This past week, I spent seven days in Ghana with young Black leaders from America who had come to reconnect with their ancestors and to confront the origin of much of today’s racial inequity and trauma.
As many people know, Ghana was one of the countries where Africans and Europeans kidnapped fellow Africans and then sold them to colonizers, including the Portuguese, Dutch and English, who then shipped them off to the Americas to sell into slavery. The rest of the American story is well-known.
I wrote a separate piece, “Black Auschwitz,” that dives into that dark history and discusses my visit to the slave castles along Ghana’s coast.
Black Auschwitz
A visit to Ghana’s slave dungeons and platforms
zora.medium.com
But most Americans know little about Ghana.
I wanted to know the good, the bad, the great and the ugly, so I immersed myself in the whole of Ghanian culture, from the slums and busy street markets to the fancy restaurants, cigar bars and beach clubs.
I stopped at a Liberian refugee camp, and I drove past million-dollar homes. I visited the presidential palace, hiked in a beautiful national park, and I saw poor, rural areas of Ghana.
Here is what I learned about Ghana.
The Middle Class
Unlike many other so-called Third World countries, a term I never really liked since it places a value on wealth over other things, Ghana has a thriving and bustling middle class. Because there’s very little industry in Ghana, many Ghanaians are small business owners. From 6 a.m. to well into the late hours of the evening, Ghanaians engage in commerce with each other on nearly every street.
Stalls with goods and services ranging from houseware to fresh homemade food to fruit line the roads, sometimes for miles, and people carrying every type of merchandise imaginable on their heads do business with drivers stopped at traffic lights. It might be a startling sight to Americans, but it is deeply ingrained in Ghanaian culture.
You want a bottle of water. There will be someone at a traffic light to sell it to you. Your spouse asked you to stop to pick up toothpaste, laundry detergent or some bread; you don’t have to drive far to see a stall or person selling what you need.
Ghanaians are some of the hardest-working people I’ve ever seen. And because it is part of who they are, they genuinely seem happy with life. Smiles abound. Conversation is everywhere. People thrive in the street commerce that defines Ghana.
But even beyond market stalls or street vendors, Ghanaians are also lawyers, teachers, drivers, baristas, social workers, farmers, scientists and everything in between, engaged in every imaginable field of endeavor.
Poverty
There’s definitely poverty in Ghana, but it’s not how Americans might envision it.
When I visited the Nima slum in the capital city of Accra, it was dirty, and many people lived in tiny, shack-like, steel-clad houses. Some people even had dirt floors.
But these poor were not just sitting around depressed. They, like the rest of Ghana, were engaged in full-scale commerce, wheeling and dealing from dawn to well past dusk to make ends meet.
They weren’t engaged in crime or complaining. They hadn’t given up. This was life as they knew it. Most people genuinely seemed calm and happy despite their economic status. Dare I say far less depression than one might see in Beverly Hills or the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was habitually greeted with “Hellos” and “How-are-yous?” Smiled at. Welcomed.
I had a similar experience even at a Liberian refugee camp about 90 minutes outside the capital. Poor, for sure, but fully immersed in a day’s work with gusto and pride. With boundless energy and smiles.
In fact, there was one saying posted throughout Ghana, even more so in poor areas:
God Provides
Ghanaians are authentically thankful for everything they have, while we in America never seem to have enough. Admittedly, present company included.
There were definitely some homeless people, but nothing on the scale of places like L.A., San Francisco, Portland and Denver.
Ghana and its poor are good examples of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its raggedy cover.
Classism
A big thing I didn’t like about Ghana was the obvious and disturbing classism I witnessed most everywhere I went.
I had the fortune of being taken to some of Accra’s many finer establishments. Wine bars, cigar bars, fancy restaurants, nightclubs, gelato hangouts.
In each (and yes, I mean each), I saw many wealthier Ghanaians treat waiters and others in the service industry as less than human.
“I asked for my water 12 minutes ago,” one well-dressed Ghanaian snapped at his waiter.
In at least five restaurants, I saw instances where patrons didn’t bother to make eye contact or say a simple “Thank you” when waiters brought their food.
I even saw Ghanaians call over waiters like they might call an animal, with a sound or whistle.
Classism is taken to ridiculous levels.
Once, after we’d been driving a while, I asked my driver if he had any water to drink. “Oh, we aren’t allowed to do that,” he told me. In what world is a worker forbidden to drink water? The answer: in places like Ghana, where it’s still considered improper for “the help” to eat or drink while serving others.
It’s Dirty
The thing that bothered me most about Ghana, after the classism, was how disturbingly dirty it is and how many Ghanaians have zero concern for the environment or how their country looks.
At my visit to the very popular Labadi Beach, where thousands gather to enjoy libations, food and camaraderie, people literally throw their trash on the beach. I actually watched ocean waves return an enormous heap of trash to the sand. Clothes, bottles, sunglasses and seaweed all weaved together in a giant ball, waiting for the waves to take it back to sea. I watched as beachgoers finished their food and threw their plasticware on the sand.
The scene isn’t much different on most streets in Ghana, except for a few wealthier ones I walked through. Trash is on virtually every street and pathway, whether in the city or hours away.
When I met with Ghana’s Director for the Diaspora, the person in charge of reconnecting Black Americans with their ancestral land, I asked him about the trash. “Does the government have any plans to address this?”
“Oh, we have plans and plans and plans. But the people haven’t grown up in a culture about this issue and so implementing the plan is the problem. That’s why we’re hyper-focused on improving education for everyone.”
That explained the countless signs I saw across Ghana advertising vocational schools, college, training and the like.
Artisans
Unlike when I visited Uganda in 2021, the carved elephants, woven baskets, bowls and other items sold in the art market in Ghana aren’t made in China. They’re actually handmade right there. I watched as skilled artisans made every imaginable type of art with tools and their bare hands. The craftsmanship is second to none. Such a beautiful sight. Ghanaians are a proud people.
Ghanaians are Fiercely Kind
The everyday people I met in Ghana were universally kind and grateful. At every turn, I was welcomed. At every meet and greet, smiles were the norm. People said “Hello” just walking down the street. It was a stark reminder to me that no matter what life challenges we may be facing, being kind to others is the centerpiece of a good life.
It was clear that loving kindness bestowed by Ghanaians impacted their entire outlook on life.
Ghanaians Love Everything America
Despite the dark slavery history and racism of America, past and present, Ghanaians I met were without exception extremely pro-American. Everyone I met wanted to come to America.
“It’s my dream,” one new friend told me.
Everywhere I went, people were excited when they found out I was American.
One of the first Ghanaians I met asked if liked country music, and I quickly responded with a confused look. “Excuse me?”
It turns out that from market-stall owners to drivers to people in stores and restaurants, Ghanaians in large numbers love American country music. One 25-year-old man I met showed me his playlist, which spanned from Shania Twain to Kenny Rogers to Lee Brice.
But that wasn’t the biggest shocker. At least a half dozen Ghanaians I met, without my even raising the issue, volunteered how much they liked Donald Trump after they learned I’m American. They liked Biden, too, but they really liked Trump. “He’s a Christian,” one person told me.
I was there to learn and not for political debate, so I just responded with, “I don’t know about that,” each time I heard something similar.
After a week of this, it dawned on me. The more something is portrayed as American, the more Ghanaians seemed to like it. And since country music, Coca-Cola and American flag waving Donald Trump are portrayed in some circles as American as Apple Pie, Ghanaians love them.
It’s Safe
No matter where I went, at no time did I feel in even remote danger. Except maybe in cars. The driving there is treacherous.
I walked the famous Makola Market in Accra alone for five hours. Not an iota of a threat. I went through the slums of Nima. Not so much as a sideways glance.
Hours and hours spent among all types of Ghanaians, and never even a hint of any significant crime. Ghanaian stall and business owners just tie their wares down with a tarp each night and nobody steals their goods. It’s by far one of the safest places I’ve ever been. Definitely far safer than most cities in America.
It turns out, the murder rate in Ghana is far less than most American cities, and the overall crime index is considered moderate compared to the rest of the world. Ghana’s crime index is 44.
To give perspective, the crime rate in Venezuela is 84; El Salvador is 67; 72 in Trinidad; i58 in Fiji; France is 52; the Maldives, 48; and 48 in the United States.
Religion in Ghana
Most Ghanaians are devout Christians. All types, too. Anglican. Methodist. Catholic. Lutheran. Pentecost. Seventh Day Adventist. Jehovah’s Witness. And another dozen types I never heard of.
Most Ghanaians head to church every Sunday. Most follow their pastors as if they’re actual prophets. There are signs on every block advertising some Christian service, sermon or other Christian activity, from the cities to the rural areas. Preachers on the streets use microphones.
Ghana’s popular president has even earmarked millions for a state-of-the-art national cathedral in Accra. All while the country is saddled with significant debt and unemployment.
About 18% of Ghanaians are Muslims living largely in the northern region, although the Nima slum in Accra is mostly Muslim. It’s located just downhill from one of the largest mosques in Africa, built by Turkey.
The beauty of the mosque towering above the steel-roofed houses stood out to me. Almost as a symbol of a country with so many contrasts.
The Hidden Luxury of Ghana
Away from the trash, the capital of Ghana is home to a behind-the-scenes nightlife bustling with activity and fun.
Amazing restaurants feature fare from seafood to continental to Sushi to steak to local Ghanaian food, all set in beautifully decorated venues. Cigar bars with leather chairs. Crowded wine and tequila bars with a DJ and dancing. Nightclubs where the dance floor is packed sometimes until 7 a.m. Beach clubs with DJs and fancy cabanas serving rib eyes and rack of lamb.
There’s no lack of good food and nightlife.
…
To my Black American friends. I highly suggest a visit to Ghana. To visit the dungeons where Africans were held and then shipped off into slavery to America.
To immerse in the place of your ancestors. To meet your actual brothers and sisters. They are waiting with excitement to meet you. My Black friends on the trip were adopted by a tribe who greeted them at the airport and even held a parade and naming ceremony for the participants.
And to my white friends. It’s high time we visit the slave castles and walk on the same stones where millions of Africans bled. To touch the unaltered dungeon walls where African ancestors of our Black American friends and colleagues cried in pain.
To heal this nation, we have a higher responsibility to understand a tragedy that has shaped so much of America.
And to everyone, Ghana is just a wonderful place to be.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Ifeoluwa A. on Unsplash
