Policemen at the Barrier

The Ghana Police have been very busy lately. Newspapers are awash with sensational headlines of gun-battles reminiscent of movies from the 1970s. You know the type of movies I'm talking about: cops behind a makeshift barrier exchanging gun-fire with robbers clad in black with stockings pulled over their heads.

Aside from tackling the robbery problem, the Police have (or is that 'has'..I never know whether they are plural or singular) really been putting the "Service" back into their name with night-time barrier check-points in neighbourhoods across Accra. So why is it that when I reach the police barrier very near home each night I cringe and groan? Why is it that I would rather take a long, convoluted very pot-holed route just to avoid the barrier? Well, an encounter at the barrier I had last night may give you a clue. I present to you a chapter from Policemen at the Barrier:

On a cloudy July night our heroine Abena is making her way home. 'Kiss me through the phone' is playing on Atlantis FM and she feels good as she croaks along. Just before getting to the dirt road in front of her house, Abena pulls her creaky engine to a stop at the new police barrier in her 'hood. She is met by a jolly, jovial friendly Ghana police officer who leans into the open passenger seat window.

Police-man: Good-evening my sister, how are you (he asks in the Twi language)
Abena: I'm doing well (she replies in okay-Twi)
Police-man: Yesterday you promised me something so here we are (again in Twi)
Abena: It was not me!!! I did not pass this way yesterday (in not-so-good-Twi)
Police-man: It was not you? Okay, so what do YOU have for me today? (he demands in very plain English)

Our Policeman notices our heroine is speaking bad Twi and also appears to have some sort of accent in English.He mentally adds an additional 15% 'Value Added Tax' to whatever he anticipates from the encounter.

Abena: I'm sorry but I don't have anything (she says in reluctant English)
Police-man: Then when? (he quickly retorts back in plain English)
Abena: Maybe tomorrow...

At this point, our heroine mentally calculates an alternative barrier-free route for the next day. She thinks maybe it would be a good idea to load her car with loaves of bread to hand out to police-officers demanding something. Speaking of policemen and bread, Abena's mind suddenly drifts back to a rainy night in late October 2008 when she was awaken by a house-call from 3 members to the Machete-Wielding Thieves Association of Ghana (MWTAG). The next morning after the 3am visit, despite cuts and injuries from a daring jump over her house wall, Abena finds herself ferrying police officers from the Police headquarters to her house just for them to do their job. At some point, Abena is taken aside by the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer in charge:

CID Man in charge: Do you have some breakfast for my men for coming all the way to take finger-prints? (he asks pointedly)
Abena: Oh I see....(naively turning to her cousin) do we have some bread and Lipton tea for our guests?
CID Man in charge: No, no, no, no, if you give them the money, they can decide on the type of breakfast they want..
Abena: I see...(she says disappointed, saddened and still in pain from her injuries)

After ferrying the officers back to the police head-quarters, Abena forks out GHC2.50 per head + GHC5.00 for the CID man in charge . Breakfast totals GHC15.00. She contemplates how she has been robbed twice: the night before by the MWTAG and now in daylight by the Ghana Police Service. She hobbles back to her vehicle on a big toe split open from the night before. Abena drives off into the clear October day disappointed by Ghanaian law enforcement.

THE END

Let me first start by saying I'm really grateful to the police for their new approaches to combatting crime. So my main gripe here is why is it that the police have turned over a new leaf, started new measures but still have the same old attitudes? They still feel the need to have civilians express their gratitude not through formal taxes but through informal levies. Granted police salaries are terrible and the lack of suitable accommodation is extremely worrying but why are the public constantly guilt-tripped into providing gifts to the police just to show our gratitude for them DOING their jobs? Can someone please explain this to me? In the meantime, I'm taking the long way home.

Lead me not into (Kelewele) Temptation

One of my first postings for the blogosphere was a treatise on the effects of high carbohydrate lunches on the productivity of the average Ghanaian worker. *Sigh* since then, I have been facing an up-hill battle trying to find the best lunch options besides wonderful fermented (sleep-inducing) delights.The final solution was to start bringing my own lunch. This seemed to work really well but then I found that lunch moved from 12:30pm to 11:30am so by 3pm, the pangs of hunger started a-calling.

Enter my latest bad habit: the introduction of the "afternoon snack" which consists of all sorts of mouth-watering numbers that defeat the whole purpose of skipping high carb lunches!! One such delight is Kelewele. If you have never had Kelewele than you know not what you miss!

Definition of Kelewele : small cubes of plantain, smothered in salt and spices (ginger, pepper etc) and then fried in hot oil. Best eaten accompanied by groundnuts (peanuts).

Some of the best kelewele in Accra is available at Labone Junction but fortunately (or unfortunately?) I just found a place really close to work to feed my insatiable afternoon cravings. *Yummy*. Well, my ever-expanding waist-line may beg to differ.

SCORE-LINE=

Evil Calorific Bad Foods 1: Abena 0

Delicious Kelewele, have you ever noticed the weird things "fast-food" is wrapped in? The wrapping shown above was an application letter...This clearly did not reach the intended destination..mmm....Or did it?

Leaving in a Ford Everest....

Well, it is not quite a jet plane but I will be gone for a short trip out of Accra for the field. I'm the trusty team-leader and in true procrastinatory fashion, I'm blogging when we should be putting together the final "to do" list. I'm aiming at a work-throughout the weekend schedule but hope to catch up with the last pages of Harmattan Rain which I'm hooked to and still reading. Love it! Yes, all you voracious book readers must be horrified that I'm still "on it". Car is here..have to run!

E-Waste in Africa: Why are we not more outraged?

Greepeace picture from Ghana showing "boys burning electronic cables and other electrical components in order to melt off the plastic and reclaim the copper wiring. This burning in small fires releases toxic chemicals into the environment."

A review article I'm writing for a local research journal is seriously clipping my procrastinatory wings and also affecting my imaginary social life.

*Sigh* I'm sure the article will make for good toilet reading...either you can enjoy it on the toilet or if you run out of toilet paper...

Anyway, a preliminary review of the article came with a comment on whether I had thought about the impact of e-waste on asthma in African countries...
"Ermm no", I haven't....! I said
"E-Who?" is what I thought

I quietly went to my faithful friend (the Google search button) to find out what the @#$#@$@ 'e-waste' was anyway!!

To cut a long story short, 'e-waste' stands for electronic waste and is basically the dumping of old electronic devices in poor countries such as ours. Last year, I saw a BBC report flash before my eyes on the phenomenon in Ghana. It showed children scavenging around heaps of rubbish. Some of the piles were on fire. I was appalled at the time but now I'm just down-right disgusted.

Did you know that 75% of the old electronic shipped to Nigeria (for example) is probably irreparable junk? A small percentage (25%) is used while the rest ends up in land-fills and dumping areas where it is burnt. The same thing happens in Ghana.

Greenpeace International did some work on electronic waste in Ghana and their findings were published in an aptly entitled article: Poisoning the poor- Electronic Waste in Ghana. Now I'm not one to endorse some of the more radical and dramatic methods that Greenpeace uses to make statements but I think that this article raises some interesting issues very pertinent to our health here in the big GH.

Some facts from the Greenpeace article:

• E-waste is exported to Ghana often illegally
• Unprotected workers, many of whom are children, dismantle old computers and TVs with things such as stones in search of metals that can be sold.
• The remaining plastic, cables and casing is either burnt or simply dumped
• The remaining waste contains toxic metals including lead, mercury, cadmium,
• Samples collected by Greenpeace contained toxins known to promote cancer
• Some toxins collected are know to interfere with sexual reproductive development

Just imagine all the toxins we are inhaling or what is getting into our water supply. Anyway, in brief, this article reminded me of the furtive off-loading of still-unknown -substances in the port of Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire in 2006. These substances were linked to deaths and people being taken ill. Is Africa literally one big dumping site for the the industrial world's trash?

Also why is it that we completely take for granted our own health and well-being in Africa?

Okay, now back to the article. It is due today. I'm looking at an 11:53pm completion time. That still qualifies for a "By Monday" deadline....right?

An old obsolete computer currently decorating our office. Once we throw this out, it could probably end up in the same place as its imported counterparts; burning in a land-fill somewhere in Accra. Scary thought.

Friday morning and Jakarta on my mind

Starting the morning off with sad news just seems to hang a dark cloud over the rest of that day. This is exactly what I'm experiencing after I turned on the news this morning to hear about the hotel bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is particularly sad because some of the most warm and wonderful people I know are from Indonesia. In 2006, I was privileged to attend a conference in Jakarta. It was my first visit to Asia so I was extra thrilled. Although we were not in the Ritz-Carlton or Marriott hotels, we were in the very grand Gran Melia. I was like a kid in an enchanted forest....A very well-fed large kid!

View of Jakarta from my hotel room

Jakarta was a fascinating and extremely large populated city. I thought we had serious traffic problems in Accra, well that was until I went to Jakarta! One could stay in bumper to bumper traffic literally for hours. Another reason I loved Jakarta was that you can buy any sort of electronic device on this planet at a reasonable price. At the time, the Indonesian currency was exactly equivalent to our old cedi rate so it was really easy to make conversions and price comparisons.

A thing that struck me on my short visit to Jakarta, was the extremely tight security in hotels. Every time our car entered the hotel compound, metal detectors were used to thoroughly sweep the whole vehicle. We were all searched before entering the hotel building as well.

On a lighter note: I was completely unprepared for the curiosity reserved for African visitors to the city by some of her inhabitants. The Africans among our group drew stares and exclamations of surprise in some malls and public places. In the end I admit, I was a little overwhelmed. In one museum, a group of girl scouts/girl guides were completely surprised when they encountered our group in an artifact room. They insisted on taking a picture of us. We placed a condition; that would only happen if we could take a picture of them!

So my fond memories of Jakarta are eclipsed by sadness as thoughts and prayers are with friends and colleagues there.

Delicious Culinary Delights in Jakarta

Reflections from the Obama Ghana Visit as seen on TV: He came, He saw, He Conquered... all in under 24 hours

An amazing thing happened the night the Obamas were due to arrive in Accra. It stopped raining for the first time in weeks and aside from brief early dawn rain on Saturday morning, we have been bathed in sunshine ever since! I call that Obama Magic. But lets get back to that Friday night. A few hours before Airforce One touched down, Accra was all kerfuffle. Cars were hurriedly making their way home like we had all been tele-ported back to the days of military curfews. I foolishly ignored warnings from family to leave work early and came face-to-face with monster traffic on my route home. Once I finally arrived home, I got excited text messages from my college friend M who works in Liberia (incidentally, like Obama, she has a Kenyan father and an American mother)


M: "Are you guys lining the streets to welcome Obama?"
Me: "No, we are all home. We were told the roads leading to the airport were blocked"

M was disappointed but could understand why the vast majority of Ghanaians were watching Obama beamed into their living rooms like the rest of the world. She still wants a souvenir she saw on CNN: President Obama next to a Kenyan flag and an American flag. Anyone know where I can find one?

Anyway, around 9pm, Airforce One finally touched down and the Obama family emerged full of smiles and warmth instantly charming all of us including our government ministers waiting at the airport. Clearly touched by Obama-Magic, the ministers could hardly contain their excitement; they took pictures and gushed. President Mills and his wife were full of grace and the whole ceremony was extremely brief but beautiful. I hear President Obama even tried his hand at some Ghanaian traditional dance.

The next morning I pondered over the possibilities of heading into town to either loiter somewhere around the Osu cemetery near the Accra International Conference Centre where the much-anticipated "Africa Address" would be held. *Alas* here's the thing:
I could've have loitered around but would completely miss the speech and possibly miss even a glimpse of Obama! In the end I found myself transfixed by the TV instead.

There was the breakfast meeting at the seat of government (Christianborg Castle). The sound of Angelique Kidjos's Akwaaba ("welcome" in the Akan language") was played as quite an apt soundtrack on one station. After a ceremony that involved national anthems and a super-quick inspection of the guard, the camera panned to a jammed packed area where the Who's who of Ghanaian political elite and society had gathered. There were the 2 former presidents, political party leaders, ministers, the Archbishop of the Catholic diocese of Accra and various other religious leaders. After President Obama's meet-and-greet , they sat down for breakfast and alas, transmission ended. I secretly hoped we would see what was on offer for breakfast .

I must have missed the visit of the Obamas to the La General Hospital because the next time I saw President Obama was when he was addressing the august House of Parliament.

What a rousing speech he gave! I will leave the analysis of the content to others .He spoke to all Africans; he addressed the youth, touched on issues of corruption, autocratic regimes and the need for the rule of law and democratic principles to prevail. The whole time I heard an underlying emphasis on "Africans can and should be self-sufficient"

One interesting remark he made was a reference to the young Ghanaian investigative journalist, the intrepidly daring Anas Ameyaw Anas He also mentioned Ms. Patience Quaye, a deputy police superintendent who has able to prevent a case of human trafficking.

After the beautiful CAN DO address, there was yet another meet and greet session with our parliamentarians. This time, we got to witness the effect of Obama-Magic on the opposition minority parliamentarians as they also excitedly shook hands with the Man of the hour. Majority parliamentarians were not left out either. Neither were Ex-president Mr. JA Kufuor or Ex-President Flight Lieutenant (RTD) Mr. Jerry John Rawlings who seems to also have a perchance for photography.
The next time we caught up Obama magic was in the Central Region of Ghana. The chiefs and people of Oguaa (known since colonial times as Cape Coast) were making their way to a meeting ground in golden splendor. A sizable crowd had also gathered in front of the Cape Coast Castle (a former slave fort and the point of no return for millions of Africans who were trafficked to the Americas and Caribbean in bondage).

At this point I realised that if I really wanted to see President Obama in the flesh, I could have camped out in Cape Coast with thousands of others.
The Obama family arrived by chopper for the tour of Castle and appeared to be in the company of Mrs Obama's mother (??)They were shown the castle by a tour guide as well as Honourable Fritz Baffour, a newly elected parliamentarian, former director of Ghana's National Museums and part-time actor. After leaving the Castle, President Obama gave a touching speech on the impact of the visit and then he disappeared! The TV commentator did not seem sure where the President and his family were. There was a rumour that Mrs. Obama was being enstooled as a Queen-mother but this was never confirmed. I saw on CNN this morning that it appears that Anderson Cooper was probably interviewing him in the castle during the time he disappeared from our screens. Anderson Cooper?! I love him! I did not even know he was in Ghana!

President Obama re-emerged and after pausing to tie his shoe-lace and a few waves they headed off to Accra. According to one newspaper President Obama ate kenkey (fermented maize/corn) while he was here. Quite an interesting choice for a Ghanaian dish. Although it is one of my favorites, I was once told by a British class-mate in grad school that he had tasted the most "God-awful rancid dish ever" while in Ghana - Alas it was kenkey! Never spoke to the guy again but I do wonder what Obama's feelings are about kenkey!

After Cape Coast, my eyes left the TV and I finally went off to do other things. The last time I caught President Obama was in a final rousing address outside Airforce One on the tarmac at the airport. The crowd seemed to be made up of mostly Americans. He and Mrs. Obama bid farewell, climbed the stairs of the plane hand in hand, turned around and gave us a lovely unforgettable final wave. *Sigh*

Well, President Obama has come and gone and we return to the humdrum of life in Accra. The Electricity Company of Ghana jolted us back to reality on Sunday by inexplicably shutting off our electricity from 8am to 6pm. Ain't that Africa for you and me.

Today's Daily Graphic: Fame has clearly gotten to our heads!

Obama's Visit: A View from Ghana

As night falls over Accra, President Obama and his family will land at Kotoka International Airport. I'm sure Ghanaians are praying for divine intervention (spear-headed by Pastor TB Joshua) to deal with this rain; it still has not stopped! I still think there is very little information for the general public as to where we are allowed to go. Can we line the streets outside the airport and wait for the Obama entourage to pass. If all the streets are cordoned off and cleared of people, won't Accra look like an inhabited ghost town to our visitors? Where can we get a glimpse of the man besides TV, La Polyclinic or Cape Coast? It is all still a mystery to me. Anyway, one of the best takes I have read on the impending visit is a piece by Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, a former minister in the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and a former BBC journalist. Her article was featured on the BBC over the past weekend and is available on their web page. It is a witty, humorous and sardonic view of the impending Obama visit that encapsulates everything from envy from other African countries, Ghanaian euphoria and also Ghanaian partisan politics. What I found particularly informative were the comments made and the reactions to the piece from across Africa and the world. I hope the BBC will forgive me for blatantly lifting a few of these from their web-page.

DISCLAIMER: BBC, please do not take me to court over this. I live by the Beeb and have done for most of my life. I first started listening to the BBC with my Dad when I was 7 years old ...way back in the day when (the late) Mr. Chris Bickerton hosted Focus on Africa.

Anyway, here are *interesting* views from the BBC web page in reaction to Ms. Ohene's piece:

My Ghanaian friend, I am a Nigerian and don't envy Ghana even if President Obama and his disciples visit your country everyday. President Obama is just another American president looking after American interests. In this case, it is your newly acquired oil shores. Your comments justifies my views about Ghanaians. Let me add that Ghana is the same size as Lagos Nigeria if not smaller. Good luck with your thriving democracy and good governance. I am happy that you are basking on something that is already in Africa.
Simms, Umuahia, Nigeria

Obama's visit to Ghana is NOT in any way Humiliation to Nigeria or any other africa nations.....OBAMA is Not JESUS CHRIST simply a president who chosed and decided to visit Ghana and may decide to Visit Nigeria some day. He can not visit all Africa nations same day same moment, Ghana is down to inferiority complex that makes them to see themselves as Brazil of Africa When Nigeria had beaten the real Brazil in a major football competition.
marcel eze, abidjan

Aw pulezzzz!!! Whether Obama comes or not, Nigeria is still the giant of Africa. It is okay for Obama to encourage Ghana's democracy. In spite of our current woes we still have a profound influence across Africa. Imagine what happens when we work through our problems....the whole world will come to our door steps.
Ono Vu, Abuja-Nigeria

Yikes, a serious case of very sour grapes methinks! Anyway, I would recommend reading Ms. Ohene's article and all the comments lest I present my own slant on this.

Obama day has started out bright. I drove into work this morning with the sun in my heart and rain on my windscreen listening to the BBC. Our very own Ghanaian BBC journalist Komla Dumor was live from Accra with a very poignant piece about the impending visit. He made a heartfelt trip to Cape Coast Castle and the slave dungeons which has had me reflecting on the impact of the upcoming Cape Coast visit for Michelle Obama in particular. Mr. Dumor also touched on some stark realities surrounding the new Obama administration vis-a-vis Africa. There have been some unfulfilled campaign promises and real questions about more trade and less aid. My fellow blogger Pen Powder's posting this morning also encapsulates the real questions about economic partnerships to improve Africa after stripping away all the Obama-mania and hype.

Not all Ghanaians are gushing with joy about the visit. Just this morning on Kwaku Sakyi-Addo's Joy FM programme some people were asking about whether President Obama will apologise to the Ghanaian people for the (purported) US role in the over-throw of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1966. Interesting question..somewhat logical but completely ludicrous at the same time! Anyway, have to get to work so I can go and bask in the Obama-Ghana glory later!

President Obama is Coming to Town: Fears and Anticipation

Ghana is clearly the place to be. We are soo popular that we got a couple of honourable mentions at the memorial service for the late Michael Jackson. Also, in just 2 days time a certain President of the world and his family will be landing at Kotoka International Airport for their first official visit to so-called Black Africa. A friend of mine (a half-Tanzanian/half-Kenyan guy) says Kenyans are still perplexed that President Obama chose Ghana over the land of his father. *Sigh*, it was all for good reasons.Our infrastructure may pale compared to Kenya, we lack the vibrant Nairobi feel and the flaming trees of Thika but we do know how to do a mean democratic election ! So how is our fair nation preparing for the historic/historical visit? I actually do not really have a clue. My route to work is through the magical Achimota forest so I avoid town completely.

I did pick up a newspaper or two today and found that 10,000 police officers were being deployed for the occasion. *Yikes* Lets hope all the armed robbers stay in their homes glued to their (stolen) TV sets watching Obama magic light up Ghana with the rest of us. Apparently the Obama family will be put up in the Holiday Inn very close to the airport. *Interesting* There are a couple of things that are worrying me about the Obama visit.


1. Will this @#$@ rain ever let up? We love rain here in Africa. In fact didn't that 1980s band Toto once do a song that went "I Bless the Rains down in Africa"? #$%#$ Toto. The rain is beginning to cause serious havoc. There is flooding everywhere, loss of life, damage to property, damage to roads and of course cars in ditches. This morning I happen to come across a newly imported Range Rover stuck in a ditch as I drove through the aforementionned magical Achimota Forest. Rain, rain please go away, come back when the Obamas have gone away.


2. Where's my fuel at?: We are experiencing some bizarre petrol shortage over in the good 'ol African Beacon of hope. I was tipped off on Monday and so I rushed to fill my tank. Yesterday, others in search of fuel were not so lucky. The queues at the filling-stations are giving Accra a war-torn feel. Is this hoarding or an actual shortage? Will the Obama family catch glimpses of these queues? Will there be enough petrol to transport the Obama entourage around our fair nation?!


3. Partisan-isation of the Obama Visit: According to one (opposition-leaning) newspaper today , ex-President Kufuor has not received any invitation to join in the Obama revelry. My fears have been confirmed. The partisan politics that divide (and entertain) our nation may come to play in this historic/historical visit. Why am I not surprised? The opposition hosted President George Bush just last year and the incumbent government have been basking in the sunshine of this upcoming visit ever since it was announced. After all, there are clear parallels between the way both presidents came to power. Senator Obama, the clear under-dog in the 2008 US elections came to power spreading a message of "Change" while Professor Mills the clear under-dog in the 2008 Ghana elections came to power spreading a message of "Change ". However, credit has to be given to both ex-President Kufuor and ex-President Rawlings since they both facilitated the Ghanaian democratic dream in their various ways.

Fears aside, I can't wait for Air-Force One to land.

Vindication for the Coffee Addict!

Delicious Cuban Coffee: Black and Yummy just the way I like it

My big brother texted me some good news that is bound to leave my mother un-amused: researchers at the University of South Florida have found that 5 cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems associated with Alzheimer's Disease! Anyone who knows me in real-life will know that I have an unhealthy relationship with coffee and most caffeine-enriched products. So you can imagine my delight at the news. For years I have been addicted to coffee and have been lectured on how bad it is for me! Indeed, I have worked in the field of addiction before and I know that dependency on anything can never be a good thing but coffee has always been my Achilles' heel. So today I feel some satisfaction and some vindication. Coffee is actually not all bad! So if you have noticed my lost trains of thought, inexplicable memory losses, erratic behaviour in real life, it is probably not due to the coffee! Okay, I should also point out that the Florida research findings have only been done in mice and human trials are yet to start.

Being the nerd that I am, I decided to take a cursory look through the scientific literature to explore the benefits of my favorite beverage. At the risk of inducing anyone reading this into a boredom-induced coma, I will be brief. Here are some examples of studies I found:

• Habitual coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developping Type 2 diabetes
• High Coffee intake is associated with a protective effect against hypertension, mainly in women

Before my fellow coffee-addicts start doing cart-wheels of joy, I should add that coffee is not good for pregnant women and has been associated with cardiovascular disease. Coffee also may cause you to have shaky hands and stain your teeth. So as my mother just reminded me (of course I called her to gloat!), it is a tricky balance. Anyway, my people, have to run and find a kettle; there is some coffee with my name on it to enjoy!

'Celebrating' 49 years of the Republic of Ghana???

Yesterday marked 49 years since Ghana was declared a Republic. This public holiday is what we call "Republic Day" in Ghana. Was it really Republic Day yesterday? It passed by so subtly, so quietly and it almost went by un-noticed. Why would that be?:

• 49 is a strange odd number...not quite 50 years so it hard to be over-joyed just yet
  
• Public holidays in the middle of the week (Wednesday) are strange things. They make you think the day after (Thursday) is Monday and the day after that (Friday) is Tuesday. You also think that the day before the holiday (Tuesday ) was last week Friday..Completely disorienting

The main Ghanaian newspaper the Daily Graphic chose to celebrate the day with a picture of the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the great Muhammad Ali. The caption said something like: Ghana became a Republic on 1 July 1960 paving the way for visits by important personalities from across the world. Something like that. Since Muhammad Ali only came to Ghana in 1964 I was a little perplexed about his connection with Republic Day. Besides, I'm sure he did not count the fact that Ghana was a republic among his reasons for visiting.....or did he???


Republic Day 2009 started out full of hope for me. During the BBC Network Africa show between 6:30am and 7:00am, I was quite proud when they played the beautiful In Ghana by Rocky Dawuni. I love that song. Afterwards, I hoped the the good people at the BBC would mention that Republic Day was being celebrated in Ghana but alas I was disappointed...

In Ghana by Rocky Dawuni from 1998. I never tire from posting this video on my blog!



The rest of Republic Day was completely mundane. I drove around town later in the morning and found no signs of life or any indications of any 'Republic Day' fiestas. Alas, the only jamborees being celebrated were a football match and 2 years of the radio station Oman 107.1 FM. This particular show was broadcast all night on Net2 television station. Thrills.

Later in the evening, the Republic Day boredom almost killed me and I settled down to watch Weeds Season 2 on DVD. How I got through Weeds Season 1 is still a mystery to me. In case you have never had the pleasure of watching Weeds, it is an American TV series about a middle-class suburban soccer mum who loses her husband and somehow decides to sell marijuana to make ends meet. As I said how I got through Season 1 is still a mystery to me. Weeds Season 2 episode 2 got my attention through. The protagonist ends up at a weird convention where marijuana is being tested and sold. There is sweet reggae music being played in the background by a live reggae artist who is none other than Ghana's own ROCKY DAWUNI! In case there were any doubts, his name was emblazoned across the back of the stage. So my Republic Day celebration came full circle. It started off with that great Ghanaian patriot Rocky Dawuni and when I was just about to give up, Rocky came back to me again...thru Weeds. It was definitely a sign!