AKWAABA

As soon as you get to Accra, Ghana all you hear from the locals is Akwaaba which means welcome in Twi which is one of the 60–80 languages spoken in the country.

On Sunday it was Ghana’s 65th Independence Day celebration and I felt as though it was important to create a blog post on the country due to a large amount of people taking trips to the old Gold Coast.

Being a British-Ghanaian, I have always known deep down inside that Ghana and the whole continent of Africa isn’t poor, struggling and desperate. However for most of my life in the U.K, Africa has always been portrayed as a negative place to be associated with. I would like to blame this solely on western media but if I’m honest, I have heard many older Africans speak negatively on their home countries and have an extremely condescending outlook on those who still live there feeling as though they are better than them because they live abroad.

Due to these ideologies being passed down, I myself found it very difficult to associate myself with Ghana for many years but that all changed in 2020. As the world came to a standstill for the first time in a significant amount of years, I had some time to reflect on my life, my culture, my values and my goals. I realised that I didn’t feel welcome in Britain anymore. Although I was born here and have lived here all my life, racism is still very much alive and I kept having this feeling of being an imposter when I was in non-ethnic spaces. Internally I was starting to feel that it was time to go ‘Home’

I hadn’t been to Ghana since 2015, so by 2021 it had been 6 years. Ghana has changed a lot in the past 10 years and from seeing people’s stories, snaps and tweets I was aware that the term ‘Detty December’ had become a thing.

I left for Ghana on December 17th 2021. In the past I have always stayed with family which has been quite restricting but this time a friend and I rented out an apartment for a few weeks to give us the chance to explore Ghana and experience the country independently for ourselves.

I wanted to use this blog to highlight some of the amazing aspects of Ghana and what to do as a tourist. I hope by the time you get to the end of reading this you will either want to visit Ghana and explore it more or take a trip to your home country.

Restaurants Bars and Clubs

I’ll be honest being that this was my first time going to Ghana in 6 years, I didn’t know what to expect when it came to restaurants, bars and clubs. Ghana has some lovely places to eat and some beautiful scenery to accompany the experience. Many times when I was brunching or getting dressed up for cocktails, it just felt good to see so many beautiful black people being free and looking good. You don’t have to keep looking over your back as you do in a foreign country. Ghana definitely brings an element of community and this is what you will see on a night out!

Some places I recommend to check out are:

Garage (Club)

Front/Back (Bar and Restaurant)

Skybar 25 (Rooftop Bar)

Kukun ( Brunch spot)

The Honeysuckle — Labone (Restaurant)

Exhale Lounge (Cocktails and Shisha)

Accommodation and Essentials

Ghana’s development is growing rapidly and there are a lot of brand new apartments and houses to rent for your stay. If you’re staying in Ghana for less than two weeks then I would recommend getting a hotel. However, if you are staying for two weeks and more then an apartment gives you the flexibility you need in terms of space and being able to invite people over whenever you want.

Accra can be pretty confusing if you haven’t been to places by yourself or if it’s your first time in Ghana and you may not know where to stay. Some of the areas I would recommend are Osu, Labone, East Legon, Cantonments, Spintex. I stayed in Cantonments and it was very central. It was easy for me to get practically anywhere and I definitely felt safe being in the heart of the capital. That’s another thing about Ghana, despite it being a very populated country with locals hustling from 5am till the early hours of the morning the next day, it is an extremely safe country and has actually been ranked the second most peaceful country in Africa as of January 5th 2022.

In terms of essentials, there are a few bits you need to know. Do NOT use Air BNB for your accommodation. There have been many incidents where tourists have unfortunately been left stranded due to being mislead. Don’t let this be you! Instead use bookings.com for hotels and use diaservegroup.com for luxury apartments. Ensure that you always take out as much money as you need for each day and you will need a Ghanaian sim card for your phone. Unless your network covers Ghana in your plan please ensure you get a sim card from Ghana and use this whilst you are there. Vodaphone is the most reliable network and provides high-speed internet.

Another must have is MoMo (Mobile Money) this is an app where you can send money and pay for services if you do not have cash available. There were many times where I had run out of cash and needed to pay for something. Thankfully as I have family in Ghana, I was always able to be sorted out. However, as a tourist that option won’t be there so do look in to it!

Activities and Culture

If I’m to sit here and list all the activities in Ghana we could be here forever because Ghana has the perfect balance to cater to those who want a holiday where they can relax by the beach or chill on a boat and for those who want some adrenalin in their world and want to get stuck in the mud.

Here are some places I would recommend to check out:

Shai Hills — This is a reserve near Accra and offers a beautiful view of the mountains. Shai Hills is filled with so much history and this is available to read upon your visit. If you’re an animal lover you may be able to see Baboons, Zebra’s, Birds, Guineafowls and so many other beautiful parts of nature.

Aqua Safari — This resort is situated in Ada which is home to the Ga-Dangme people which is a tribe in Ghana. Aqua Safari is the definition of peace. When you arrive you will be greeted with so many friendly faces. At this resort which you can either visit for the day or stay at, you can do a boat-ride, kayaking, horse-riding, jet-skiing and so much more! I promise you it’s a must!

Labadi and La-Palm beach — These two beaches are located in Accra and offer a beautiful view of the country. It’s a great place to meet with friends, listen to live music and chop some good kebabs. Did I mention that Ghanaian kebabs are the best? Make sure you try them when you go.

Art

Finally, I wanted to touch on art as that is a huge part of Ghana’s identity. Our native cloth ‘Kente’ is extremely colourful, bold and vibrant and it compliments the vibe of the country perfectly. Ghanaians are always selling artwork, clothes, jewellery, and so much more in the streets. A lot of these items are handmade and crafted and that’s what adds that special touch.

Here are some places I recommend for the art scene in Ghana:

Makola Market — A wide array of products is sold in this market and it’s hustle and bustle is inspiring but you can also find some beautiful pieces in the midst of all the chaos.

Accra Arts Centre — This is a beautiful gallery in Ghana and has a variety of paintings, jewellery, sculptures and textiles produced by Ghanaian artists and artists.

I’ve given as much as I can about Ghana in this post and there’s still so much I could say but I felt it was important to ask others who are not of Ghanaian heritage what they thought of the country when they visited and how they felt - as I wanted to confirm my feeling about being at home.

I spoke with Kharis who first visited Ghana in December 2017. Kharis mentioned that when she got to Ghana she felt very warm, welcomed and taken care of and this is what has encouraged her to build ties with the country through regular visits.

I also spoke with Osolance who has now visited Ghana twice. Osolance mentioned that Ghana for her was lively and full of vibrancy yet peaceful at the same time. Osolance was shocked at how developed Accra was in comparison to other African countries and due to this she now wants to invest in Ghana.

These two ladies are not from Ghana and therefore they had absolutely no reason to be biased about what they thought about the country. However, the fact that we have all described the country with the same words speaks for itself.

I spoke with my cousin who lives in Ghana and asked him if he had anything to say to encourage black people abroad to visit. He said “ You don’t just have to come to Ghana in December as that can be quite expensive. Come to Ghana not only as a December destination but all year round. There is great food, nice apartments, resorts. You can have a proper holiday here!”

For me of course Ghana isn’t just a holiday anymore it’s home and I don’t know about y’all but I’m going HOME for good very soon.

I will leave it on that note as I have written quite a lot but I hope you have enjoyed my post and if you do need any help with planning your Ghana trip hit me up :)

Love Boohema

xxx