A goal of our time in Ghana is to experience the country through senses. Come along with me to explore this multi-sensory experience!
TASTE: …. Fried plantains for the first time… The refreshing orange Fanta, perfect for cooling off… Chicken, LOTS of chicken… The best avocado I’ve ever had… Fresh white pineapple… Grilled Street corn…. Coffee with evaporated milk and two sugar cubes… Daily toast and eggs…. Sips of palm wine, rice, even Pringles…. Other snacks we brought to remind us of home.
I TOUCH…. The cool water of Donkor Nsuo (Slave River). I cup it in my hands and splash it on my arms, washing away imperfections…. Feeling calmed by the flow of the water…. Connecting with my ancestors with feet firmly planted in the dirt and earth as I reflect and imagine a journey that led to so many unpleasant futures and endings. The spiritual connection to that land touches me deeply.
I SEE…. Pure joy in so many forms. Ghanaian children waving at our bus. Ofuriwa’s beautiful and infectious smile… Teachers dancing like no one is watching, even though at home if it would wind up on Tik Tok…. The bright colors and patterns that Cidi and Kwesi wear…. The fabrics we’re all so excited to take home with us…. The friendly faces of all Ghanaians…. The Sankofa symbol that has so much personal meaning to me…. Goats on top of moving vans and roaming chickens everywhere… Rubber treees…Proud citizens…. References to the American leaders I teach about, W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, Malcolm X, Barack Obama…. Tete so excited to share his home and experience so many different things. The vibrant color of fresh mango.
I HEAR…. Honking horns in travel patterns I will never understand. Music coming from the back of the bus - a flute and drum playing off the cusp. “Ghana Nyigba” a song we are practicing to perform. The beautiful palm wine music and guitar playing of Agya Koo Nimo, reminding me of my late grandfather’s guitar. Pounding tropical bursts of heavy rain - it is the Wet Season after all. Joyous sounds of school children on a class outing, Bus conversations sharing our favorite books. Life lessons through proverbs and storytelling.
I SMELL…. The ocean breeze at Cape Coast Castle and Elmina’s St Georges Castle. Burning - trash and other disposable goods. The fresh rain on the vegetation in the rain forest as we wait for our turn to extend our comfort zone on The Canopy Walk. The fumes as we travel between cities. The vanilla in the ice cream and the lemon in the cake from Aunt Mercy’s Shebeen, sweet treats we’ve missed. Imagining the odors from packed slave dungeons and cells, all in a place as one alive prisoner awaits their fate. Food cooking in the villages we pass by. Mosquito repellent.
Do you feel like you’re in Ghana yet?
By Ariana Sanders
Social Studies Teacher
Wyoming High School, Cincinnati OH