This is Africa

Sometimes the ignorance of people astounds me.

A few weeks ago I was chatting to a woman who was in Ghana visiting her son, who was volunteering at a hospital. After the usual chit chat, she started telling me about her son’s host family in Labadi (an affluent area of Accra) and seemed horrified that her son didn’t have running water or wi-fi access. I could only sit there in incredulity as she rattled off one complaint after another, mainly about the lack of amenities and the standard of living her son had been forced to endure. I managed to bite my tongue and simply pointed out that perhaps one was expecting too much from life in a developing country. She wasn’t exactly impressed.

Another woman I talked to couldn’t understand why expecting hot running water at an environmentally friendly resort (Green Turtle) was perhaps a little too much to ask for.

During my many visits to Ghana I’ve spent a significant amount of time at Green Turtle Lodge, a beautiful eco-lodge in the Western Region, against the backdrop of what is arguably the most stunning beach in the country. It’s a wonderful place to spend a few days relaxing, and the open air showers (yes, with running water, albeit cold, but who needs a hot shower in 30 degree heat?), delectable food, friendly staff and amazing value for money make it a no brainer.

Sadly some people turn up expecting the Ritz.

One person I know spends most of their time lecturing others on embracing Ghanaian life, yet refuses to travel as the locals do, shuns traditional food and happily tells anyone who will listen how much they know about Ghanaian culture and believes, most of which, is simply untrue. However, I’ve learned it’s better to simply nod along in agreement than make any attempt to challenge. Sometimes it’s better to allow people to bask in their own ignorance.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I have no problem buying food from the street (who can argue with a meal for under £1.50?), eating local fruits, showering from a bucket, using pit toilets (anyone who has been to a music festival will have been in much worse!) and travelling as the local’s do, even though I fear for my life on a weekly basis. Local means of transport is a kind of mini bus (a tro tro), packed with people and the occasional animal, with a goal to reach its destination as quickly as possible. Hawkers line the streets at every stop willing you to buy anything from water and popcorn to shirts, trousers and school books. Given the state of the roads in Ghana, you can imagine the hairy and sometimes terrifying journeys one has to endure on a sometimes daily basis. But at the same time, there’s something fun about getting crammed into a tro tro with friendly Ghanaians and buying food as you trundle to your final destination, praying the tro tro won’t break down before you arrive.

Ghana is a wonderful country with amazingly warm, genuine, friendly people. The beautiful unspoiled beaches, crumbling castles and colonial slave forts combined with a fascinating culture that embraces both modern and traditional has been praised by travellers and the media alike. The country’s microcosmic travel circuit has been described as the perfect African primer.

I have found it humbling to teach children who take delight in receiving a new pencil, and who could happily spend hours playing with a balloon. One quickly realises the Western obsession with money and our inability to slow down and say hello to our neighbours, or the people we pass on the street, is quite simply, a little shameful.

Of course it’s not without its faults. Where is? It doesn’t take long to realise that wearing a watch is a waste of time; everyone will want to be your friend, to the point that it can take longer than necessary to walk anywhere, infrastructure is severely insufficient and it’s always hot and sticky. Of course that’s fine when you can spend all day at the beach, but working in it can be a real bitch.

But I love Ghana. Plain and simple.

Perhaps if people were more willing to look past what they don’t like, they’d see Ghana offers an experience like no other.

Just don’t expect anyone to turn up on time. After all, you’re in Africa. What’s the hurry?