The Effects of Lunch on the Ghanaian worker

My big brother, the same one who told me in the early 80s that my heart-throb Michael Jackson would never marry me because I was black…years later when Michael transformed himself from a black man to a Japanese woman, I admit that my big bruv may have been right..

Anyway, I digress…this is not about Michael. My big bruv has this theory that there is a direct correlation between our lack of productivity as a nation and the meals we indulge in at lunch….

So class, the equation is:

Ghanaian Worker + Typical Ghanaian lunch = Sleep for the rest of the afternoon

I have direct experience with this phenomenon. After a lovely fermented meal like banku (fermented corn and cassava dough), I have to prop open my eyes with tooth-picks.

In fact most Ghanaian lunches from Waakye (rice and beans), fufu (pounded plantain and cassava) have that effect.

I think my brother may have a point because when I was in the Netherlands earlier this year I noticed a different phenomenon:

Dutch worker + light sandwich lunch = 30 minute lunch + Nonstop work ‘til 6pm!

Eureka, I have solved the reason why we have a productivity problem in Ghana!

To elaborate on the equation:

Ghanaian Worker + Hot weather +Typical Ghanaian lunch = Lack of productivity for Mother Ghana

So if we could replace “Typical Ghanaian lunch” with “light sandwich lunch” we could in fact reverse the phenomenon and claim our well-deserved position as a middle income country!

Ghanaian Worker + Hot weather + light sandwich lunch = Productivity for Mother Ghana

Of course there is still the problem of the hot weather....