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!

A Very Special Day for Most Ghanaians...Go Obama?

From today's edition of Daily Graphic...
...to Sunday's Sunday World newspaper, it's all the way for OBAMA!!

Anyone for some Water?

You've first got to try and stop the truck!;-)

Road Indiscipline of the Highest Order!

Scenes like these are not atypical to Ghanaian roads, especially when the roads are as smooth as here.

This, though, does take the biscuit. A big vehicle like this has a centre of gravity disproportionate to the speed. I hope to work to a day when we use more of our cameraphones to snap such road indiscipline...

Wherever you may be, enjoy the weekend--and travel safe!

Welcome to the Central Region: Greenery Galore!

This is the region where greenery gets serious!

The roughly 140km to the Central region from Accra is replete with many scenes of greenery like these! Shame about the lack of streetlights to make travelling at night less hazardous!

Ghanaian Electioneering...on Wheels

On the way back to Accra from the Central region some two weeks ago, we were "met" by this noisy bunch behind our car, carrying what looked like the flag of the incumbent administration of the NPP in power...

As they moved closer, it was clear the boisterous boys in the car waving the flags were ineluctably supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Away they went into the capital. Quick glances of observors revealed some sycophants doing the kangaroo dance that has come to epitomise the motto of the party moving the country forward once they are re-elected on 7 December.

Tonight's presidential debates organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs will go some way to bringing into sharp relief where really the political temperature is at!

Election Season Heats Up...Cape Coast Not Excluded

Let's start with the number plate: whenever you see a Ghana number plate with "CR", it means that the car was registered in the Central Region. Offlate, one sees very few of CR-registered cars in Accra. I wonder why...

Either way, the poster is clear for all to see. Like the much-watched US elections, Ghana's election year is also in 2008, with voting starting on 7 December. Over the weekend, Ghana's Electoral Commission re-launched its website to remind Ghanaian citizens to remain vigilant about voting peacefully and lawfully. The site can be found here: http://www.ec.gov.gh/.

If all that is Greek to you, many apologies for not reminding you that Cape Coast is the capital of the Central Region, and used to be the capital of Ghana before its independence in 1957.

It might interest you to know that, thanks to Ghana's first President Dr.Kwame Nkrumah who built secondary schools at breakneck pace in the 1950s and 1960s, Cape Coast plays host to some of the best schools that spawn some of the brightest graduates in the country. These schools are reputable ones in Ghana and include:

* Wesley Girls' High School
* St. Augustine College
* Mfantsipim
* Adisadel College (ADISCO)
* Aggrey Memorial AME Secondary School (AGGREY)
* Ghana National College (GHANACOLL)
* Holy Child Secondary
* Cape Coast Technical Institute (CAPETECH).

Back on the 20th/27th October

I'll be taking a very necessary break from Accra Daily Posting for the next week. Kindly be patient as I go de-stress and get back with a vengeance!

Many thanks for your patronage!

Till then!

23rd October update: very much under the weather. Will resume on 27th October proper. The picture taken just outside Accra reminds me of why Ghana is such a beautiful, verdant place to travel through!

Ghana Rain !

It's not quite the rainy season yet. In fact, we are supposed to have left it, but something happened yesterday: the skies opened and we all had a downpour.

The weather's cooler for it, and so are we all!

From "Dancing" Diplomats to Texting Military Men, the Humour of a Conference is Complete

Whew! Only yours truly could come up with a title like that. Truth be told, nothing short and original came to mind. The pictures will speak the proverbial words, so enjoy and make up your minds on what they mean to you!

The "dancing diplomats" were caught fortuitously by my cameraphone as MEP Glennys Kinnock passed by them. I honestly don't think just because she's a member of the august European Parliament, they were that enamoured to bow down;-) One can dream, though!

Even military officials like to text, but when they do, they do it with a reverence. Note the hand behind the back as he is texting!

Another (African Carribean Pacific Group of States) Summit Opens in Accra

(culled from http://ekbensahinghana.blogspot.com/search/label/6th%20acp%20summit:


This was how it all started:a quiet room that would not quite be filled to capacity, but would resonate with the francophone and anglophone voices, chiming along with Arab-looking faces, glum, bright, broad-smile, contemplative faces.

That most of the people in the room were in smart suits, and mostly men only went to remind one of the gender equality challenges that exist--note that the theme of the Sixth ACP summit is "Promoting Human Security and Development"--as well as the challenge on keeping one's time. I don't want to believe that if the world were run by Africans, we would all be late! Ghanaman time (gmt) is bad enough; I do not want Africa Man Time!

The Council of Ministers was supposed to start at 9h00. It is some two minutes to 10! Although I have had the opportunity to do some mobile blogging, I would have preferred we start on time so that we finish accordingly. Still, it has given me the opportunity to observe and witness sycophancy and deference at work.

Sycophancy as exemplified by posse of delegates hovering around a plenipotentiary who might know next-to-nothing about the meeting, but have the lucky break of being a career diplomat who has happened to pull strings to become ambassador; and deference as evidenced by men and women dressed in sharp suits giving muted bows to passing plenipotentiaries.

If I have given the impression that I am this side short of cynical about this whole process, you would not be far off the mark! After all, I have heard enough of the anecdotes, and seen enough--both first-hand and otherwise--to convince me that gatherings like these are not just a dull affair, but ones that do little to advance things considerably.

Having said all that, I am paradoxically excited to be in here to observe and witness a bunch of diplomats read speeches and pay lip-service to promoting human security and development when a large number of the


leaders of the 77 ACP countries chose to perpetuate human insecurity a liberalisation of everything that ineluctably produces poor development. If that were not the case, Sudan would be the last country to have been given face here.

And what of Mauritania, a country that the AU has suspended I believe on account of staging a coup?

A quick stroll down reveals two delegates from Mauritania are here.

Enter formalities.


Everyone is seated at 10h18. I see Mr.Bradley looking smart, and, erm, very assistant to the Secretary-general of the ACP-like.

languages are: English, French, Arabic...
(council of minsters giving one minute silence to Mwanawasa, victims of cyclone of oregon, and to Baah-Wiredu)

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Are Ghanaians that Crazy about Drink?

Sometimes, it's the multinationals that drive people to drink, because I cannot for the life of me understand the subliminal messages being given of a huge monument exhorting people to drink right next to a motorway !

enjoy the weekend, and I'm sure you'll make it a safe one!

Soul Food: Fire in the Accra Sky?

Hardly!

Just an evening picture of the sun setting, and coinciding with a tro-tro passing just underneath what looks like the setting sun!

Fish and Chips, Ghanaian-Style

Far be it for me to say point-blank that most Ghanaians eat this classic food this way. Far from it!

Stuck on what to eat for lunch, I decided to make my own by getting the chips from Shoprite, and the fried fish from the local place I buy my sweet potatoes.

Too late to join me, I'm afraid: I'm almost done!;-)

Soul Food: 20,000 Acres of (Accra) Sky

For all mankind's achievements, the self-inflicted sufferings and corruption and tremendous sorrow, I cannot help but think -- and not necessarily because I was brought up so -- that each time I look up at the huge sky above me, Someone bigger is looking back saying it shall be okay -- everywhere.

And not just because it's September 11th.

The Two-Lane Tema Motorway Invites Speed...

...just like any motorway would.

Ghana's National Road Safety Commission only last week launched a call centre, which seeks:

...to check careless driving on our roads.

At the launch of the Call Centre yesterday in Accra, Noble John Appiah, Executive Director of NRSC said, "The Call Centre is another tool from the NRSC to enable road users contribute to and partner the Commission, in the development and implementation of road safety programmes and activities".

Furthermore,

The Call Centre will primarily focus on answering inbound calls across the country on road safety related enquiries, complaints and emergencies. These inbound calls, which are toll- free, will provide the general public with the opportunity to report moving and stationary violations as well as road safety related fraud and corruption.

It will also give people the opportunity to dial 10800 for Kasapa subscribers and 0800-10800 on G[hana] T[elecom] users to report and enquire about road safety issues.

I am wondering whether I should call next time when I see a scene like this, where the taxi I was in when I took this picture was travelling on the outside lane, when a big van like the one in the picture deemed it necessary to travel on the first;-)

It's always dicey chosing when to call; but not calling is what some might call an "evil", no?

No radio in the Ghana taxi?

How about television instead?

Akwaaba to Ghana, Welcome to the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons

Sure, I have passed this place to and from work many a time over last year, and I've only noted it as a really swank-looking place. Never really paid that much attention to it -- till now.

Today, as an earlier entry on my Trials/tribulations of a Freshly-arrived denizen testifies to, had it not been for the CSO Aid Effectiveness Forum, I would not have known that the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons is a reasonable place to hold a conference attracting some 3000 participants, as well as having accommodation and nice rooms for a number of activities to be held.


I am rather impressed, and hope that given it is still looking neat--and well-maintained-- after almost a year (note the plaque that says November 2007), it will continue to enjoy its culture of maintenance. The auditorium is big enough and I guess could easily accommodate some 2000 people.

Not that I counted or anything... Seriously though, arrangements for aid effectiveness forum for civil society--better known as CSO Forum--is going on smoothly now.

Is the frequency clear? CSO Parallel Aid Effectiveness Forum is where I am today--and will be tomorrow.

Have a good start of the week!

Weld away!

Ghanaians are known to be characteristically ingenious in the manner in which they can build things from scratch, even with the rudiments of anything--be it a smashed-up car, or some wood to build coffins shaped like cars or coca-cola bottles.

You'll be hard-pressed not rejoicing over the outcome of their fruits of labour, but like everything, there's a beginning--which probably starts from an image like this caption in today's entry!

Forget McDonald, Here's Mr.Biggs

Probably modelled on McDonalds, you might not believe it if I told you that this Nigerian franchise has been in existence since the 70s, but recently opened in Ghana, totalling four.

Here's what WIKIPEDIA writes about them:

Mr. Bigg's is Nigeria's first chain of fast food restaurants. Owned by conglomerate United African Company of Nigeria PLC, there are currently around 170 locations in Nigeria, including the country's first drive-through restaurant, with another four locations in Ghana[1].

The restaurant is styled after McDonald's, and is known for its red and yellow colour scheme and meat pies. Mr. Bigg's history begins with the coffee shops inside Kingsway Department Stores in the 1960s. In 1973, these shops were rebranded as Kingsway Rendezvous, which became Mr. Bigg's in 1986. The chain saw rapid expansion after becoming one of the first Nigerian companies to sell franchises to investors[2].

Mr. Bigg's specialty is the meat pie. A common lunch might also include scotch eggs, a sugared donut, chicken, and a soft drink. While western fare such as hamburgers are served, Nigerian delicacies such as jollof rice and moin moin are more popular. Birthday cakes are also a popular product, and Mr. Bigg's bakery offers cakes and pastries[3].

Nice to Know Police Presence is Nearby...

...even at the (in)famous Accra Mall!

As the elections approach with incredible celerity in December, we'll be sure to see more of these police patrol cars stationed discreetly round the capital!

No Photoshop Job in East Legon

With the tremendous number of imge-edittors out there, it would have been rather easy to get a picture of a wall, and have this "for sale" sign, of sorts, written on it.

Just that, it's no (Adobe) photoshop job; it's a very real picture of an expression by someone for anyone to buy guinea pigs and ducks from them.

Last time I looked, "banners" like these were done properely. Properely done, it requires a permit from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly that regulates the posting of such signs.

Fancy that! It has a website that is updated regularly!

This is the Kind of Accra Traffic I Abhor!

It's a good job I walk a lot.

Preoccupation becomes me, just in case you're unable to contrast my usually long-winded posts with these off-late very terse ones.

I'll be better next week.

Toodle-pip.

Make the weekend relaxing and constructive if you can!

Incidentally, this is taken from my favourite haunts--Accra Mall

Oh Ghanaian Chicken, Strut your stuff!

After all, we are in the Olympic season!;-)