Pictures

I took a few photos during the trip, and now that I'm back in London it is easier to upload them here on the blog. Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

One of the first things we did when we got to ghana was stop for a drink at the Redemption Bar, close to uncle Georges house. We saw it last time we went to Ghana but we didn't go there even though we really liked the name. Names of businesses often have a religious name like "By god's grace hairdressers" or "The good shepard fruniture makers" (more examples can be found here) but "Redemption Bar" is a clear favourite of ours.
Mrs, uncle Kojo, uncle George, Kofi and Martin can be seen redeeming themselves below.





We also had the oportunity to taste auntie Joyce's magnificent cooking again.


This is the mountains as seen when going up to Kwahu. Since I was not sure about if taking pictures at or around the funeral would be seen as rude I have no pictures from there really except for the one of Martin and Banko below. I know others did take some pictures though, so hopefully I can get hold of some, at least one showing me in my black cloth!



After Kwahu we went to Kumasi. We met up with Auntie Regina. We went there together with auntie Baby (shown outside the car and the group picture below) and her brother (sorry uncle I forgot your name, please let me know and I'll update the text) who kindly posed with his family in the group picture.




When back in Tema we had the opportunity to go and chill out at Ave Maria, a spa built in Kwame Nkrumah's days where he hosted dignitaries such as the Queen back in the day... We swam in the pool and had some drinks.



Going to Ghana this time I knew it would be a trip centered around family activity, and d not expect much sightseeing to happen. However, I had decided to go see Cape Coast Castle, a place I regretted not visiting last time. Cape Coast Castle was one of the biggest forts along the Ghanaian coast gradually built by colonizing forces over a long time. Although it started out as a trading base for all sorts of goods, it is most famous for the role it played in the slave trade. The castle has been transformed to a museum and we went there to visit the exhibition and go on a guided tour of the dungeons. It is sad history indeed and very much worth a visit. Next time I go to Ghana I want to visit a similar location in Elmina, not far from Cape Coast.





I'll finish of the photos with some advice found outside a pharmacy in Kumasi.

The funeral - part 2

After the service in church grandma was buried in the cemetary next to the church. The cemetary differed from the ones I have seen before in that it was located in the forest, and was not laid out with paths and grass. Someone explained to me that people are buried in the wilderness, and not close to where people go in their daily life, in order to avoid encounters with ghosts. A pineapple was growing next to grandma's grave and I felt comforted that if she decided to come back as a ghost at least she would have something to eat.

We then continued to the funeral site. All three funerals shared the same park and chairs were available for all the guests. Since ghanaian funerals tend to be very expensive it is common practice for all visitors to donate towards the cost. It is customary for the guests to,starting from the right, shake the hands of all the people sitting in the front row and wave to the people sitting behind, before finding their seats. I don't know how many people attended the funeral, but there were hundreds of people so there was a lot of shaking and waving going on.

Since arriving in Ghana we had been wearing black clothes to express our mourning, and on the day of the funeral we all wore clothes made from the same very beautiful black cloth. Mrs' older brother and I wore the traditional attire of a cloth that you wrap around your body, as did the uncles. The women wore skirt and top and the youngermen wore shirts and black trousers. The day after the funeral we wore a white cloth with black print. I am uncertain of the specific meaning of the change in cloth, but it has to do with that the burial hade taken place and that the funeral was over. We attended church again for a 4 hour (!!) service with no less than three rounds of donations for church refurbishments, and then a second stay at the funeral site. At the funeral site we danced a traditional Ashanti dance called Adowa (which we had practiced in advance in London), also to express our sadness and that we missed grandma.

This ends my brief summary of the funeral. I know I keep promising pictures, but it will have to wait until I'm back in London... :(