Strange Signboards near Accra-Tema Motorway...Shame on Corporate Ghana!

I love the Accra-Tema motorway--and not just because it's Ghana's historical legacy to its people, having been established since 1964 by the BBC's greatest African of the twentieth century Dr.Kwame Nkrumah.

It's the route I like to take to cross to the the much-blogged-about Accra Mall--every day after work.

I decided to catch these signs for one reason--the bottom line.

These signs advertising BARCLAYS BANK; MTN; and PIERRE CARDIN are so out of place and out of touch it's not funny. The route is calling for a foot bridge so desperately, as an increasing number of Ghanaians--and foreigners--use that very convenient shortcut to cross from Accra Mall to East Legon.

Instead of authorities of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly realising [is that what local metropolitan authorities do?] that there are serious risks and dangers associated with the Accra-Tema motorway, it seems like they want accidents before they do something about it. Even then, I wonder.

I point the finger primarily at the AMA; and secondly to the above-mentioned companies that are seeking nothing more than the bottom line! You don't mind Ghanaians taking risks to cross the road to MTN or whatever, yet you are less inclined to advocate safety first!

Shame on you three!

(Nana Yaw, I appreciate your discerning eye for my paradoxes--I guess this takes the biscuit!)

Ghana's Winter of Discontent...

...is not just about the global recession hitting the economy, but the harmattan evening causing some bodily discontent, read as dry lips, mostly.

In the evening, as one can imagine, the haze as you can see here goes away, to be replaced by very cool air.

All Hail the Ghanaian Kiosk: the home of Ghanaian enterprise!

To the casual observor, the Ghanaian kiosk is the home of the Ghanaian informal worker (traders and hawkers) who is little-educated and wants to make an honest living out of the skills he or she possesses.

To the discerning observor, the kiosk is all these, as well as a conduit for the enterprising--not to mention resourceful--Ghanaian to make some extra money as he/she shuffles between the formal and informal sector.

A case in question is a very personable young lady whom I saw again this afternoon. Thing is, I have met her a couple of times--at a pharmacy in East Legon, dispensing medication. Alongside that, she schools at one of the private tertiary institutions; and...when she's free slips back into the formal sector by looking after her shop.

When I saw her this afternoon, I was more than mightily impressed! I know the Ghanaian lady's enterprising spirit is not to be sneezed at, but this, surely, takes the biscuit: two jobs alongside schooling?

Wow...

Make your weekend a splendid one!

Harmattan Morning--or Ghana's Winter Morning

As if to presage that there is a new dawn in the world, with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the strong winds coming from the Sub-Sahara have manifested themselves in the form of what Ghana typically knows as the harmattan season.

Quite a number of Ghanaians wear sweaters and jackets in this period, because the chill wind is very much like the icy wind that blows against one's face in Europe!

In this picture, which I took around 7.15am this morning, you could see that even the sun was covered by the dust(y winds)! It was actually a haze...

Ghana Snail Mail, Redux!

Not to be confused with this post about Ghana snail mail, this image of a notice in Daily Graphic [pls see below:...

Ghana Post wishes to inform the general public particularly its valued customers that postal administrations of Univeral Postal Union(UPU) member countries have difficulties in the delivery of EMS items to private residences because of incomplete and incorrect addresses on envelopes."]

...is to remind Ghanaians that they should remember that snail mail's usage should be done correctly!

Honestly, I cannot believe that some of my fellow countrymen would need to be reminded that NAME/COUNTRY/P.O.BOX/ are critical in the writing of any letter!

Has the digital exuberance of receiving and sending messages by email lent them a degree of forgetfulness that cannot be reversed?

If you disagree, you might want to send me a letter.

Maybe not!

Bluetooth Advertising in Accra...

Well, at least, in Accra Mall. This surely has to be digital exuberance gone mad!

Bluetooth advertising offered by "The Zone"? More like the Twilight zone!

When the "Poor" meets the "Rich", or a Tale of Ghanaian food

Mutterings of the word "poor" and "rich" naturally create an image of insalubriousness versus opulence. As far as food is concerned, these days, that image is a non-starter. This is why this image is so poignant.

I'm not looking at those bananas so much as what is in front of them. They are plantains--mostly ripe/yellow plantains.

Some of us like to call it "Kofi broke-man". Kofi is a typical Ghanaian name--pretty much like "John Doe", or "John Smith".

As for "broke-man", it's sufficiently self-explanatory--meaning "a man who is broke".

That title is ascribed to someone who doesn't have much money--so they buy this food, because it's cheap. With just one ghana cedi, you can buy some fingers plus granuts, and feel full like you've had a big meal!

Before you go, just quietly contrast this picture against that 4X4/SUV parked to the left of the picture. The guy in the car is quietly waiting to buy some kofi broke-man.

Wanna join the queue?;-D

Ghana Snail Mail Aint Dead Yet

Despite the presence of BusyInternet--both in the heart of Accra and the Accra Mall, suggesting that an astronomical number of Ghanaians are connected to the information society, where they can read...














...not only their mails, but read Ghanaian papers online, the snail mail remains popular.

I think the GHANA POST van could do with a lick of paint, though!

All Hail Ghana's new President...

...Professor John Evans Attah Mills: renowned lawyer and tax expert. I will save you from going to wikipedia by culling mini-bography about him below:

Mills was educated at Achimota Secondary School, where he completed the Advanced Level Certificate in 1963, and the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in law in 1967.

While earning a PhD in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, England, Mills was selected as a Fulbright scholar at Stanford Law School in the United States.[2] Before then, Mills had earned an LLM at SOAS, University of London.

At the age of 27, he was awarded his PhD after successfully completing his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon. He spent close to twenty five years teaching at Legon and other institutions of higher learning, and rose in position from lecturer to senior lecturer to associate professor, serving on numerous boards and committees. During his almost thirty years of teaching and researching, Mills traveled as a visiting lecturer and professor at a number of educational institutions worldwide and presented research papers at symposiums and conferences throughout the world.

Adam, you're right! It does feel good to have a Professor as President. Important thing now is he makes sure he surrounds himself not with sycophants, but dedicated professionals!

Good weekend to all!

A Vignette (in TV Pictures) of How Christmas & Ghana Election 2008 Fared

Let me begin by wishing you ALL a profoundly sincere and joyous New Year. May all your dreams come to pass! As you ponder what you would like to see yourself improve over 2009, allow me to bring you a different kind of Accradailyphoto post--that of television pictures. This is because given the intensity of the Ghanaian elections, it is safe to assume a lot of time was spent by Ghanaians in front of the television!

Before I begin, let me just add that Ghana has just recently added a sixth TV station by the name of Viasat 1, so you will forgive me if most of the screen shots were from one TV station--Metro TV. The family spent most of the time shuttling between TV3 and Metro TV, and I have to say that Metro outshone TV3 in terms of graphics, drama, currency. Good stuff.

The pictures below offer you a glimpse of how Ghanaian TV can be. Enjoy!

On 30 December, Ghanaians sat down to their televisions, with radios in tow for good measure, to listen to Dr.Afari-Gyan of Ghana's Electoral Commission was to declare who the winner out of the 28 December run-off would be.

Or was he?



Just to give you a clue: the inimitable Mary-Ann Acolatse, news editor of Metro TV, (pictured here) would facilitate extensive coverage of why Dr.Afari-Gyan was most likely not going to announce a winner. You will see from the screen capture that only 229 out of 230 constituencies had been announced; one would remain...


...and so, the Electoral Commission (EC) boss would give some kind of stay of execution by announcing on the tv networks that the constituency of Tain--a rural constituency in the Brong Ahafo region needed to vote on 2 January, 2009. It would be that vote that would definitively secure the winner of the December 2008 general elections that has been described by the Western media as a "cliff-hanger".


New Year would come...and go...









...and the winner of the Tain voting on 2 January would be declared through provisional results. The screen capture clearly shows that the party to the left of the screen (incumbent [until this afternoon at 13h00 GMT] -- National Patriotic Party (NPP)) received only 9.02% of the votes, with the now-ruling government [as of 14h00 GMT today!] of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) receiving 90.98% of the votes.

Tomorrow, we get a better glimpse of Ghana's new president Professor John Evans Attah Mills.

A Tale of Two Christmas Wrappings!

Frivolity is no stranger in this season; and so this blog is no exception to the aura! Seeing as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I might be wrong about the frivolity, especially because I am not getting to the point!:-D

The point is that this gift wrapping at GAME at the Accra Mall was offering the wrapping for charity. Now, contrast it with...
...this one at A&C Shopping Mall, where it is about, well, profit! If that's not a case of two wrappings, I really don't know what is!

May the festive season bring you PROFOUND JOY and LOVE among you all, your families and friends from hereonin!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Ghanaian Lizard Has Star Quality!

"Who's the Hottest Lizard in Town? I am!"

In the ever-platitudinous fast-paced society in which Christmas appears but a welcome blot at the end of the year, we sometimes forget to get sufficiently close to nature in the way we would want. So it was a welcome sight for me last week when outside drying clothes, I noticed this lizard up on a wall enjoying what looked like a sun-bathe!

Quickly and discreetly, I rushed inside to get my camera. Here is the result!

This Ghanaian lizard--profoundly innocuous and more likely to run away from a human than approach him/her -- has, I would like to think, quintessence of stardom:-D

The '37' Bats of Accra

Just in case you felt like it was the title of a horror movie made in Ghana, let me quickly dispel any fears--the bats are are a common part of the "37" part of Accra, which, in English means that bats like to hover around the part of Accra known as "37".

I hate to say it, but it's true--this blog has covered this part a number of times, not because I am not very creative, but it's because it's a "happening" part of Accra that many tourists flock to when they first come to Accra. The military hospital--known as "37 military"-- is also located in the environs.

As for the bats, they do not come out at night, but as Abby--a GHANABLOGGING.com blogger rightly says, around 5pm. I do have to say that I captured these ones around 3pm. I guess the bats had a mood swing that day!:-D

Election Febrility to get Hotter

So it was that last week, SHOPRITE would remind the Ghanaian electorate that the shop would be closed on Sunday for elections.

After several heated hours and late nights, the papers have come out. Here's the one I chose--the Ghanaian Times


...to illustrate that there will be a SECOND ROUND of voting on 28th December. The Christmases of Ghanaians looks like it will be subordinated to politicking.

Ouch!

Incidentally, you can now reach this site on: http://accradailyphoto.com

Soul Food: Akosombo Dreaming!

This picture of serenity is not without a context: my "disappearance" from this blog has a lot to do with having very little time to access a computer to upload pictures. Although I hinted at it before I left last week, I was not as explicit in stating that a combination of heightened tensions surrounding Ghana's elections (more because of anxiety for all the ads to be over, and many discussions on Facebook over the outcome!) and a needed desire to wrap things up for the year--coupled with our regular annual retreat from Accra have all contributed to the absence.

Akosombo is no stranger to this blog; last time we were there was in January 2006. The next couple of days, I'll be bringing fresher pictures of Akosombo, located in the Eastern region of Ghana. In the meantime, I appreciate your indulgence of the absence. Am back with a bang before Christmas! Will be doing my lap of honours soon--not without a Friday 5 December break, which will be a celebration of Ghana's Farmer's Day and Monday 8 December that will be a local public holiday!

Thank you!

James Bond Will be in Accra Mall till This Week!

Last Friday, a teeming crowd in the Accra Mall could have meant one thing--that they were there to see the reality of duplex cinema come to Accra--and no less than the Accra Mall...

...so they came in their numbers to witness not just snapshots of the movie, but to get the rather-prohibitive ticket cost of GHC10.00 (roughly $9.00)/person to enter the cinema...


...to watch none other than Daniel Craig playing what is a sequel to Casino Royale -- the much-talked about Quantum of Solace!

I believe it coincided with worldwide release. Clearly, the Accra Mall is not just set to make history for the average Ghanaian(and Western) teenager on Friday nights, but create sufficient traffic to drive commuters slowly...insane!

Have yourselves a good one!

360 Degrees of Blogging Separation

The end of the year always gets like this, when you are trying to wrap things up at work, but have to reconcile it with the usual blogging. When you top it up with an imminent general election that seems to have eclipsed even Christmas festivities, you arrive at a point when you realise you are dealing with an incendiary brain tongue-twister that only YOU can sort out.

Let's just say I have the pictures for Accradailyphoto, and the entries for my other blogs--but I JUST haven't made time to write them out as I have been a little more than preoccupied with helping contribute to a cause close to my heart--including my professional work ofcourse.

I should get a picture up by Friday and maybe some small entries here and there.

I should bounce back with a vengeance next week. Indulge me and forgive me, too!

Thank you for your patronage!360

Soul Food: Evening sets in Accra

In a far departure from my usual postings, I am posting a series of scenic pictures of Accra that I say "feed the soul". I appreciate quite a number of people remain agnostic or atheist in the face of tremendous miracles that surround us. With the upcoming election in just under the three weeks, the miracle of a violence-free election resides in appreciating that at the end of the febrile activity associated with campaigning, there will needs be a new day...

For that, I cannot but be thankful and celebrate this by stepping back from the chaos to see the bigger picture of being an ant in this 6-billion plus universe against the garagantuan elements that surround us...

When Scarce Water is No one's Cup of Tea

Last time I looked, the only thing in common water had with tea was the fact that they were both liquids! So, what really takes the biscuit in this entry is the fact that for the past couple of days, even drinking tea and trying to wash the cup has rarely been any one's cup of tea, on account of needing to fetch water into a bowl, and then clean the cup separately before washing it.

As Ghanaians gear themselves up to watch the second of the Presidential debates organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in the Northern region of the country, potential and floating voters will be (re-)considering which of the major four parties will ensure that water will be running regularly, I'm sure!

Ouch, hope with all this talk of food and liquids, you're not hungry?

How about some tea?;-)

Soul Food: A New Dawn for the World?

Out of the blue, on the afternoon of Tuesday 4 November, around 3.15pm, the Accra skies opened and rain poured down. Curiously, the rain was set against a backdrop of a still-glowing sun. There was no rainbow I could see. But to me...


...it was emblematic and symptomatic of what I could only describe as a new dawn for the world. I was more than convinced when I captured this beautiful risinig sun, around 6.15am, on the morning of Wednesday 5 November, some few hours after hearing that we can officially call Obama the 44th President of the United States!