Archive for 2012
Elections Ghana Style
1Monday 17 December 2012 by Renee
Along with all the other excitement that goes with relocating to a new country, we've had double the excitement with the lead up to presidential and parliamentary elections. Ghana went to the polls last week and we've enjoyed the uniquely Ghanaian style of campaigning...
Although Ghana was the first West African country to gain independence in 1957, the path to democracy has been a long and rough one with plenty of authoritarian rule and coup d'etats. Perhaps it's not suprising then that Ghanaians follow politics the way they follow football (ie loudly and passionately!).
The Wednesday before election day, our group got stuck in traffic for 3.5 hours after ending up on the wrong side of a New Patriotic Party (NPP) rally. Sadly I wasn't quick enough to take a picture of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaigners wandering around in suits on stilts in 35 degree heat the day before, but trust me, it happened!
The last elections in 2008 were heralded as a test of democracy in Ghana and while it was more or less peaceful, there were clashes in some villages. But everyone was confident that this year's would remain calm and peace has been the word on everyone's lips and billboards...
Polling day took place last Friday and in the morning we ventured out to our nearest polling booths to suss out what was happening. Although there were some incidents in Accra, things seemed to be running pretty smoothly near us...
We ran into our lovely neighbour/sister who shares my Ghanaian name Akua
(prounced akwee-a...Ghanaians are named after the day of the week they were born, and we are both Wednesdays!) Akua is in the left of the picture...
Akua and her friends gave us a solid run down of happenings and like many other Ghanaians, had settled in nearby for the day to watch polling take place and count the votes at the end. When voting is completed and ballot papers have been sorted, the whole neighbourhood gathers around and counts the ballot papers together!
This year Ghana was using biometric registration machines for the first time and unfortunately some failed, which meant polling had to continue the following day. In the end it was a tight match with NDC beating NPP by around 30-50 000 votes. However, just to keep things interesting, NPP is now challenging the results with claims of fraud at some polling booths, but it sounds like even if their claims are true it will not win them enough votes to change the result.
Although Ghana was the first West African country to gain independence in 1957, the path to democracy has been a long and rough one with plenty of authoritarian rule and coup d'etats. Perhaps it's not suprising then that Ghanaians follow politics the way they follow football (ie loudly and passionately!).
We ran into our lovely neighbour/sister who shares my Ghanaian name Akua
(prounced akwee-a...Ghanaians are named after the day of the week they were born, and we are both Wednesdays!) Akua is in the left of the picture...
Akua and her friends gave us a solid run down of happenings and like many other Ghanaians, had settled in nearby for the day to watch polling take place and count the votes at the end. When voting is completed and ballot papers have been sorted, the whole neighbourhood gathers around and counts the ballot papers together!
This year Ghana was using biometric registration machines for the first time and unfortunately some failed, which meant polling had to continue the following day. In the end it was a tight match with NDC beating NPP by around 30-50 000 votes. However, just to keep things interesting, NPP is now challenging the results with claims of fraud at some polling booths, but it sounds like even if their claims are true it will not win them enough votes to change the result.
Greetings from Ghana!
1Thursday 29 November 2012 by Renee
It's hard to believe but it was two weeks ago now that we landed in hot and sweaty Accra!
It's been a crazy, hectic time filled with all sorts of briefings, orientations, lessons in the local language Twi (pronounced like chwee), and scoping out our new surrounds. We're surrounded by so many things that are familiar to us, and yet so many unfamiliar and completely unpredictable things as well.
Well built highways, then main roads that have eroded to barely more than a single lane, and drivers swerving all over the road to miss the frequent potholes that decorate the bitumen. The smell of fresh sweet pineapple, then the whiff of open drainage in 32 degree heat. Sipping my first fresh coconut by the side of the road in crazy makola market.
The sight of incredibly strong women carrying all manner of heavy items - sacks of yams, toiletries, electronics - on their heads with the elegance of a ballerina. 
Walking through a shopping mall that could have been a new section of any familiar shopping mall back home, except for the madness of traffic and sea of street vendors outside. And views of the suburbs from our hotel room, including a father tutoring his children, surrounded by chickens and dirt roads.
"Expect the unexpected" has become our new mantra as we learn to embrace the randomness of life here. Crazy things have already happened, including me being asked by reception to "translate" for some Chinese businessmen who couldn't speak English, to help them order lunch. (When my handful of questions and responses failed me, I took to showing them pictures of our Chinese holiday on Adam's phone). We're living in an extremely religious country and yet there is a raunchy nude hanging on our hotel room wall. And you just never know how a chef will interpret your order!
It's been an exhausting couple of weeks (months, really!) but things feel a little more comfortable everyday, and we hopefully move into our new house by the end of the week. I'll post more when we have that one sorted out!
