The wise Agya Koo Nimo shared valuable wisdom and advice with us through Palm Wine music and proverbs. In addition to reminding us that 92 years old is no joke, he kept coming back to one thing: water is life. For the last week, we have been reminded how dance and music feed our souls. Food also gives us life, as well as the gift of each other. As we have traveled from Cape Coast to Kumasi through Tafo and Koforidua each morning around breakfast time, Dela offers us a menu for dinner. Our Ghanaian colleagues patiently explain and re-explain each offering. Kelewele, Banku tilapia, Fufu, and red-red are amongst the group favorites.
Uncle Tete always encourages us to choose something we haven’t had before. We spend our days eagerly taking in as much of Ghana as we can. The people, culture, history, scenery, and of course, the sustenance.
Our next snack, drink stop, and meal are always on our minds. As we drive, kiosks and stalls are filled with nourishments along the road side. Women carry baskets of drinks, nuts, pastries, and anything else you could possibly want to our bus windows.
Upon arriving everywhere we go, we are offered a seat and refreshment. This has been true since day one, direct from the airport, each of us was welcomed to Tete and Liz’s family home, with water - and often a large beer! Later, we were again welcomed into their house with fresh coconuts and his siblings cooked a meal full of love, explaining what goes with what and how to eat this and that.
When we had our audience with the king, Paramount Chief of Akuapem, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, again, we were offered cold bottles of water. Auntie Mercy’s Shebeen may have been the most scenic spot, with food made with the most joy. So eager to share their new space, designed just for gatherings like ours.
Many of the songs we are learning,
singing and dancing to revolve around food.
Food unites us. We share. We taste. We form and change opinions. It’s not only the fresh juices at the roadside stops and the food off our plates, but we share our stories, our thoughts, our feelings. The fourteen of us are on the journey together; we eat our meals as family.
Merrill Hawkins,
The Park School, Brookline, Massachusetts