17/11/10
I've been in this city for close to a month now so I'm going to try describe it, as best I can.
Accra is a hard working city. With sunrise, Ghanaians are up - making ends meet. The city is covered in roadside stalls, selling products that don't differ much from each other, mostly food stuffs, drinks and souvenirs. It sometimes feels as though Accra itself is simply a large marketplace, although when you are stuck in traffic, that is a world on its own.
Jams last all day long. Taxis, cars and tro-tros going in and out of the city centre vye with eachother for whatever space is available. Drivers here are incredibly focused and skillful and they have to be, or they wouldn't move. Whoever shows the most gusto wins right of way.
A byproduct of Accra's traffic jams are hawkers. A large number of Ghanaians cater to the stopped traffic. From loads usually balanced on their heads, women, young men and children (sometimes very young) sell everything from water, mints and newspapers to dvds, posters and rubix cubes. When I first saw this, I found it entrepreneurial and clever. But after more time, I now find it confronting. Some lines of traffic have dozens upon dozens of people hawking and it is obvious that they don't earn a lot. The conditions they work in are harsh: the heat can be very intense and the traffic creates a lot of pollution.
I've been in this city for close to a month now so I'm going to try describe it, as best I can.
Accra is a hard working city. With sunrise, Ghanaians are up - making ends meet. The city is covered in roadside stalls, selling products that don't differ much from each other, mostly food stuffs, drinks and souvenirs. It sometimes feels as though Accra itself is simply a large marketplace, although when you are stuck in traffic, that is a world on its own.
Jams last all day long. Taxis, cars and tro-tros going in and out of the city centre vye with eachother for whatever space is available. Drivers here are incredibly focused and skillful and they have to be, or they wouldn't move. Whoever shows the most gusto wins right of way.
A byproduct of Accra's traffic jams are hawkers. A large number of Ghanaians cater to the stopped traffic. From loads usually balanced on their heads, women, young men and children (sometimes very young) sell everything from water, mints and newspapers to dvds, posters and rubix cubes. When I first saw this, I found it entrepreneurial and clever. But after more time, I now find it confronting. Some lines of traffic have dozens upon dozens of people hawking and it is obvious that they don't earn a lot. The conditions they work in are harsh: the heat can be very intense and the traffic creates a lot of pollution.
Wherever you go, Ghanaians are typically friendly to the foreigner. A lot of people introduce themselves to you and in a short amount of time, you get to know the locals. Some want your business and others simply want to know who you are. A lot of life takes place on the streets here and just because someone stops you on the way somewhere, that's no reason not to give them a minute. From my encounters, I've met countless nice people and I've only run into a few that I would call negative and no more than in any other city I've visited.
The infrastructure here is poor. It feels incorrect, given the professional manner in which so many Ghanaians operate. Accra is as an African city with a good economy compared to much of West Africa, but piles of rubbish, long open drains and vast spots of abandoned land are common sights.
Animals, such as goats, chickens, cats and dogs wander freely around the streets. You walk alongside them. The goats and chickens I can only presume have owners who are nearby and as for the cats and dogs, I have no idea.
Every now and then, something will shock you. The other day, I was in a taxi stopped at some lights. I looked out and on the side of the road saw a man sitting under a tree, wearing some amazing boots. They were green, bumpy and looked to be leather. They started at his knees and grew very large at his feet. Like something out of a video game. I gave them a second look and as he went to lift them with his hands, I realised that they were actually his legs.
Wherever you are, people in Accra are working tirelessly to earn a living, out of whatever stake the city can afford them. It is a captivating place to live - exhausting one moment, totally enthralling the next.
