Three West

Imagine being black, traveling to Africa and receiving a warm welcome back home… This was my experience in Ghana. Not only did I find the people genuine, I was tickled to find the mannerisms and humor of Ghanaians to be similar to black folks here in the states. It was instantly like being amongst good friends. This was my first trip out of the U.S. and I traveled to Ghana with a group of black women. Our tour guide, a sistah from D.C., had been many times before; taking two trips a year. She’d prepared us for the experience as much as she could but one can only say so much about the wonders of any new land. So, Let me start from the beginning.

On the plane to Ghana, there were two Ghanaian men on the plane handcuffed; on the far side of them, a law officer. I got the impression they were being deported. About mid flight, I looked over in their direction and one of the men smiled a big toothy grin at me and waved. He then attempted to get my phone number. I laughed, both handcuffed men laughed and the tour operator laughed. This was my first encounter with the jovial nature of the Ghanaian, however odd a situation it was.

When I stepped off the plane in Ghana the first thing I thought was “Wow! I’m in Africa.” I felt like I was in a dream. Not because I felt Africa or any other place for that matter is mystical but because I was “out in the world”. We made our way out of the airport and I noticed law officers standing around with machine guns. I wouldn’t see another gun or police officer for the rest of the trip until we returned to the airport.

Now let me cut through the chase about the hotels, etc. because for me travel isn’t all about hotel stays and sight seeing. Bottom line, all of our hotels were fantastic no matter what the star ratings were; some of them offering the most spectacular views of jungle canopies one could imagine. Often, we were personally greeted by the hotel owners themselves and the staff were very welcoming. We were treated like Queens the entire time; never having to carry our own luggage and on occasion having entire dinning rooms to ourselves. The tour company we used, Landtours Ghana, is owned and operated by an African American woman and her Ghanaian husband.

All of our meals were included in the trip package and we ate at some of the best local restaurants; sometimes even having the entire place to ourselves (which I admit, doesn’t really bring me joy). However, our tour was also not very typical. We’d met other African Americans on tour in Ghana while there and they were not having as personal a time there as we were. They were truly just “touring” while were were making real connections and “experiencing” Ghana. The only downside to our trip was that on some level we were being hustled. I’m not sure who was organizing the hustle but there were one too many times when we were being asked to give money for some cause (in closed “setup” setting, not on the street). To make matters worse, it was a hustle to support blind plans to increase tourism that have a devastating effect on the ecological and social landscapes of Ghana. We could already see the negative effects tourism was having on Ghana. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if it increased; but whatever. We grinned, bared, and resisted the hustle.

We did notice that petty crime was handled on a more grassroots level. We did see unarmed security guards at strip malls but they seem to be there simply to shoo away people trying to sell you stuff. One day someone was getting the smack down on the side of a minivan (a preferred method of travel for the average Joe) from a small group of people. It was determined that he’d stolen something from someone in the van. Apparently a few slaps about the head from victims is an acceptable way to handle petty crime. *Smile*