On Friday, we headed to Accra for the long weekend. The reason we decided on going to Accra, the capital, was because African Games is being hosted in Ghana at the moment, and the opening ceremony was in Accra. As we decided on going the day before, we ordered the tickets while we were driving, through the help of our field manager. We left Cape Coast after breakfast and the drive took about four hours.
By the time we made it to Accra, there was only time for us to check in at the hotel and change clothes, before we headed to the stadium. Outside of the stadium, there were a lot of different vendors selling foods, drinks, and some merch for the Games. After some food, we headed to the gates, made our way in, and found some seats. The website said it was going to start at three, but by four, it still hadn’t started, so some of us had a walk around the stadium and got some free food.
It finally started at around five o’clock with a marching band. Unfortunately, the stage had a huge box in the middle of it, so we weren’t really able to see what was happening on the other side of it. And as the other side of the stage was faced towards the VIP area, a lot of what happened, happened on that side. However, there was a screen showing everything and we saw what was happening on the sides.
Every participating country also entered the stadium with all their contestants, like they do in the Olympics, and they walked all around the stadium, dancing and waving to the audience. After all the countries had entered with their contestants and some speeches from etc. the President, it was time for the cultural parts of the ceremony. It was based on African heritage and culture, and there were lots of singing and dancing. Being at the opening ceremony, and especially seeing the cultural show, was an amazing experience. After the ceremony, we went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Another reason for why we went to Accra was that we had heard there are a lot of very good restaurants offering a bunch of different foods.
On Saturday, we started our day with brunch at a cute outdoor café. We ate avocado toast, pancakes with banana and Nutella, and breakfast bagels. After brunch, we took a taxi to The Freedom Arch and the Black Star Square made to commemorate Ghana’s history and liberation in 1957. We then headed to a gallery, and then on to an arts and crafts store selling a bunch of different handmade gifts and souvenirs. Later, we went back to the hotel to relax for a bit before we headed out to an Indian restaurant for dinner. Some also went to a rooftop bar for drinks.
On Sunday, we went back to the same brunch spot to start our day. After brunch, we split up, so some went to some stores and some went to a huge flea market. The flea market sells secondhand clothing, often coming from European countries. The market is super hectic and chaotic, but they had a lot of nice t-shirts and hoodies. Before being picked up by our driver to go back to Cape Coast, we had lunch at the best sushi restaurant in Accra. And although it had Norwegian prices, it was definitely worth it!
We are now back home in Cape Coast, and ready for our last week of lectures before we start our three weeks of field work!
– Nathalie