in the other shops. The prices are also about the same among the wholesale dealers. From the outside looking it, it would seem obvious that in such a business where there isn't much product or price differentiation, you need to give your customers a reason to choose you. The reason can be your relationship with them. Relationships can make the difference between successful shops and those that struggle.

Here's my advice for you.

If relationship-building is key for your business like in fabric-retail at Makola, then learn 3 tips from Auntie Rosemund. Number one, be friendly. Number two, follow up, and Three attend to your customers needs even if it means buying lunch for them. It seems obvious...yet remember that in a whole year of buying fabric, only Auntie Rosemund did it.

It seems obvious. But are you nice to your customers? Do you call back the ones who give you big business to thank them? Have you ever done something nice for them as a way to build relationship? It seems obvious but I know I haven't done these things consistently. Last Saturday at AfroChic, we launched our Festive collection. There were customers who bought 10 clothes at once. Even if I can't call everyone who bought to thank them, I should call these big buyers. All the tips seem obvious, but if I hadn't written this blog post today, I wouldn't have acted on them.

I wish you the best with your business...as I go to make some phone calls. I should take my own advice:)

10 Ghanaian Gift Ideas For This Christmas...For Those Who Usually Give Goats.

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:31:00 +0000

Christmas is nearly here. If you’re like me, you’re going to wait till the last minute to get gifts. By then you won’t have the time to think of, and get thoughtful gifts. So you’ll end up giving a goat. Seriously. A goat?! For Christmas? Hehe. That might have worked for our parents' generation but I wouldn't know what to do with a goat if you gave me one this Christmas. Where to kill it? Where to smoke it? Space for a whole goat in my little fridge? Okay enough goat talk. Many of you really liked the gift ideas I gave you last year, so this year, I’ve come up with a new list of Ghanaian things that I think would make kickass gifts. You don’t have to get these, but whatever you get, please

DON’T BE BORING. This Christmas, I’m banning boring. Here we go:

1. Give Music
Give M.anifest music. Or Efya’s new album. Or Becca. Or Amakye Dede. Here’s why I think a CD would actually make a great gift. You know us. We’re not buying CDs. Most of us only hear the most popular singles from the radio or youtube but you don’t fall in love with an artist by listening to a lone song. You have to experience the album. You have to play it over and over. And Methinks these three musicians actually make music you can fall in love with. I would love to get a pack of three CDS. One from Becca, One from Efya and one from M.anifest. Throw in the best of Amakye Dede and I'm yours.

2.    Give Art
I’m actually kind of pissed with Nanoff because I sent him my painting to be framed 2 whole months ago and he asked me to come for them in a week, and can you believe it? 2 whole months and he’s only just finished. I haven’t even picked it up. I’ve had to go to his gallery at least 6 times chasing after my painting so I don’t know why I’m recommending him. Well, he’s good. I like his paintings because they have details that make them stand out as Ghanaian art…not just African art. Recently, he’s created artworks with newspaper headlines from Ghanaian newspapers. I thought that was special. And his frames are to die for. If only he’d get them made on time…I also really like his sculptures. My favorite is the Pianist. It’s going for $800. I want!

You should also consider Korkor Kugblenu. I was dissatisfied with the painting in my living room because it was merely beautiful but it wasn’t me. It didn’t speak to me. It was just hanging there not inspiring me. So I pulled it down and Korkor made me a painting of a woman with an afro. All in reds. She delivered on time and on budget:) Will post a photo soon.

3.    Give Books
Here, I’m going to cheat and ask for your help in suggesting interesting books that have been written by Ghanaian authors in the past year. Any ideas?

4.    Give Something From Shopafrica53.com
Because it’s live and people abroad can shop for their relatives in Ghana. Check it out.

5.    Give Jewelry
After the post on waistbeads, I’ve gone and gotten 4 strings from Nadel. I’ll post her number soon. But she’s at the first left turn off the Kanda Highway if you’re heading towards Kanda from Gold House. They cost 20 cedis a pop so 80 GHC total, which is on the pricey side BUT gosh, they pop! And to be fair, they were made with pearls and beads. I think the glass and beads strings are cheaper. I keep looking for reasons to take off my clothes so people can see and admire. Ah, some things you can’t be pepei about them o. Plan to wear them for a long time so you’ll get your money’s worth.

There’s also Nelly’s Duaba Serwaah. I bought 2 gorgeous sets sometime last year for 40 GHC each. I don’t know if her prices have gone up or not. But check out her stuff here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=178307208850962&set=a.178307112184305.49252.165788520102831#!/pages/DUABA-SERWA/186312377635
I also discovered a beads shop at East- Legon just this past weekend.The shop is called BEADS. And their number is 024-397-9508. Ask for Jackie. You can find them on the same street at the A&C mall but closer to the end that has the American International School. Their regular waistbeads cost 12 cedis and the ones made with pearls cost 20 cedis just like at Nadels.

6.    Give Dramatic Photography
Emmanuel Bobbie is your guy. Me and my two girls went to the A-lounge and were impressed by some blown up photo he’d taken. A love. By all means. You can even consider nudes. Ask Emmanuel. He might do them. Then have them framed. Hang it in your boudoir. I just wanted to use the word boudoir. Makes me feel sexy already. lol.

7.    Give Sisterlocs
Because I want to start it and the only thing standing between me and it is the price. I hear it’s around $500. Ya, that’s killer. I mean that kind of money can buy a kindle! Lol. Why would I spend it on hair? Lol. But if someone gave me a gift of sisterlocs…got me started on this journey, I would always remember that.

And natural hair is in right now…so if your woman is into that, suggest that you’d pay for her to get started, and watch her reaction.

8.    Give A Magazine Subscription
I haven’t bought Canoe in a year.Is Nkwaye better? Is the magazine doing okay? But if someone paid for a year’s subscription for me, I’d be happy. Hey, you’ve got to support local work.

9.    Give a vacation
Everyone’s heard of Little Acre in Aburi and the Axim beaches. And Akosombo hotels. Not all of us have been there. Infact Ms. Cleland here hasn’t been to any of them. So many of us would be thrilled if you gave you paid for a vacation this Christmas. Just do it. Give us a chance to enjoy your money small wai na money yE swine.

10.    Give a Bronya Atar
Allow. Dis be genuine tin:) Remember when we were kids, it was at Christmas that we got new clothes. We even had a special name for it. The bronya atar. This Christmas, surprise your friends with a bronya atar from any of these Ghanaian clothing brands: Manise, Maksi, Christie Brown, Lola Bello and of course, my very own AfroChic. Preview AfroChic's Festive 2010 Collection.

You must also note that it’s not just about buying a gift, it also matters how you give it. Ghanaians we don't try when it comes to style koraa. But sometimes the how is even more important than the what. If you can deliver it in style, you must!

Here’s an example:
If you buy AfroChic as a gift for your friends and loved ones, for a small fee, we will gift-wrap and specially deliver them to the recipients’ home or office. Imagine…AfroChic showing up to your friend’s office with a big gift box. Everyone’s going to be looking on, curious about whose gift it is. Imagine her face, when she unwraps the box to find a lovely dress and to discover it’s from you! Ah, what’s not to love? Don’t be boring.
Find AfroChic at a special 2-day event this weekend:

11th Dec, 2010 / Cafe Des Amis (next to Afrikiko) /10 am - 6 pm

12th Dec, 2010 /Marvels Mini Golf Course (Dzorwulu)/ 12 pm - 6 pm

After this weekend, you can either shop the collection online: www.afrochiconline.com or visit the shop at 20 Lower Hill, Univ. of Ghana, Legon.

Have a fabulous Christmas. And remember, we’re banning boring. So give remarkable gifts. And do it in style.

Abi You Wan Sell? Google Trader Launches in Ghana

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:05:00 +0000

Yesterday, something quite spectacular happened at Makola market in Accra. And the taxi rank at Circle. And Oxford Street in Osu, and Akuafo Hall in Legon, and Accra Mall. If you weren't there to see it for yourself, then listen up. I'm going to tell you all about what it was like at Makola.

The time was just a little past 8 am. Ghanaians were milling about as usual. Every third person was carrying something on their heads. Something like boxes, and basins. Empty basins. Full basins. Flat basins. Deep, and deeply scarred basins. Between the line of GTP stores which sit across from Rawlings park and adjacent shops selling everything from imported suitcases to umbrellas, a coconut seller was preparing a coconut for a waiting buyer.

Music started blaring. It was Wanlov the Kuborlor's "Come home plus me". We were all enjoying it small small, when the music changed. And with it came men and women from all corners dressed in Google t-shirts. Some wore red, others wore yellow. yet others wore green and even blue. I even spotted someone I knew. Akwele from Ashale-Botwe, now all grown up and dressed in her green google tee and matching green head-band tieing her afro, white shorts, some sneakers. Hoop earrings, tiny bead bracelets and anklets. Nice.

Photo credit: Rodney Quarcoo Visuals

It's called a flash mob. It was like...one moment there was just Makola as usual. The next moment, all these brightly colored people were pouring out of its corners. Then they started dancing. A fully choreographed deal o. I'd never seen anything quite like it. It was disruptive. Entertaining. And cooooool! The makola traders must have thought so too, because in less than a minute, hundreds had gathered in a file along the street to watch. Some even run towards the action, forgetting for a few minutes the business of the day.

Photo credit: Rodney Quarcoo Visuals

Abi you wan buy
Abi you wan sell
Google Trader something something something.

That was the song. A special song composed for the launch by Horsley Samuel Horsfall. Nigerian dude o. Who ever heard of a Nigerian guy with a Fanti sounding name like that. Samuel Horse-what? Ya. Time to google him. But Gosh...we know Nigerian music is hot in Gh. but why couldn't google get some Ghanaian musician Sarkodie or Wanlov or M.anifest to make a song? I'm not feeling that.

Photo credit: Rodney Quarcoo Visuals

Anyway, so as this spectacular dance died down, one kayayo seller asked me what was going on. How does one explain google trader in simple terms?

My attempt sounded like this...

Google foɔ enya new product bi. Sɛ wo pɛ sɛ wo tɔn biribi tese wo mpaboa a, wo betumi a text number bi, na w'akyerɛ bebia wo wɔ, ne shoe korɔ a woreton. Na google foɔ no de bɛto ɔmo website no so. Nti obi nso hwehwɛ shoe a, na wafrɛ wo.

Translation.
Google now has a new product. If you want to sell anything, you can text a short code and indicate what kind of shoe, where you are, price and if someone's looking for a shoe, they'll call you.
She nodded vigorously.

Hey, I'd tried. Maybe I should also have told her she could buy as well. But hopefully she would learn that on radio, or some other means. So I gave the kayayo woman the crude explanation but exactly is google trader? Well, it's a product, with free classifieds listings similar to Craigslist and Gumtree that Google launched yesterday in Ghana. As at the launch, it already had 8 thousand listings.

You can search the listings online or on your phone.
Here's what you do if you want to sell something.
First, you have to register. You can do that online or on your phone. If you're using your phone, you text "register" to 6007.
Next, you text "sell" to the same number, followed by a description of your item
e.g. Pen, Accra, 10 cedis.

If you're accessing trader online, then it's also possible to search categories like jobs, clothes, etc.Will Google Trader work for Ghana? Well, that remains to be seen. For now, it looks promising. As an entrepreneur, the main takeaway from this...is try. Try a lot of things. I mean even Google never knows which of its products is going to hit in which market so they try lots of things, and of course if you try enough times, eventually something will work out, and work out big.

Whether trader will be that hit for Google in Ghana remains to be seen. I know I'm going to be registering soon. If I ever try selling some AfroChic on trader, I'll give you an update on how it went. But you need not wait for my account. You can check out Google Trader for yourself.

Can A Young Woman Have Older Male Mentors in Ghana?

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:18:00 +0000

As many of you know by now, I'm now a full-time entrepreneur. I want to succeed. I want to make some millions. Which is why I was heartened to be in the company of people who have already achieved this level of success in Ghana last week. I was truly inspired by these men. They've spent the last 10, 20 years building their businesses and they seem as energetic as ever.

I was excited to meet them, and excited to see that they seemed genuinely interested in me and what I'm doing and considered me the next generation of Ghanaian entrepreneurs. When they gave me their personal numbers, I remember thinking...wow...only in Ghana do I get to meet the business giants and to have this kind of ready access to them.

A number of them called to check on me and to invite me to events. It's called networking. So I want to go. People don't do business with people they don't know. Or like. Or trust. How will they know and like, and trust me if they don't spend any time at all with me? If I were a guy, I wouldn't have to think twice about this. I'd just accept their invitations and go. And go again, and sleep over, and travel this country with them and learn from them?

But I'm not a guy. I'm a woman. A woman engaged to be married.

So, how can I take advantage of the benefits of networking with people you want to be like when an overwhelming percentage of them are men? If the businesspeople you know and admire are men, can you still learn from them without ending up in their bed?

Exactly 2 years ago, I wrote an article titled a new kind of relationship in which I raised the same concern. At the time, I was aba fresh, and correspondingly naive. Now I know, it's not that simple. You want to impress these men. You don't want to piss them off. But you also don't want to sleep your way to the top. You want to do this entrepreneurship thing for real. You're not interested in chopping anyone's money. You just want to learn from them. How does one go about establishing that kind of relationship? There's a thin line. If you're too hardcore, they'll just not invite you anywhere. And you won't get to know them.

Someone please tell me me how.

XOXO,
Esi

8 New Reasons To Love Ghana's Young Elite

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:25:00 +0000

1. We Don't Miss Any Opportunity To Remind You That We're Special

You mean to say you didn't go to CTK? You don't know what CTK stands for?

OMG!

Or say you meet a new group of boys and they ask..
Boss, den you dey Cape?

Your response: No.
Mfantsipim?

No

Achimota?

Naa.

Presec? By this time your smile has faded and all that's left is the
awkward silence ringing loudly in your ears.

Even better...you attend one of these gatherings of over-schooled self-important people, and the first person on the panel starts talking, and she's goes like
Back at HBS....

when you hear this, you die a little inside. And if your husband or boyfriend or bff is around, you turn to look at their expression.

Check.

He's already died and come back to life.

Last Sunday in Church, when the first time visitors were asked to introduce themselves, one woman got up. Very confidently...My name is Araba Mensima-Mends. I am here with my husband....Dr. Paa Kwesi Mends. We live at Trassaco. And even though we don't really like dogs, we have 6 rottweilers and 4 dobbermans hehe.

Okay, I made up the dogs and Trassaco bit but you get the idea. I was sitting next to one of my loveables (another name for good friend coined in the Cleland household....see how i just reminded you i'm special?) and he looked at me, and shook his head and I smiled.

We get it. You have a husband and he's a doctor. lovely. Now I wish I had a doctor for a husband too

2. We Love Talking About Starting A Business
Besides our education and our doctor husbands, another of our favorite topics is business ideas. Everyone is registering some business or other. Especially when we're aba fresh (tr: newly arrived). Our small world is abuzz with talk about this business or that business or some deal or other they're trying to broker.

3.We Love Talking About Traveling.
We want you to know that we're traveling. But we don't exactly know how to come out and tell you point blank that we are one of those lucky ones who can up and leave this sorry country behind whenever we want. We love it even more when the trip is only for a week or days. That tells you that we have arrived. Arrived at the stage in life where buying an ordinary plane ticket is well, no biggie. I mean, didn't we go to SA for the World Cup? And to Paris to visit our old room mater, And Singapore, and Dubai and even Australia. I mean...when my company wants to train me, they don't send me to any locally organised workshops o... they fly me and pay per diem too.

Whether it's the cute text message you get from your friend at the airport saying "I'm going to Abrokyire" Or someone making a comment about their "globe-trotting" friend, we juuuust want you to know...we fly.

4. We Love The Toyota Corolla
Dude. Have you looked at the cars on our streets? Everybody is driving a Toyota. According to P. A of Ghana Customs, Toyota Corollas are now called Pure Water. Because well, they're everywhere.

5. Weddings For Show
You're not officially elite unless you have a wedding that get covered in some magazine. And you can't really have one of dem weddings where they hand you the doughnut in tissue paper. Lol. And.....you can't not have a wedding where the wedding dress did not come from Abroad. Nope. Unless you're me, of course:)

6. Sophisticated Outings
I don't know squat about jazz. I don't particularly like it. I think it's okay but give me Koo Nimo or Eugene Kyekyeku anyday. Or even something from Senegal. Music. Good music. I love Reggae. Lucky Dube. Yesssir! Give me some Lauryn. Give me some White boy music. Jason Mraz? Check. Jack Johnson. You have me. But Jazz? Nope. Not my thing. Poetry? Nope, I don't get that. But ask me the number of times I've had to tag along with my sophisticated friends to go to Jazz Clubs, Go listen to Spoken Word. The Nubuke Foundation hasn't helped matters. lol. Shout out to you, Odile Tevie. Much love to you. I'll be getting in touch.
I mean +233 is the hottest new joint. Maybe it satisfies the wannebes in us. But I also think it's about broadening horizons. So I approve. I haven't even mentioned the salsa craze. One of my longtime buddies is a salsero. I know. Ask again. Aboa ben so ne salsero?

Speaking of sophisticated outings, I recently discovered 2 new joints. The A lounge which is inside the trade fair centre and The Whizzy Lounge, which is on the ARS road in Madina. Both places are perfect if you want to get away from the crowds for a cozy romantic time.

7.We Love To Let You Know We Know Our Alcohol.
We want to remind you that we only drink single malt whisky. We probably have a booklet about the proper way to drink wine. We love names like Grand Marnier, Jack Daniels and Jagermeister. And we want you to know that we drink it straight.

8. Natural Hair Sisters
Natural hair has become quite big among the young elite sisters in Accra. I dig it. I don't have much to day about it, except that I hope it trickles down to the masses.

Can you think of any thing else that characterizes the young elite in Ghana?

Oh la la! Didn't Your Grandma Warn You About Waist Beads?!

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:23:00 +0000

Mad love to Gifty Abena Otiwaa Arhin for getting me excited enough about a topic to blog about it. Paa Kwesi, I haven't forgotten about yours but you have to agree that Gifty has burned you small with her topic.

Waist beads. Ahondze.

Ei ei.

look at this picture, and tell me.

Where do we begin?

To give the men some time to perch on the corner of their seats, let's begin with Gifty's questions.

1. Do female adults continue wearing waist beads??

Absolutely. My grandma still wears waist beads, so there's your answer.

Do young women wear it, yep. They wear it a little differently than our grandmas though. The ones I've seen the older people wearing are the traditional clay beads. They're a bit heavy. Like what we see the picture here.

The younger women on the other hand, wear the thinner, slinkier-looking beads, often with gold pendants and other accessories thrown in. Mostly they're hidden under our clothes but one hot lady at my old workplace used to rock hers visibly. I was a bit shocked the first time I saw it, but I got used to it over time, and wished I had the chutzpah to do the same. But she was also 10 years or so older than me so maybe I'll get bolder and more comfortable with these things over time. I think she said she got them from Abidjan. They looked nicer than anything I've seen in Ghana.

2. When you came to the U.S did you wear waist beads?

Yes, some of the time. I bought 3 slinky strings one vacation when I was in Ghana. I never liked the ones you had to tie with a knot so I was happy to find ones that could be fastened with a clasp. I wore them for several years and then I think they broke one, by one. My boyfriend loved them so I dunno why I didn't get new ones when the old ones broke. I remember oggling Sewra's waistbeads for a long time, but always thinking that they were way too pricey. I regret not getting them now.

About a year ago, I got 2 strings from the Whiteley's store at the Accra Mall. You know the store that sells African stuff right next to the Silver Bird Bookstore. Yep. That one. They cost like 15 cedis/string! I dunno what expired weed I was smoking that day but I bought 2 too! And they weren't even that nice. Nothing like Sewra's beads. Ugh! I think I only got them because these too, were fastened with clasps. Alas, I got home, tried them on and discovered...that my ass is smaller than I imagined. They dropped to the ground! So those overpriced beads are still sitting in a rafia basket in my bathroom. If any big booty gal wants them, please let me know and I'll gladly pass them along.

Aww, Gifty...you have me drooling over these beads now. I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaant one! Okay, if anyone wants to get me something for Christmas...try these. My waist measurement is 27, and my hip is 39. I just measured. lol.

I don't know anyone making gorgeous waist-beads like these in Accra. I have a friend who makes bead necklaces at reasonable prices. His name is Tony. He's one of the street guys. Maybe I can get him to make me something special. Gifty!!! Your fault:)

3. Where did the idea of wearing beads around your waist come from and what is its meaning?

Yie! History.

Frankly, I don't know.

But I think at least one of our very smart, and knowledgeable blog readers will know. So please come out and educate us. Paa Kwesi? Help?!

The myth is that wearing them consistently over time gives the wearer an hourglass figure. The truth is that some African men looooove it, and if you got dem tins on, all ya gots to do is erm, finger them a little and bat your eyelashes..and erm....agor n'asɔ.

Ms. Cleland Moves To AfroChic

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Hi Good People,

I just checked the blog readers stats yesterday, expecting to see almost no readers since I haven't been updating regularly. Big surprise! Turns out there are still hundreds of you reading every day.

Aww, how nice?! Thanks.

So I'm baaack!

And I have news. Lots of news

I know I used to talk a lot about Publicis. This advertising agency I worked at. Said it was the coolest job in the world. Great great people. Awesome all around? Well, I've err left.

Well, one never leaves the fam, I mean, I went to eat lunch there the other day, and I still call all of my colleagues regularly to check on them, and they're having a going away party this Saturday September 25th!

Can't wait!

So, now, I work at AfroChic Limited.

AfroChic is a hot new shop in Accra that enables you to quickly elevate your style from drab to fab. Meself and my business partner Adwoa Perbi are doing this, and we plan on going all the way so if you're in Accra, come check out our store at 20 Lower Hill, Legon. We recently launched the Harmattan 2010 Collection at a day-long event at Afrikiko in Accra. Check out the AfroChic website and online shop.

So yeah, welcome to my new life!

Life in Ghana...Easy or Hard?

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:51:00 +0000

This blog post is for Sanders who has been reading this blog for a while wanted me to do a post on how easy or not it was to re-assimilate into Ghanaian life after staying abroad for so many years. Sanders wants to know what was easy and what wasn’t and some advice for people like who are thinking about returning.

I'm treating this particular blog post as a conversation. It's got to be two-way. I'll talk about what occurs to me but if you have specific questions, ask in the comments and I'll try to address them, as best as I can.

Here we go.
How easy was it?
For me, re-assimilating into Ghanaian life was easy.
I had a rough first week or two when I moved back into my family’s very modest home in Ashale-Botwe. And suddenly it hit me that this move was permanent. And having returned with no money, I had to ask my mom for money so I could pay for driving lessons. That was hard, and made me question if I’d come too soon. I remember even writing an email to my friend Yaw who was then still in the US and questioning if I’d made the right choice. That was about the only shock I had.

Thankfully I had a job lined up before I moved, so once I started working, things started falling into place. That first job helped a great deal because it came with a brand new car, a sign on bonus and a pretty sweet office. So once I started work, everything was groovy. And I loved my job. So waking up everyday and going to work on something I believed in and wanted to work on, made my days....very happy.
It felt right.
It was exactly where I wanted to be.
And if happiness is doing exactly that which you dreamed to do, then you could say that I was very happy.

The fact that my entire family supported my move back also helped. My uncle and aunts felt I had done the right thing. I could go and spend time with them and hear how it is possible to make it in Ghana. They affirmed my choice and helped me not question.

I did okay financially. From my very first job, I was able to save about 75% of my salary every month.

The one downside was inflation. When I first moved to Ghana in August 2008, the cedi/dollar rate was 1 :1. Six months later, the cedi had depreciated significantly. Assuming I was earning 1000 cedis/ month, in August that 1000 cedis was equivalent to $1000. By March 2009, a 1000 cedis was only worth $700. I felt like was being paid less. Hahaa. Especially when the time came to buy a ticket to visit the husband and I had to pay $1300 for the ticket.

One caveat about having done okay financially though. Remember I never actually worked in the US. So I moved from living as a poor student in the US to living in Ghana. Maybe that helped me maintain my frugal lifestyle, which has helped me save a lot. Sometimes I wonder how things might have been different if I’d worked in the US and gotten used to making "good" money and spending it too. But I guess we’ll never know.

Have my expectations been met?
Absolutely. I'd say my expectations have been exceeded.

Did things work out as I expected it to? Nope. Not in the least. Things didn't work out. I left my first job after 6 mths, and took another job doing something completely different. But you know what? It's been wonderful! I love my life, and am glad that I decided to move home. I've made some great friends at my second work place.I've had the opportunity to do amazing, fun work, and have been prepared for my next thing.
Is it all as rosy as I make it seem?

Yeah. lol. The problem with this blog post is...I'm the worst person to talk to about life in Ghana. Because you're not going to get a balanced view. You're just not. My experience has not been a balance of ups and downs. It's been up, up, up. I believe half of it is just...this is my place. I like being here. I like my job. And most of the time, i'm stoked.

Maybe I've just been lucky.

One thing I found quite easy about settling in is meeting people. Accra is not that big. Everyone seems to be connected. So my network has just expanded through the roof. You have to be sociable for this to happen of course. Go for parties. Go to bars. Check out events. Be curious. And open to many different kinds of experiences and types of people. The blog helps too, I think. I've met lots of really cool people through this blog.
There's a flip side of course...that very quickly everyone can know who you are and form an opinion about you. I keep telling people...you have to be careful who you piss off in Accra because everyone seems to be connected to everyone else.

One really hard thing about living in Ghana...if you're in a relationship, don't. Don't move here without your partner. What was I thinking? This long distance thing is hard. Impossibly hard. This isn't even about sex. Just plain old wanting someone to hug you, and laugh with you, go for movies with you. Plain old companionship. Did I say long distance sucks?

Men...Accra men...the fine ones no chaw. hehe. But they exist paa. And every once in a while, even though you're not looking, one eligible super eligible one catches your eye and you do a double take. hehe. It is quite possible that they only pay attention to the unavailable women. You know how once you're in a relationship, all these men seem to want you, but the moment you're single, they somehow disappear? Someone has to study this phenomenon paa.

Things to do...when I first moved back, someone told me, it gets boring quickly. That after a while, you've been everywhere and seen everything. Err...I have so not seen everything. I want to travel, see more of Ghana, see more of Africa. Sleep at La Palm beach hotel and wake up next morning and have breakfast on the beach. For sheeege. Drive up the mountains and spend the night there. Go off for a weekend at Akosombo.Run a marathon. Read all the new books that Ghanaian writers are writing. How can I be bored when I still haven't done any of these things?

Here's my take...you probably can be okay anywhere in the world if you set your mind to it. You have to believe in the place. You have to believe you're gonna be okay there. It helps to love the place and want to be there. It helps to believe that place has opportunities for you. It helps to believe you can make money there. That you can have your dream life there. It helps to like your job. It helps to have family there. And friends. It helps to imagine the life you want, and take concrete steps to build it. It helps to like the color of your apartment. And if you don't, to change it. lol. It helps to choose friends who motivate you and get you excited about being here. This afternoon, one friend visited me at my workplace and he is so so positive about Ghana that it was inspirational just hearing him talk. I said to him..."you're such a believer" and he said to me "how can i not be?, i'm happy here". It really helps to have such people in your life. It helps to buy a car if you're someone who will hate taking tro-tro. My friend does not have a car and neither do i, but as he said to me..."how much happier is the car going to make you, Esi?". It helps to work hard. It helps to have hobbies. It helps to make enough money to go to the movies if that kind of thing rocks your boat. It helps to have friends who will take you along when they're going off to relax in their very nice cottages in the countryside. It helps to have friends who throw cool parties. It helps to be friendly. In the end, I believe, we create the life we want. And then sometimes we get lucky. It helps to have a positive attitude. And If you're religious, it helps to pray. And find a church.

In the end, your life in Ghana will be whatever you'll make of it.

All the best.

I welcome your comments and will answer any specific questions you may have.

8 Reasons Why We Could Never Have a Ghanaian Rock Band

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:37:00 +0000

Rebel Ryter wrote an interesting post giving reasons we can't have a rock band.
Check it out.

Ghanaian Childhood Songs That Take Us Waaay Back.

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:28:00 +0000

Remember when we were kids, there were all these songs that went with play. Especially with girls games. Some of the songs make me laugh now. They make so sense. hehe. Please help me remember them.

1. Drop it

I drop it
I drop it
I drop it
I send a letter to my lover
On the way I drop it.

Please don't lie. Some of you were singing this song like so:

Lɔɔ Peter
Lɔɔ Peter
Lɔɔ Peter Lɔɔ
Peter send a letter to my lover
On the way I lɔɔ pit.

2. Roooobert. Rooobert.
Robert Mensah Goal Keeper Number One
Aka nansa na w'ako abrokyir (3 days before a trip abroad)
Kwasea bi te ho ompe ne ho asem (a stupid but innocent man)
Wafa pentoa, ode awo ne mfe.(stabbed him with a broken bottle)
Ade kyee yea ne yere w'awo (the next day his wife had a kid)
Ne yere ba de sen? (what was he named?)
Kofi Anto
Kofi Anto w'anto ne maame (Kofi Anto did not meet his mom)
Kofi Anto w'aanto ne paapa (Kofi Anto did not meet his dad)

3. Aduuu Aduuu Aduuu (monkey monkey monkey)
Adulee (monkey tail)
Gye ponko leee (is not a horse tail? )

haha!

4. I met my boyfriend at the candy shop (The prudes that we were...boyfriend was soon changed to bestfriend)
He bought me icecream and he bought me cake
Mama mama
I'm so sick
Call the doctor
quick quick quick
Doctor doctor
Shall i die?
No, my darling, you won't die.

5. I went to the chinese restaurant
To buy a loaf of bread bread bread
They wrapped it in a brown paper
And this is what they said said said
My naaame is humpty dumpty
sugarling darling
rolling aaaa
chinese japanese chopsticks!

Somewhere in the middle of this song, you don't know the words so that's where you sing it biara biara:)

6. There was this one game. Whilst jumping rope or skipping rope as we called it, we'd have to choose all the things you wanted in life. Like husbands name, how many kids you'd have, what kind of wedding, and what kind of car you'd ride in to your wedding. lol. And i particularly remember the options for that one.

Abongo lorry, toyota , 504, ebini car.

7. London bridge is falling down
falling down falling down
London bridge is falling down
My fair lady

What songs did you sing whilst playing?

Ghanaian Beaches Worth Exploring

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:10:00 +0000

This post is for Peju Adeniran who is in Ghana for the next week and wanted to know which beaches in Ghana are worth exploring.

Try Langma beach. A public beach with a private feel

Situated off the Kasoa Highway and close to kokrobite and Bojo beaches, Langma beach is a spectacular and clean strip of white sand where you can get delicious grilled lobsters and barracudas served with freshly ground local peppers and chilled drinks. But what we really dig about Langma is it’s free. Yup. Free. As in, no gate fee, no hidden charges, free. And...as if that were not enough, it’s never crowded so it feels like a private beach even though it is public. Why hasn’t anyone told you about it? We hate to break it to you but you’re probably hanging with the wrong crowd. So if you’re an exercise freak, or just want more fun than a dip in the ocean, go find some of our friends, local beach boys like Richard and his friends and if you ask politely, they’ll invite you to join their friendly football “matches”. Just one advice - don’t attempt if you’re a sore loser. A last but important point. I've never lost anything at Langma but I've lost money and cameras and pdas at Kokrobite beach just nearby before so just keep an eye on your wallet and other valuables.

Tawala: A romantic spot in an unlikely place
Second on our list is Tawala beach, which in addition to the powerful waves, offers a bar for the adults and a playground for the kids. That’s if you go there in the daytime. At night, the place is the ideal spot for lovers, who can choose to go for a long walk on the dimly lit beach or look at the stars. Yeah, Ghanaians typically don’t do much star-gazing, but it’s okay to be weird so go right along. If you choose to have your dinner there, order Tawala’s special hot banku which is usually served with grilled tilapia and topped with fresh onions and tomatoes. I also hear their chicken is amazing...maybe the best in Accra. And, if you’re feeling really freaky, you can walk to the far side of the beach away from the drinkers, diners, and lovers and take a skinny dip! Just don’t get caught. But hey, if you do, you can feign insanity.Tawala is located behind the La General hospital. Visit MokoCharlie for more images.

Osekan. Live crabs and live band in the heart of the city.
Yeah, crabs. The place is a little-known beach hang-out called Osekan. Nestled smack in the busiest commercial districts of Accra, Osekan is the place to go when all you want is a relaxing evening by the sea. For a small gate fee, you can dance to a live band playing indigenous Ghanaian music. Or just bop your head to the music whilst sipping some cold mini star or club beer. Or even, watch the crabs scampering on the sharp rocks as the powerful waves break repeatedly over them.

For more images of Osekan, visit Mokocharlie

Big Millys. Lanterns and Fresh Fish
My first and only time at Big Milly’s, I went for dinner with my friend Andrew who needs to leave Boston and come back to Accra soon, because I think Harvard was supposed to have been over in May. lol. Hint?! Okay, back to Big Millys.They have these beach huts which they light at night. And the food is served on low rectangular tables that resemble tables you’d have in nursery school. BUT, each table is lit with a lantern! So you get this very romantic mood and the food is all very fresh and well prepared. They also sell some arts and crafts right next to the restaurant so perhaps if you’re only passing through Ghana, you can get some gifts for your peeps on the other side of the world.

Fanta’s Folly. A lovely beach for a tenth of the price.
Of all the beaches on this list, this is my absolute favorite. It came strongly recommended by my Cameroonian colleague so my husband and I went on a little getaway to this awesome little beach place which is off Agona junction in the Western Region and fell in love. Fanta is a beautiful Nigerian woman who will make whatever you want to eat...a fantastic attentive chef. She also speaks French and makes exotic dishes with local fish. You can have shrimps, lobsters, cassava fish or whatever the catch of the day is. Try the crepes and omelettes. The beach is quiet and pristine. The rooms are clean and comfortable. You’ll sleep in mosquito nets, and have no light after 10 pm. But what a charming charming place! We plan to go back soon. We only paid about 30 cedis/night, so you can stay as long as you want. Compared to beach hotels, Fanta’s folly is a steal!

Alright. So that's my list. Accra peeps...are there any more beaches I haven't mentioned? I guess Bojo and Afia Beach also deserve mention, eh? Any more?

To Peju, who inspired this post, please watch out for tomorrow's post which will answer your other questions. Enjoy Ghana! It really is as special as I say it is. Promise!

Shout Out To Ophelia and Famia and Adwoa, and ...!

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:03:00 +0000

Dear Blog lovers,

I am alive and well. I haven't posted in a long while. Life gets in the way. BUT...expect a post this week. Sooner than you think.

In the meantime, I thought I'd send a Shout to Ophelia who saw me at Old Bob's Place on Friday Night and said hello! You know yourself. You were with two guys, one Carl and the other whose name I have forgotten. Thanks for reading this blog. Thanks for being a fan. Thanks for being super-fabulous and making me feel like a million bucks. Wishing you a beautiful week.

Shout out to Famia. I'm rocking one of dem earrings that you gave me. Feeling fabulous...I have a spring in my step today because of you. Thanks for being of those people that is so awesome I couldn't possibly hate. Thanks for reading this blog. And for just being impossibly cool. Most of all, thanks for being my friend.

Actually, shout out to all the wonderful chicks in Accra. Like Fabulous Feminists Kuorkor Dzani, and Nansata Yakubu, and Irene Salia, and even Kosi who is not a feminist...yet. And Therese...we need to catch up soon. Thanks for the waakye and free coffee whilst I was in Philly. And Rosy, and Nana Darkoah, and Esi Foleson, and Lizzie Biney-Amissah and Fiona Wilberforce for being such a positive positive person, and giving me free hugs:)

Shout out to all my friends even if i'm not the best person at staying in touch...Grettle, Boahemaa who i haven't spoken to in 6 years but who got married recently, and AKNK--girl you should have a clothing line...call it AKNK hehe, and Maame Fobi, and Efuwa Quansah...how is Okoree?, and Baaba Andam...are you gonna come visit me someday or do i need to invite you?, and Yram Foli for not giving up on me, and Maxine Totoe, and Manuela Ayee. When do we get to come for PhDing graduation?, and Candy Baffour-Awuah - I think of you sometimes. It sucks not being friends. And to Marian, and Viva, and Nicole...congrats on moving to Gh! You're so brave, and your kids are to die for! Shout out to Rita for courage to live in Ajumako. And Mammie whose kids are really pretty to look at, and Rebel Ryter...u disappeared from gmail chat!, and Charlene Bonsu...date soon?, and Adwoa B-Plange, and Nana Denkye everyone who's gonna get pissed because I forgot to include her name. Please don't hate me:)

Special Shout to Awo Duse, and Nasa. The office is not the same without you. Pls come back soon.

Shout out to Adwoa Perbi. Been a wonderful weekend for AfroChic. Hurry back so we can change the world.

Shout out to Alima of Lola Bello Clothing and Nelly of Duaba Serwaah Jewelry. Go You!

Sorry guys, this is for chicks only. Except well...M.anifest. Shout out to you. We should catch up soon. Oh and Mutombo. No calls? Huh? lol.

Have a wonderful week, all!

One of these days, we should have a hot beach party like this girl right here in the photo.

LIVE STRONG!

Esi

Calling all Ghanaians! Only 9 Hours In Accra. What To Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:03:00 +0000

In exactly 2 days. At 9 am Ghana time, a man will arrive in Ghana.

This man knows nothing about Accra. However he says that he's not "a completely ignorant American tourist" and "he'd love to explore and learn more about the city" during the time he has. Here we have a guy who genuinely wants to experience Accra for himself. He's willing to explore, he's willing to learn. The only constraint is that he's only transiting in Accra, on his way to Johannesburg. Which means he's only in Accra for 9 hours - From 9 am to 6 pm.

So, question is...

* How can he get around in Accra?
* What are the places of interest
* What/Who/Where should he avoid
* What must he see at all cost?

* Anything else

Our 9-hour tourist is a friend of a very dear friend of mine. So we have to absolutely positively kick ass. Even if this guy never comes back to Accra, he should still be talking about his experience in Accra for a long long time. Actually...forget that. Let's make him want to come back to Accra. Simple and tetia.

Now I live in Accra and as everyone who lives here knows, Accra is awesome. I know it, you know it, the whole world should know it. Including this guy. But we have only 9 hours. How do we make him "get" the amazing beast that is Accra? How?

We don't have a lot of time here. Plane lands on Monday morning...he leaves in the evening. 9-6 is ALL we have. Can't be sending him to Kakum! So...I begin, but I'm counting on you to help me here. I need you, people.

* How can he get around in Accra?

People in Accra get around without maps or addresses. I suggest you try to live like us in your time here. So how will you know where to go? Well, I imagine that by the time you get out of the aiport, you will be hungry. Sadly, you would have missed the most authentic breakfast in town. The Hausa koko and koose which you would have been able to get at any street corner. But if you must eat, you can try the next best thing...Try some waakye , a meal of rice, beans, tomato sauce, gari, taalia, wele and some boiled egg. You probably won't remember the names of all the things that go on it, so just ask the woman selling the waakye to give you bibiaaa bi (everything). You can buy it from the waakye spot infront of Aviation, opposite Shangri-la hotel.

How do you get there? Once outside the Kotoka International Airport, take a cab and ask him to take you to the waakye spot opposite Shangri-la. It is less than 10 minute ride. Don't pay more than 10 cedis. I'm guessing you will change some money inside the airport. $200 dollars should be enough for getting around but when in Ghana, you must not just come and see our beautiful city and go away. You must contribute your quota to the economy so plan to buy gifts for your family but you can change more money later in the day.

Now just in case you're not so keen on getting so local so soon...in case you want pancakes and eggs and not waakye, then when you take the cab at the airport, tell the cab driver to take you to Melting Moments at Labone. If he doesn't know where it is, tell him it's on the left turn after Morning star. You can google to find a telephone number for Melting Moments and here are all the places you can go to get free wi-fi

So to answer your question, you get around by taking cabs. Pay them the money they ask. You're gonna get ripped off anyway but taxi rates in Accra aren't terrible. So even with the special rate for you, you'll survive. You don't have enough time to learn to bargain so just embrace it. It is part of the experience.

* What are the places of interest

You should consider Big Milly's or Bojo Beach. They are very close to each other so you could even check them both out. It will take you about an hour to drive there and another hour to drive back so if you want to spend 2 hours there, then that takes 4 hours out of your 9 hours but it is totally worth your afternoon. Do it!!

When you get back from the beach, head to the Accra cultural centre on High Street. There, you will find someone who will decide to give you a tour of the whole place. It's up to you to buy or not, but it is well worth seeing.

Within walking distance of the Accra cultural centre is the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Just walk over and see it because it is dedicated to our first president ever...a great African leader. You should read up on Nkrumah

Once you've gotten the cultural fix, here are a few places to consider:

My favorite place to go on any hot afternoon is a little side shop next to MaxMart at 37 where they sell Smoothies. I always get a cup of freshly blended mango fruit. It costs $2 and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Best mango i've ever had. Anywhere in the world. I promise. Worth every cedi.

My other favorite place to go is Chez Julie on oxford street in Osu. It's next to a Pierre Cardin shop, and about 100 away from the Total fuel station. Now that I think about it, i like going to Chez Julie because of the people there. I've bought some unique crafts and a book or two so you might find something you like but if you really want to buy a t-shirt or an Ghana shirt, then since you're in Osu, you can get it anywhere on the street or take a little trip down the side street adjacent Koala shopping centre, to Global Mamas.

* What/Who/Where should you avoid

Accra is generally safe. There isn't much to fear here. Just don't get married to anyone who claims to love you at first sight. Unless, of course you also love them back:) Don't avoid anything.

* What must you see at all cost?

The people. I will advise you to spend a whole hour just people-watching. Look at what they're doing. How they're walking. Acquire a mental picture of what a Ghanaian looks like. Look at Accra. Look at the roads, the buildings, the billboards. If you're lucky to find someone willing to speak with you, speak with them. But don't be so caught up in looking/seeing things you forget the people. The greatest thing about Accra is us. It's our energy.Our love for life. Just look.

Spend some time also listening to the radio. Radio is HUGE in Accra. If you get the chance, just sit, and listen to the conversations we have, and the things we worry about.

* Anything else

Read this blog. It has over 2000 opinions on all that there is to love about Ghana, Accra and Ghanaians. And all these perspectives are written by Ghanaians and Ghanaian wannabes. Start with the very last post...10 unusual ways to wear a Ghana flag, and work your way down. Enjoy!

Okay people....I've done my part. I'm counting on you to fill in everything I left out.

And to our American tourist...Welcome to Accra. Leave it the same or better than you found it.

10 Unusual Ways To Wear A Ghana Flag ( Plus a bonus idea)

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Confession.

I don't care much for football.

Please don't shake your head and ask what kind of Ghanaian I am. 'Cos I couldn't tell ya. I mean, I remember getting somewhat interested 4 years ago but I haven't watched even a single game of this year's world cup series. To be Ghanaian is a terrible thing to waste, I know. To be so lucky to be born in a country that is football-crazy and to not really care all that much about it - what a waste!

So whilst better sons of our land have set up blogs just to comment on the world cup, I've been here trying to interest myself in it. And guess? I actually found a hook! I found something connected to football that managed to get me excited!

1. Wear it in bed

People from other parts of the world where they obsess with comfort in bed talk about wondrous details like thread count. But the cover cloth is really the only piece of bedding that I can imagine the ordinary Ghanaian really caring about. I mean you will find a streetperson sleeping on the hard floor at night infront of a store, and they won't care so much about bed sheets. But you'd better believe they would get a cover cloth. The mosquitos may have something to do with it, but who really knows? So anyway, if a Ghanaian really wanted luxury sheets, they could rock a silk Ghana flag. And of course if you're Steve Ababio shooting a beautiful ɔbaa kokɔɔ as in the photo below, you might consider wrapping her up in a big silky Ghana flag.

2. Wear it as a shawl

I suppose if you were a president's wife (This photo was taken when Kuffuor was still President), and wanted to display how into Ghana you are, but you absolutely had to do it in that very stiff dignified way, then you would do as Mama Tess has done in this picture.

For those of you who are not president's wives, and have no hope of ever becoming one, I pity you. But do not despair. As long as you have a little bit of Reggae in you, you could still do the shawl thing like Kwesi Selassie here and look all pseudo-"conscious" doing it too.

3. Rock it like Stevie Wonder.

This one is not for everybody, but if you just happen to be a Stevie or a T-pain look-alike, maybe...just maybe you could manage to pull it off. Swagger people...swag is all you need. lol.

4. Tie it as a good old duku

Ghanaian women have it really good. Every Friday, Saturday or Sunday is an opportunity to wear a duku, depending on if they are moslem, seventh day adventists or sunday church going Christians. If they work at the right sort of place, they may even be able to wear it all days of the week. As is typical of privileged people, they don't really value this freedom. But...if you're a Ghanaian man, and you live with duku-envy most days of the year, then you really can't not take the opportunity to finally come out and cross dress when you get such a fine opportunity during football season. Who in their right mind could pass up such a chance?!

Tsoboi! Hei. Tsoboi. Hei. Duku lovers unite ooooo yeeee. Duku lovers unite.

5. Make it into an academic gown

For everyone who did not make it to any of Ghana's great universities, this is your time! And for those who entered, but trailed or got sacked for stealing or you, know, just went abroad one vacation and decided not to return...this is for you. Did you know that you could actually just make your own academic robe out of the Ghana flag?! Talk about no child left behind. lol. Truly...a great way to democratise scholarliness. Enjoy how hot it is in there.

6. Wear it as body art

If, and only if you have a fine face, six pack abs and or buns of steel, then, and only then wear it as body art.

7. Form a trio.

Because a lone white man supporter is never enough. May lightning strike you if you forget to keep the black star on the crotch of the middle man :)

8. Wear One of Dem Chamber-Pot hats

These chamber-pot hats were all the rage 4 years ago, and I think also during the CAF Championship. I have friends with pictures of themselves wearing this hat on facebook but I had to resist the urge to put one of their photos here, especially since I just named it a chamber-pot hat, and don't want to lose any more friends over this blog:) so I got this image from David Ajao's blog.

9. Rock it like a fashionista

Say you're that girl who has to look on point wherever you go, including the stadium. Say just a regular Ghana t-shirt and jeans won't do for you, then do what you do best and suppress the rest of us by wearing one of these MAKSI or ReneeQ fashionista outfits.

10. Pull a Zoom Lion

If you care about the environment and want to do something with trash, supporting the black stars is a fantastic way to be a little like Zoom Lion. Just look at this dude...all decked in cans. I believe he thinks he's wearing a necklace.Move over trashy bags, now it's time for trashy bling!

There.

That's 10 ways you could wear the flag. What d'you think? If you've seen or can think of other ways, to wear it please share in the comments and send me some links to photos:)

Bonus Idea

Imagine a store in Accra that sells every conceivable Ghana football paraphernalia:Jerseys, arm bands, posters of the footballers from back then till now, books, scarves, flags, footballs, tees from 54 kingdoms, and kayobi clothing, shoes, postcards, mugs...Not asking for much. All i'm asking for is a football haven where a football lover could find everything at once! This store would be run by someone who is completely obsessed with Ghana football. Someone who could give you a quick history lesson if you needed one. It just would be a cool thing to have. Maybe it would also make money, but that couldn't be the point of it really.

Homoing stories that would make yo’ mamma weep

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:55:00 +0000

My thighs were aching and begging for mercy. A quick glance at my wrist told me that it was a few minutes to midnight. I was one of the few SS1s left upstairs in D Dorm who was still doing this unnecessary exercise. In Achimota School, we called it ‘adanko’, when you cross your arms, hold your ears and squat up and down, up and down. You only go to bed when you have sweated enough. And since I’m not one who sweats readily, I was among the last to leave. The senior, by the way, had his coffee next to him as he was wrapped in a school cloth reading his Chemistry GAST textbook. What a waste. While my mother probably thought I was asleep, I was doing punishment because some senior decided that the SS1s in Aggrey House should be punished for coming back from prep 5 minutes late.

Yes, if you were fortunate enough to experience Secondary School (and not this Senior High, or whatever it’s called) those were the good old days. True, those who experienced the 6th formers had more tales to tell, but since I saw none of those days, I’ll only tell a few stories that I heard.

I’m probably not the best person to tell homoing tales. Motown isn’t exactly known for its slave drivers parading as senior students (unlike Adisco or Koforidua Sec Tech). I mean, by the time I was in SS3 it was actually cool to be good friends with the SS1s! No chance of meting out similar atrocities on those behind us.

Homoing really can’t be defined, the way I see it. Is it punishment? Harassment? Cruelty? I really don’t know. All I know is, most juniors can’t wait to get into the position where other people will also mention their names with bitterness, for whatever immature reason. After all, it’s all part of school life.

Totally unnecessary, but what would secondary school be without it? For instance, what benefit was there in making the SS1s form a circle and knock the head of the person to his right? And before anyone could finish massaging the pain out of his throbbing head the senior announced that we were turning it around, knocking the head of the person to the left. Disgraceful. For what reason?

Maybe I was a bit naïve, but looking back, I wonder what I was thinking sometimes. One senior in my house sent me to go and collect his notes from another senior in Livingstone House. This guy from Livi put a stone in my hand and asked me to give it to the guy in my house. Foolishly, I was marching along, making the short walk to Aggrey House. I shudder to think what my fate would’ve been if one kind-hearted senior hadn’t asked me why I was carrying a stone and saved me from some more unnecessary work.

But one boy from St. Augustine’s told me that a senior asked him to tell one other senior that he was a fool. Obedient well-trained boy that he was, he sent the message. He ended up kneeling down till 3am the next morning for calling a senior a fool. His days in George’s House were never pleasant till SS1 ended.

In Achimota School, we had a rule not to eat in any buildings (except the D-Hall, of course). My Dorm Monitor once invited me and two of my friends to a meal of gari and corned beef by his bedside. We couldn’t believe our luck. At the end of it, he asked the question, “Why are you eating under school roof?” I could’ve choked. He actually made us weed the stubborn grass in front of the house.

This was the same senior who first made us stand up in the dining hall because he appeared in the dining hall, to our shock, at the tail end of lunch on Wednesday and asked for his plantain and beans. We the SS1s, of course, had eaten it, assuming he wouldn’t come. He never came, anyway. We forfeited our siesta to jog in the dorm, supposedly to jog off the excess weight we had gained from eating his food. And in the evening, he ate our meat. It’s only as I type this that it’s dawned on me that that was his ploy all along.

And it was the very same senior who said I should bring my chopbox from the Chopbox Room and tell him everything in it without opening it. I would lose anything I missed out. So if I had three sardine tins left and I said I had four, then I was a liar and would scrub the gutter. If I had two, then it means I have more than I need, and would pay the difference of one.

I was a kind senior, if I could say so myself. The worst I did was seizing an SS1 boy’s mattress and making him spend the night under my bed. For two nights. And when I released him, he slept on the wood of his bed till I felt appeased. I didn’t do anything like one friend, who made one junior ‘set his back’ and had the outlines of his fingers tattooed on the boy’s back. This is the famous ‘bomadze’. The junior bends low and waits for the senior to slam his palm into his back. It was also nothing like one senior in Gyamfi House, who asked a junior to pick all the dead leaves off the ‘yooyi’ tree because he bathed outside the bathhouse.

Someone please tell me why me and two others decided to play ‘chaskele’ one holiday. Some wicked senior (and I was in SS2 by this point) ruined the fun and said it was against school rules, because we had breached commonsense. Silly. We scrubbed every inch of the bathhouse.

This was nothing compared to what happened when the 6th formers carried out their reign of terror on campuses across Ghana. I even heard one story of a master being tossed out of a window in Suhum Sec Tech. The poor guy had gone into the dorm under the cover of darkness to see juniors undergoing some homoing. As he was writing down the names of the seniors responsible, he was spotted. I heard he limps to this day. True or not, I’ll never know.

One boy in Ghana National College told me that he was asked to kneel down at the ‘atonko’ because he was study mates with a girl a senior was rather unsuccessfully conning.

So that’s my trip down memory lane. Stories I’ve grown to laugh at. I could go on forever. But then, I’m sure you’ve suffered worse things than these. I’m just dying to know, about 10 years after my days in Achimota School, what happened in other schools before and after I went to Motown, especially the girls’ schools and the Cape Coast schools. Let’s hear your own experiences, and send a shout to the most cruel seniors you encountered in the good old SS days.

Thanks to Esi for allowing me to guest blog. Quite an honour, actually. Please read up my posts on my own blog, The Daily Commute: From Bridge to Ridge. I talk about the hilarious side of taking public transport in Accra. Dig in.

OMG! She won! Myne Whitman WON!

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:29:00 +0000

Okay it's 3:19 in the morning, and I shouldn't be reading blogs but I happened to check out Myne's blog. The Same Myne Whitman who comments a lot on this blog. And What did I see? She won! She won! She freaking stole the show at the Nigerian Blog Awards by snagging 4 awards! Yes, i'm going gaga!

Remember how in Primary School some people would win all the prizes during speech and prize giving day? Yep! Reminds me of that. So here are the awards our very own Myne won.

1. Nigerian Blog of the Year.
Someone say hooooot!

2. Best Writing Or Book Blog

3. Best Use of Media Including Social Media

4. Best Group Or Collaborative Blog.

So yeah, spam her blog and send her some love:

Okay, I'm off to bed now. If you read it in the morning, forgive me for being so hyper. I'm just excited and my husband is asleep so well, who could I tell but you?

New Directions And Combina-Chic

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:31:00 +0000

Hi Good people,

Dare I hope that you've missed me? I know I've been MIA. Guess why? I'm in the big bad US of A visiting the husband!I had 10 pieces of chicken wings from Domino's for lunch. Hmm...

But even though I haven't been writing, I've been thinking of writing, what to write about etc. Actually one of our awesome readers, Tell it like it is came up with a brilliant idea to do a post on homoing in secondary school. Since I knew I'd be in the US, and therefore lazy, I invited Kwaku Dankwah of The Daily Commute: From Bridge to Ridge to write it. He happily agreed. But it's been over a week and still no word from Asomasi. So yeah, put some pressure on the dude. Spam his blog. Demand your blog post from him:) I've already sent him a facebook message telling him my readers are demanding their blog post:)

So i'm getting bored with the way the blog runs currently, and frankly, after almost 2 years, we've said much of what we wish to say in the way we've been saying it. So we're gonna change direction a little bit. Going forward, i'll be doing lots of articles which will hopefully tell you something you didn't already know. So we're getting deeper into the "what yo' mamma never told you". Yes, we'll still do the reminiscing and the story-sharing that we currently do, but we'll also be doing a lot of discovery.

By discovery, I mean trying to answer the questions: Who are the emerging authors to read? Where are the fitness clubs to join? What are the most interesting Ghana jobs? Who has them? And how can we get them? What are the best Ghanaian companies to work for? Where are the dopest night clubs? Who are the people to watch? Where are the places to eat? What are the emerging social clubs to join? Is Accra getting old school? What are the new hip towns to live in? causes to support? Blogs to read? Photographers? Magazines? Some of this has been tried in the past by myself and other bloggers but what's going to be different here is that instead of doing single profiles of writers or painters as I've seen people do, I'm going to be talking about "sectors" or "spaces" and then pointing you to the individuals and the work being done in them. So for example instead of saying oh hey, look at this cool dude with brilliant ideas, I would do a post on "10 Emerging Ghanaian Thinkers" and then I'd include him in the list. I can't wait to start but this kind of thing requires a lot more research and talking to people so please bear with me. I got plans for ya:)

So whilst we wait for both Asomasi and my 1st blog post on the things yo' mamma didn't tell you, I just wanted to let you know of an event that's happening this Saturday, June 19th! AfroChic Limited is having a day-long preview of the July Collection - the Combina-Chic collection. It's your chance to have first picks of this collection before it hits the www. See below for the flyer and directions to the event.

PS: What should I bring back from Abrokyire?

Childhood in Ghana...Asoma Asoma Galore!

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:27:00 +0000

Things have been all serious in here for a while, which is good. We think a little, we laugh a little, not so?

Ah, so i've been itching to write a blog post on growing up in Ghana for months! And not just what it's like to be a kid in Ghana but one unavoidable aspect of childhood in these parts.

Yiee!

Asoma Asoma

How to say this in english?

Adults sending you left, and right to run errands.

It wasn't easy.

See the errands that filled my childhood:)

1. Going to the Nikanika

The Nikanika (tr: corn mill) is where we went to...well, mill corn. You know, the place where all the mbɔr (dough) came from before we could buy them in places like Shoprite. Does Shoprite even sell corn dough?And my childhood was filled with many many many trips to these mills. I'd go to mill all sorts of grains. Of course there was the usual corn that had been soaked in water for 3 days - which is used for banku, kooko, and kenkey. Yes, indeed my Bono (someone from the Bono Ahafo region) mother learned how to make Ga kenkey after which we stopped buying from the kenkey seller so you can imagine the corn mill load. Hmm! Besides that, I also would mill something that my family calls Weanimix - (a mixture of roasted corn, beans, and groundnuts). Some people call this Tom Brown. Other times, I'd go to mill hausa koko ( a mixture of millet, akakaduro (tr:ginger), hwentea and dried pepper). Oh charle! Everything including hausa koko was home-made. We did have a house help but she was older than me so, since I was the only kid in the house, which meant more asoma asoma for me. There was even a period when we were grinding dry corn for grits and ekuegbemi. So when it came time to go to the nikanika, the house help would put the kehyire (i don't know the english word for kekyire so please use the translater on the right hand panel of the blog) on my head and then i'd carry the grains in the Holsum bucket. Does anyone remember the Holsum bucket? Yeah, and then I'd walk with the bucket on my head to the Nikanika. If the light was off, or the line was long, then it would be a long boring wait. Who else on this blog did this?! And is it just coincidence that all the Nikanikas in Ashale-Botwe were owned and operated by Ewes or was this the case in other places as well?

2. Burning Rubbish

Only in Ghana is burning rubbish a child's job. Before the days of door-to-door waste collection, we used the land opposite our house as a rubbish dump and I had a weekly ritual of heaping all our rubbish into a pile, pouring some kerosene on it and lighting a big flame. Then I'd stand there and watch it burn, inhaling all the smoke. In writing this blog post, I discussed this point about burning rubbish with a friend and he said mine was nothing and then he told me his horror story. He says his friends had come to visit him and he was sitting on their porch talking, and generally trying to be all cool. Next thing he knows his mother is shouting from inside the house...Kwame! kwaaame! Kaawoho kɔhye toilet papers no (hurry and burn the toilet papers) Can u imagine!!? He said, the whole place became diin (tr: quiet). hehe. I would have died of embarassment. It's in times like these that the earth is supposed to open up and swallow you. lol.

3. Going to Market With a List (including momoni or koobi)

I have written all about my experience buying momoni in madina market here. Seriously, don't parents ever think about us and our "image?" haha. How can they send us to the market to go buy momoni? What if we meet our friends there? How shall we survive the teasing? Thankfully, I was never "caught". hehe.

4. Going to fetch water in buckets when the taps go off

Anyone from Madina, Adenta, Ashale-Botwe here? Water simply did not flow regularly in those parts. So before the days of water tankers, and Polytanks, when the taps went off, you'd be given a bucket and you'd have to go in search of water. I remember once, going as far as 2 miles away to fetch water from some lake so we could use it to flush toilets. Charle...that was not fun.

5. Going to buy alcohol, especially akpeteshie in a coke bottle.

I hated, hated, hated this one. Arrrrgh! I didn't mind being sent to buy sodas or minerals as we say, and actually, I didn't mind being sent to buy beers or guinness. But I hated being twelve years old and having to carry a coke bottle in a black plastic bag, to a woman in a kiosk exactly as in the photo below to buy akpeteshie. I hated it.

6. Going to Deliver a Message

This was before the days of the cell phone, and even before most homes had landlines, so my mother would send me to go deliver messages to her friends. Often I'd get sent with messages that I was not meant to understand, and sometimes I'd forget the message on the way there. When I didn't forget, then the whole deal would go like so: I'd get there, and greet and deliver the message. It usually went like this: Mepaakyɛw good evening. Me maame se, menkankyere wo sɛ ɔkyena ontumi mba asɔre enti me nka nkyɛrɛ wo sɛ adeɛ no, fa ma Mrs. Ahovi ɔmfa mbrɛ no wo edwuma mu. (Good evening, my mother said i should tell you that she won't make it to church tomorrow so you should give the thing to Mrs. Ahovi to bring to her at work) Money was always adeɛ no. lol. Why didn't adults just say the message as it was? Like I didn't know that adeɛ no referred to money. lol. I'm guessing kids of today don't go on such errands anymore because adults can just call whomever they need to call.

Yeah, these are the errands I spent my childhood running. What about you? Where did your mamma like to send you? Which did you not like? What was it like? Any funny errand stories, like our friend Kwame whose mother needed him to burn the toilet papers? lol.

What it feels like to be half-co in Ghana

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I know you were expecting 10 lessons but after writing 7, I've covered everything I wanted to discuss. So how about we hear someone else's voice for a change?

Today's post is about what it feels like to be half-co in Ghana. Debbie Ahenkorah asked me to post something on what it feels like to be a minority in Ghana, So I got a Baha'i friend of mine to write about what it feels like to be Baha'i in Ghana. Now the half-co perspective is here. Enjoy!

What it feels like to be half-co in Ghana

I was born in Korle Bu to a white American mother and a Ghanaian father. I grew up in Accra, and have lived here for most of my life. As a strong football fan when Ghana played USA in the World Cup I supported Black Stars. I carry both passports but for all intents and purposes consider myself Ghanaian.

So Esi wants to write about what it means to be mixed race, biracial, half-cast, half-co in Ghana. What to write? Hmm… Well I’d like to preface this by saying my experiences are in no way reflective of others of biracial parentage in Ghana. In the same way not all Fantis, Ewes, Gas, etc. are not all the same all mixed race people are not all the same. Secondly while race/appearance is definitely important our lives are affected by multiple other factors: education, class, religion, family, football team, and the thousands of other ways humans have devised to differentiate/segregate themselves. So it’s both inaccurate and unfair to point to any isolated component of a human being and deduce what kind effect it has had on them.

Good. Now that that’s out of the way let me start with the word itself, the most common epithet for biracial people in Ghana: half-caste. I, myself, used to use that word all the time until I came to understand that the word caste (as used in the Indian sense) carries connotations of a racial hierarchy. Interestingly enough this is reflected in Ghanaian society as most half-co people are perceived to be wealthier than “regular” Ghanaians.

Growing up was not particularly memorable in terms of race. When you’re younger you pay less attention to these things, I suppose. But I do recall being more aware of these differences the more rural you go in Ghana.

Also, like it or not many Ghanaians often equate light skin to good looks. Think about it. What’s the proportion of mixed race people in Ghana? Much less than 1%, I’m sure. And now how many half-co Ghanaian celebrities can you name? In the time it takes me to finish this paragraph alone JJ Rawlings (yes, he’s a celebrity…hehehe), Van Vicker, Majid Michel, Eddy Blay, and Dede from Things We Do For Love all come to mind. The disproportionate representation of half-co people in the jobs where society pays people for their looks says a lot. But it’s nice to have a stereotype work in your favor sometimes, so I no bore . Which makes me think: the fact that biracial actors like Ramsey Nouah, Majid and Van Vicker all tend to be typecast as playboys in every movie they’ve played says something about Ghanaian society’s perception of half-co guys….hmmm.

Now as it happens I do not have an English name. This is often the source of dismay, laughter or even shock to many Ghanaians. I sometimes get interesting reactions from this one - “no, no I mean your real name” – as if a local name can’t be real. So sometimes I amuse myself and provide a name for them. “Oh yeah, I be errm …Mike.” But on the whole Ghanaians are polite and friendly and people will generally not be in your face about race.

Being able to speak Twi also catches people off guard as most biracial people tend not to speak a local language. This comes in handy: I can listen into society’s nuances like a fly on the wall. I once sat in a Ghanaian taxi driver’s cab in the US, and listened to him berate his girlfriend/wife in Twi “wo saa girl wei kraa adenti na wo ha adwen saa? Wonnim s3 me w) adwuma mu?” I sat there with a straight face and listened to the entire conversation, staring out the window. We got to where I was going and as I got down I paid him and said “me daase”, watching his face gyimi as he fumbled for change.

People often ask me which I think I am: black or white. I rarely provide the answer anyone wants to hear. I think the world is not built in absolutes. As for a sense of belonging I have no idea. I have relatives who look like Lauryn Hill and relatives who look like Ron Jeremy and I get along with both. In fact I often find members on “opposite” sides of my family have more similarities than differences. So although race certainly does matter I treat it like it shouldn’t. Humanity is progressing and people are gradually shedding old prejudices (after race, homophobia will be next). Hopefully one day we’ll live in a world where race is as important as, say, blood type.

Shout outs to Barack Obama, Bob Marley, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Halle Berry, Lenny Kravitz, Tiger Woods, JJ Rawlings, Rio Ferdinand, Aaron Lennon, Wanlov, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Norah Jones, Nicole Ritchie, Kim Grant, Rio Ferdinand, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Hannah Tetteh and Goosie Tandoh (was he mixed or just fair?).

1 -Remember her? Mehnn, what happened to that girl, she was really hot.

10 Life Lessons From Ghana - Lesson 7

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Lesson 7 is

Do Things You'll be Proud of

I give Rachel Maddow full credit for the words: Do Things You'll be Proud of because whilst I've been trying to live by these words for the last couple of years, I was never able to express it so expertly.

In the last 2 years or so, I've realised I have a disease. This disease is an extreme need for relevance in my life. You could call it the "so what" syndrome. Before, during, and even after I do anything big, I ask "so what?" or "then what?". And if I can't justify it to myself in a way that makes sense to me, I don't do it. This disease alone wouldn't be so bad...except I have a 2nd disease called Idealism. And if you put these 2 diseases together, you'll understand what sort of things leave me conflicted. Being idealistic is not always considered a good thing. Actually, the world likes people who get real. So sometimes being Idealistic gets me in trouble. But I can't help being who I am. Or rather, I could help it if I wanted to but I don't want to help it. Secretly I think I'm right, and it's the world which needs to wise up and get more idealistic.

What's interesting is that I haven't always had these two diseases. I acquired them in school. I became idealistic in college, and the need for relevance happened in graduate school. That's expected, you know. It's expected that you'll want to save the world when you're in college. It's expected that you'll be naive enough to think you can. What's not expected is that you'll remain like this when you enter the "real world". In the real world, you are expected to get real. Sadly, most of us do.

When we leave college, we also leave behind our childish notions of wanting to change the big bad corporate world. We leave behind dreams that we will one day set good examples. Life gets in the way. You find yourself at a point where you need a job and you take whichever you get. We no longer question why we make 10 times more than another person in our workplace who brings equal value but does not have an American passport and was not recruited from abroad and so is not considered an expat. The activists in us die. We cease questioning "the bad guys" especially when things begin working in our favor. People without advocates continue to be without voice because those of us who can speak have chosen to keep quiet. Pretty soon, we become the "bad guys". Life goes on, and nothing changes. That's what's expected. That's what will happen to 90% of the people reading this blog right now. Unless they actively guard it.

You can keep interested in these things by regularly checking what advice people who've actually done noteable things in life give to young people about to start life. Such people are the ones who get invited to give commencement addresses so you could just read a lot of commencement addresses. I do. I suspect that's why I'm still not cured of my diseases.

My diseases influence the kinds of work I would be proud to do. It even influences where I'll put my money. A few months ago, in conversation with a friend, I said that even if I knew I could make money and become fabulously wealthy importing stuff into this country, I wouldn't. So she asked why and I said because it's not interesting. There's nothing to it. She made a case for why it might be interesting.I think she used Melcom as an example, saying this business has been serving the needs of Ghanaians for years, and that Ghanaians cannot (do not?) make everything we use anyway so we'll have to import some things so what's wrong with having a business that addresses this need? Nothing. I couldn't really articulate what exactly it was I felt. I saw the sense in what she was saying. I bought it, but I still wouldn't do it. Why? It's honest business. It addresses needs. It makes money. What's not to love? What I couldn't articulate at the time is that it wasn't something I'd be proud of. I know. There's something wrong with me. I wouldn't be proud of owning Melcom? Nope. Sorry.

I think it's because secretly, I believe we should be manufacturing our own damn electric stoves, and kettles and tvs. But If I can't figure out how to make that happen, I'm not going to be a part of the problem of foreign dependency by getting into the business of importing them:) I told you I had a disease:) And I also secretly think we could produce everything we need if we tried hard enough. Idealistic. Check.

My good friend Thomas who likes to leave long comments on this blog told me the last time he was in Ghana that he thinks this is a weakness. And I said, actually maybe it is. I even gave him an example from my own life. It was about how at some point in my life I'd wanted to clean the streets of Accra but my solution at the time was a complete solution. It involves collecting the waste and then recycling it. The recycling bit seemed to require millions of dollars. As a college sophomore, I didn't know how I would find this money, so I gave up. But I realise that Zoomlion just focussed on doing the first part - collecting rubbish - and are making enough money from it that they probably can afford to recycle at some point in the future if they want to. I said then, that it would seem to make sense that sometimes you can make the money first doing something "less interesting" and then use that money to do the important thing. But personally, I wouldn't. hehe. I couldn't give him any sensible reason why I wouldn't. I chalked it up to idealism or something like that. And we left the topic on that note. I don't think I expressed this, but in my head, I was thinking that very few people actually stick to their plans of doing something else first to find the money to do the "important thing". I didn't want to end up as one of those people who abandoned the "good intentions" after realising how much money I could make doing the "less interesting" thing. I wouldn't be proud of myself.

Because for me, making the money was not what was going to make me proud. What's going to make me proud is that I solved some problem and made money along the way. Now that problem needs to be one I care about. For some people, it doesn't matter. If they can make money doing it, and it's honest business, they'll do it. For me, I ain't doing it unless I'd be proud to solve that problem.

What's the point of all this talk? To tell you to do that which you'll be proud of. If for you, that is importing kettle, by all means do that. I'm not sure if this is a lesson I learned in Ghana. It's sort of a realisation I've come to. Hopefully it helps you think through what you will and won't do. I hope lesson 6 discourages you from doing business that is dishonest. But when it comes to business that is honest, how do you choose?

I hope my "lessons" series will get you thinking about what you want, and how you decide what you will and won't do. Let's have a conversation. I hope to learn from you.

Until then, I'll leave you with a video of the speech that inspired me to write this post. Rachel Maddow's commencement address to the Smith College Class of 2010 on May 16th. You have to watch it! Even if you live in Ghana and your internet connection is slow and it takes 15 minutes to download it. You have to watch it. I promise it's worth the trouble. I found it thoroughly inspiring, so hopefully you will too.

Let's talk after you watch it. I know I haven't been good about responding to all your comments, but I'll try.

Ten Lessons From Ghana - Lesson 6

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Sun, 16 May 2010 00:33:00 +0000

Lesson 6 is

Integrity Counts. Cultivate it.

I wrote about integrity a few months ago. Interested readers can find that post here. I'd just like to look at it from a different angle.

It's not that I went through life not thinking that it was important to be honest or not having any values. What changed for me was realising that 1) you cannot pick and choose when to be honest, and 2) That it could be cultivated.

I'll expand on these.

You cannot pick and choose when to be honest.

This means that you have to do it at all times. In big things, and in little things. In your job, in your business, in your friendships, and relationships. This would seem like a really hard thing to do, especially if you haven't been this way all your life, but that's where the second point comes in handy

Integrity can be cultivated

Put simply, you too can do it. Thankfully, it's not an inherited trait, so if you commit to do things right, you can. The more you practice, the easier it becomes. Also, I've noticed that once you actually start practising, you develop a nose for impropriety.You find it easier not to live in grey areas. If it's not black, it's white. And take responsibility for your choices, and hopefully you take actions to ensure you get it right the next time around.

This is not something you do to impress others. In fact, there will be many times when doing the right thing will make you unpopular. A lot of times, doing the right thing is hard. There will be times when you'll have to point out that something's not proper. And you'll seem too known or maybe even preachy. You'll have to choose. You stay in the mud with the rest of them, or you do what you know is right. Depending on the company you keep, it may seem like you're out on your own. If it seems this way to you, you probably want to find new friends. Don't believe that "everyone is doing it". It's not everyone who is doing whatever funny thing you're trying to justify so if it seems that way to you, you're spending way too much time with negative influences.

I'll end with just one example of how you not doing the right thing hurts all of us.

Let's say you've just started making food to sell. You're still learning so your food kinda sucks. That's normal. When most people start making food, it sucks at first. The thing to do is to take feedback from people who buy your food, and improve on it. The business people call it iteration. This is the time to iterate. To try things, to add more salt, a little less pepper, until you get it right. But nooo. You're too impatient to succeed. So you pay your workplace canteen to give you a contract to supply your sucky food to your workplace during lunch time. You know that you would never have gotten this contract without paying this bribe 'cos well, your food sucks. But because you pay, suddenly you create this artificial demand for your food. Not only are you making bad food, you're making it in large quantities, and you now have no incentive to improve your food because well, you're able to sell it.

It may seem to work for you, because you don't have to bother with iterations.

But for the rest of us, we now have to live with a sucky product because you failed us all by not developing your product (in this case, food) to be the best that it could be. The person who is doing it honestly is also deprived the chance to compete for that contract even when her food is now better than yours because you paid. You beat the system but what a waste! You are stuck with a mediocre product and if you're proud of it, then bravo!

Extend my food example to any other business, and you realise, why the means is as important as the ends. Take the example of the student who cheats his way through school, he graduates but hasn't learned anything. This guy's going to be with you in the same office, and productivity is nil. Or the example of the person who sleeps with the Boss to get a promotion. Same deal. And how can our country hope to develop if its people, especially its young people are constantly cheating their way to the top?

Remember, the main points of this post is that you can be unfailingly honest if you commit to cultivating the habit.

Watch out for lesson 7

10 Life Lessons from Ghana - Lesson 5

noreply@blogger.com (Esi Cleland) — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:15:00 +0000

Lesson 5 is

Don't Start A Business With Anyone Who Lives Abroad

My business partner will tell you, it is hard enough getting someone in Ghana to focus on a business when they're working. You don't want to complicate that further by doing business with someone who is not even here.

You cannot run a business from the other side of the world. It just doesn't work. As obvious as this advice may seem when you read it, it is actually one that did not occur to me a year ago. And getting into business with partners who live abroad is a mistake I see many many returnees making.

See, when you're abroad, you look at Ghana and see all that is not right. Then you come up with brilliant business ideas and plans to solve some of Ghana's problems. Usually, you do the idea generation and business planning with friends and enroll your best buddies who are also abroad into partnering with you. Then one fine day, you find a great job in Ghana and decide to move. And you decide to finally get your business started but your business partners are still abroad. That's scenario 1.

Don't do this.

Why shouldn't you?

Because in all likelihood, it won't work. As I said in my opening sentence, it is difficult to focus on your business when you and your partner have day jobs but when you do it with someone who not only has a job but it on the other side of the world, what contribution could they possibly make beyond the planning stage?

Scenario 2 is you move to Ghana without a business idea, but you get here, identify an opportunity and get all excited. Then you decide to put together a team to execute your business idea but for some reason, you ignore all the talented,willing and ready people in Ghana and instead, decide to recruit your high school or college buddies who still live abroad.What you end up with is a situation much like in scenario 1 where your partners, however smart and hardworking are going to be of very little use to you. That is, if they are able to find time to work on your business idea at all. You know how demanding abroad jobs can be.

Scenario 3 is when both (all) of the founders or people with the vision for the business continue to live abroad and think for some reason that they are capable of the impossible - namely starting and running a business in Ghana from across the world and convince themselves that all they really need is a "business manager". I've seen this happen twice. Both times, fabulous people who are excited about their business idea. But their work and lives abroad get in the way and as long as they remain there, nothing gets done. The question I ask founders when I find them looking for business managers is: If you are so excited and passionate about this idea of yours, why aren't you moving here to do it? The response I get is....Oh I am. I'm planning my move back. And they make it seem like the move is going to happen in a month or two or even six. I haven't yet seen it happen even once. So my advice is : Don't agree to be the business manager unless you have actual reason to believe they're coming home in 6 months or whatever they say. Or well, you desperately need a job :)

Scenario 4 is when both business partners start off living in Ghana. They work well together to get the business started. Then in the very early stages, one of the partners moves abroad for school or work or some other reason and the remaining partner is left to single-handedly run the start-up. Don't agree to be the partner who is left on the ground to single-handedly run a start up. Especially not when you too have a day job and cannot be fully dedicated to building this venture.

Scenario 5 - And this will happen to you a lot when you move back home. Trust me. When you move back home, suddenly you're the one everyone abroad who has a business idea for Ghana will approach. So there are all these people who have business ideas. Call them friends or acquaintances, but until you move home, all they have is an idea. But because you moved, suddenly they'll try to get you to help get their idea off the ground. Initially, you'll feel special. You'll be excited all these people think you worthy to share their very nice ideas with you and thrilled that they're inviting you to be part of their team. So of course you'll say yes...until you realise one day, suddenly you're responsible for getting this idea off the ground. You need to register the business. You need to get a business permit. You need to open a bank account. Well, you're the one in Ghana. Why d'you think you're a business partner? haha

So, what's my advice? Don't start a business with people who are abroad. It is hard enough doing it with people who are in Ghana because day jobs get in the way.

Watch out for lesson 6