By far this weekend was one of the most culturally enriching experiences I have had thus far in Ghana. On Friday afternoon half of the group boarded a bus to head to the Cape Coast Festival…here is a short description of it.
Fetu Afahye is a festival of the people of Oguaa traditional area which comprises Cape Coast and its neighboring villages such as Efutu which used to be the capital of the original state while Cape Coast (Oguaa) was a fishing village. Through trade with the Europeans, Cape Coast became the capital of Oguaa state, later the seat of government of the Gold Coast and now the regional capital of the Central Region of Ghana. The Festival starts the beginning of a new year. It is a six week celebration with multifaceted components; that is religious, economic, and political, gender, drama, art, music and dance among others. We were lucky enough to witness the climax of these festivities
Since I had class I didn’t get to go with the Thursday group and thus I ended up missing the night vigil as well as the slaughtering of the bull (which I was not too keen on witnessing anyways). When we arrived there was a little hotel fiasco that resulted in the group being split up into three different hotels. Ariel and I managed to be placed in what seemed like the presidential suite in the Cape Coast Hotel. We had a bed larger than any bed I have seen in the United States, a living room with a mini refrigerator, and YES we had a hot water heater..the first hot shower I have had in over a month.
That night we walked to an overpriced eatery.My friend and I purchased a margarita pizza, a chicken sandwich, and popcorn which resulted in the most intense stomach ache of my life. Not wanting to miss any of the festivities, I hopped on the bus which dropped us off in the heart of the Cape Coast, right along the water and next to the slave castle. We walked to a bar which was blasting music which was literally twenty feet from the white walls and canons of the Cape Coast slave castle. We left within twenty minutes and went up to the town square. Setup in the open space was a raised stage with a dance competition occurring. It seemed like the whole population of the town was crowded in this space gazing at the stage and chanting in support of their favorite performer. Ghanaian dancers seem to defy gravity with their athletic dance moves. A Ghanaian observer told me that the competition would continue until sunrise. We ended up leaving the town square and heading to Oasis Resort- a location located on the beach with a tiki bar and dance floor. This place seemed to be an international haven but I was not feeling too well and it was freezing outside so I had my mind set on heading home. Typical though, I missed the 12AM shuttle and discovered I had to wait till 2AM for the next one. When I did make it home I got to get in the hot shower and all was well!
At 6AM the next morning we headed onto the bus in preparation for the procession of the chiefs. We stopped to get breakfast in town where I made friends with two three-year old boys who were fascinated by the peek-a-boo game I started with them. When the bus dropped us off in the next location we were approached by Ghanaians dressed in colorful outfits with white faced masks and they carried a broom with blonde hair attached. They would not leave us alone and when we did not offer money they made remarks about how the evil spirits would come after us. It’s funny because these exact costumed characters are the main photo on the back of my travel guide! Our group got a prime spot on the cement wall where we watched the pre-parade festivities unfold for the next two hours. Bands of Ghanaians danced through the streets. At one point women with sacred stools on their heads battled each other, ramming into one another. Our student guides explained that they were possessed as was evident through the sweat pouring off their whole body and the fierce look in their eyes. Men on stilts twenty feet up in the air walked through the crowd in colorful costumes. Then came the procession. Each chief was carried up high in a canoe-looking contraption. He was dressed in bright colored traditional attire and shaded by huge twirling umbrellas. Each chief was accompanied by his local people on the ground who danced and drummed as they walked. Some were followed by the queen mothers who were carried in the same manner. The Cape Coast chief definitely stole the show when he started tossing out little bottles of liquor. I couldn’t help but think about the reaction the American people would have if Obama started throwing alcohol out in a parade. I waved my hands trying to get his attention and when he saw the line of obrunis he looked right at me and gave me the “rock on” sign. How awesome is that?
Just some funny facts about the festival:
1. Many Ghanaians and even some of the men of distinction whipped out their cameras and started taking pictures of us, the foreigners! Video cameras came within several inches of my face multiple times.
2.
One Ghanaian dressed in red and carrying a machete got a little aggressive with us as we brushed past his performance without paying him attention. He shoved me backwards until the Ghanaians nearby yelled out “ehhhhh!” (the sound of foul play) and he let us pass.
3. Since we were sitting in the same position for about 5 hours my scalp cooked so bad I looked like a lobster.
After the procession of the chiefs we walked ahead to the park where the chiefs were to meet and discuss political matters. Ariel and I spent our free time frolicking in the waves at the beach and then went got on the bus to head home and take a nap. Just so you understand the thickness of the crowd…it took us an hour and a half to get through the crowds back to our hotel which was only five minutes away. Our bus frequently had to stop for an impromptu dance performance in the middle of the street. Later we walked down to catch the bus…which ended up coming 2 hours late! Ghana time means nothing ever happens on time…but that is part of the beauty of the culture, things are just slower. We garbled down a meal Auntie Rose (our program leader) and her husband purchased for us at a restaurant by the beach- I ate my first salad in months! After dinner a few of us went to Goyle’s (the bar and pizza place from the night before) where there was a live band blasting music. I told my friends before we hit the dance floor that it was my goal to touch the head singer’s hand. It turned out to not be an issue whatsoever. Making my way to the front of the stage the head singer would grasp my hand and improvise the song with “obruni” and put the microphone up to my face (as if I could sing along when I hardly know any Fanti or Twi!). Our group ended up dancing the night away till 4AM and when we left, the festivities had by no means slowed down. I guess when Auntie Rose had explained that the merrymaking went all night she was not kidding. When we walked back to the hotel one of my friends fell in a five foot hole that was in the middle of the sidewalk but impossible to see in the dark- it has become the joke of the month. Cape Coast definitely turned out to be one of the most epic memories thus far!
Since the Cape Coast Festival:
1.
I have become a master at bucket showers because the water has almost been out for a solid two weeks.
2.
I have successfully transitioned to sachet water…water that comes in plastic bags and is a symbol of my stomachs adjustment to the same water Ghanaians drink!
3.
I continue to eat a loaf of bread a day.
4.
I have now become pretty close with the two Ghanaian girls who live underneath me. They are twins and their names are Jenny and Jennifer. Somehow our relationship has developed around food. The first night I met them they ended up whipping Ariel and I a huge portion of our favorite Ghanaian snacks- fried plantains and fried yams. They always help us make our own dishes a little better by adding spices and vegetables.
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