life in the city

I have now been in Accra for one week working at the KITE office. The place is very modern, there is air conditioning and wireless internet and everyone is friendly and very welcoming. At the beginning I was a little jealous of the other JF’s because they were getting the real village experience while I could have Italian food for dinner if I wanted. However, there are many people here living in conditions that are…well…”suboptimal” and enough questions to keep me busy until I get a chance to see what life is like in the rural areas.

Inequality is almost a synonym for capital city in a developing country. This is the case for Accra too. Take for example Mary’s apartment where I’ll be living in until I’m set up with a family. The building has running water for at least three days a week, electricity, and gas stoves; while on the other side of the street, there is a woman who sells food out of a wooden box until late a every night and children who play in a river that is most likely carrying sewage and garbage from upstream.

There is definitely no shortage of hardworking people – they are everywhere! Men selling coconuts, little girls selling “pure water”, women carrying huge loads on their heads, “mates” sticking their heads out of the windows of a tro-tro…you name it! When Shyam and I went to the central market on the weekend – I apologize for the lack of pictures – we saw an army of street vendors at each major intersection. I couldn’t help wondering: Why are these people working off the streets? Is it lack of jobs or lack of education? How can they make a living when ten other people around them sell the same things for the same price?

We walked through a market full of women selling fish and other vegetables in stalls that are not very hygienic to say the least. Later we found ourselves surrounded by piles of second hand clothes. I am sure that if you looked close enough you could find any brand sold on the other side of the ocean…

A monument to the first president of Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah

Right! The ocean! Accra is a costal city but from what I can tell it has little to no beach culture. We walked close to the water and although the sea was a beautiful color blue, I couldn’t look away from the not so nice looking houses that cover the beach. I haven’t seen the popular beaches yet but from what I hear the tourist industry is not very large despite the access to the sea and the historical relevance of Accra as a major portal city in the past. Close to the Arts Centre we met a couple of drum makers who showed us some beats in hope that we would take lessons from then later (this is probably how they make a living).

It is clear to me that the city can hardly provide quality services to everyone. I don’t know how much Accra has grown in the past few years but I can see there is a significant amount of people moving from other places as far as Ivory Coast and Togo. My neighbors and other French speakers I have met moved to Accra to work and to study.

The people I have had the chance to interact with seem to be as friendly and welcoming as in Tamale. I guess you see more of a westernized lifestyle here than in the North in the food people eat and the clothes they wear. From what I can tell though, some people seem to find themselves trapped in a different but equally complex circle of poverty than in the villages.

The plan is that I will soon move out of Mary's room to live with a family. I am not sure how much more time I will spend in Accra because I will be visiting other communities starting in a few weeks. My next post should explain things better. I have a phone number where you can reach me 233 247031449 and I would love to hear from you so give me a call!