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Cousin Scott in Ghana
I am working towards a PhD in African history. I spent the first three months of the year in Ghana, conducting research on political and religious change in the late 19th century. Most of my work has been concentrated in the area of Accra, the capital, because that is where the national archives are; but I've also spent a fair amount of time travelling through the towns on the coast to the west of Accra, which is the area that my work focuses on. -Scott

Hello everyone, I am now in Ghana, safe and sound. Everything is a bit crazy, but less so as time goes on, which I think means that I am beginning to adjust.  

I had a fairly amazing flight out of London in terms of scenic views: we passed really low over the South Downs and Brighton and banked to catch a perfect view of the cliffs of Dover and a sparking English channel; France was lost in the clouds until we broke out over the Alps on our approach into Milan.  Amazing -- the whole range was laid out like a model train set, covered in snow,I could see these broad mountain valleys curving off to the north, everything was in perfect clarity.  What a way to say goodbye to Europe.

I arrived in Accra late on Wednesday night -- our 1 hour stopover in Lagos stretched into a 2 1/2 hour delay, predictably enough. Accra is as noisy, bustling and sprawling as it ever was. In fact, more so than the last time I was here, as it is now the peak of the Harmattan season, when sand from the Sahara blows down and fills the air. The result is a constant haze that limits visibility to about a 1/4 mile. In fact, I could see the dust for the last few hours of my flight, as it partially obscured the setting sun. Ghanaians keep commenting on the heat and the dryness, but actually the weather seems cooler than I remembered it.

A few things have definitely changed about Accra since 2000. More internet cafes, and bigger ones -- the one I am in now has 200+ PCs and is supposedly the largest in sub-saharan Africa -- but not as many commuinication centres, offices for making telephone calls. Mobile phones are everywhere, as are these little portable stands at intersections where you can pay someone to make a call on what looks like a conventional landline phone, but that is actually just attached to a mobile phone.

I am gradually starting to remembering how to find my way around Accra, negotiate with the taxi drivers, etc... I went down into the main market, Makola market, and bought a few things today. A girl and her brother saw me on the tro-tro and took pity on me. (the Accra equivalent of a bus -- ha ha -- tro-tros are basically worn-out vans converted to hold 15 or more people, that run on set routes around the city between major landmarks) They demanded to know what I was looking for, then led me straight through the market until we found it, past hundreds of young men hawking clothes, over open sewers, etc... Then they bargained for the things I wanted, escorted me out of the market, and put me back on a tro-tro to where I had come from.  I felt like a small boy being led around by indulgent parents, even though the two couldn't have been much more than 18. They saved me I don't know how much money, but as far as getting to know the market, the trip wasn't much use.

I treated myself to a hamburger and milkshake Thursday, but since then have been breaking my stomach in to Ghanaian food. I had Groundnut (or peanut) soup last night -- not as good as Katherine's -- and Waakya today, which is basically black-eyed peas, rice and gari (ground cassava). Good stuff when it is done well.

With luck, I'll be down to work in the archives next week. Otherwise, I'm just kicking around until then, getting settled.  FYI: (for your next trip to Accra)there are now dozens of ATMs around Accra, but they all only take Visa, never Mastercard. How odd -- you rarely see the two referred to seperately in the west.

Scott

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