Kumasi: Part II

House of Tradional African and Ghanaian Music

On Saturday, September 1st, we will had the opportunity to meet one of Ghana's national treasures and living legends in music, Agya Koo Nima. He spoke to us about traditional Ghanaian music and performed with his band. One style of music we learned about was palmwine. Palm wine music is a local drink from the palm oil tree. The music began with the introduction of the guitar. Agya Koo Nima gave us a few words of advice before we left. He old us that we should have fun, stay in good health in order to live long, and to leave a place in the western corners of hearts for ourselves.

 

Manhyia Palace Museum.

 This palace is an important part of history. It was built in 1925 for Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I, by the British Colonial Government, as his private residence when he returned from Seychelles after twenty-eight years in exile. Prior to the Asantehene's exile, his old palace had been burnt down in the Yaa Asantewaa War. The war was fought between the British and the Asantes because of the refusal of the Asantehene to offer the golden stool to the then governor of the Gold Coast. The museum holds effigies of the past and present kings of the Asante Kingdom, and some gold artifacts and also tells the story of the Asante Kingdom.

Kejetia Market

Kejetia Market is also known as Kumasi Central Market. It is one of the largest markets in West Africa. As soon as we reached the main road I was in complete awe. Looking to my left and right it seemed as if the market didn't end. The rooftops and shops went on for miles. Walking through the market was an experience. It was very intense. There were so many different directions to go, a narrow walkway here, one there…everyone also seemed in a rush to get where they were going. My friend Baindu and I thought we had gotten lost at one point but we found our way back. The great thing about this market was that items seemed relatively cheaper than any place I had gone to in Accra. All in all it was a great experience and I walked away with a great pair of sandals for a very cheap price.

After all of the tourist sites, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was Saturday night. It was my friend J.t.'s birthday and we all went to out to celebrate. It was a great way to end our weekend in Kumasi!

Happy Birhday J.t.!

Kumasi: Part I

So this past weekend we traveled to a different region of Ghana, the Asante (Ashanti) Region. The Ashanti Region is the third largest of 10 administrative regions in Ghana and also the most populated region. The Ashanti region, which harbors the capital city of Kumasi, is referred to as the Kingdom of Gold. I loved just looking out the window as we drove down the rode. Te bus ride was about 6-7 hours each way , but the landscape along the route was very interesting and veryy beautiful at times. On Friday, we visited 3 locations:

The Home of Nana Yaa Asantewaa

Our first stop was the Traditional Ashanti Home in Ejisu. There are nine other such homes in the region and they are all marked as UN World Heritage Sites. These are the last material remains of the great Asante civilization in the 18th Century. Nana Yaa Asantewaa was the then Queen Mother of Ejisu who lead the famous Yaa Asantewaa war in the 1900 against the British when the British went to demand the golden stool which is believed to be the soul of the Asante people. They fought the war for a year and lost to the British. Nana Yaa Asantewaa was captured and exiled. The house was very cool, the walls are carved with Adinkra symbols that are unique to West Africa. There are over 200 symbols and they represent various proverbs or have philosophical meanings. It was great to go there and witness a sacred piece of history. There were many children an adults in the neighborhood there who greted us and were awed at the number of  "oburonis"  (twi word for “foreigners”) in there midst.

     

Bonwire Kente Village

We also stopped at the Bonwire Kente Village where kente cloth and articles made from kente are produced and sold. It is very popular because it is like a form of writing. Each design that is carefully weaved has its own philosophical meaning which in turn makes it important for history. The kente village was very cool but very chaotic. Taking 3 buses full of foreigners probably wasn’t the best thing to do. Salesmen will/can be very aggressive if they think you have a lot of money to spend. They will even inflate the prices. I bought a few things and then I had to get out of there lol. I ended up going back on Sunday with a very small group to finish up shopping!

FYI Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have their own Kente 

cloth design :-)

Ntonso Adinkra Village

We traveled this craft village to learn about the Adinkra symbols and how their deep philosophical meanings relate to the Asante. At this craft village, black dye is made from the bark of a certain tree where the bark is soaked, crushed and boiled. The black dye is then stamped on to cloth and sold. Visitors are also free to choose their own cloth and stamps to make their own.

Gone But Not Forgotten...

So I was in the process of posting about my weekend in Kumasi when I heard startling news. I was informed of the loss of a loved one and friend. Lauren Luzier. Lauren and I were not very close friends, but we were your average classmates. We had many classes together throughout high school and shared some of the same friends. To this day I still remember going to her graduation pool party.  Soon after graduation, she was in a very severe car accident and had to undergo several different surgeries. Through it all she was strong and she survived....but yesterday was her time to go.

Reflecting on her loss here in Ghana is probably different than it would be for me at home. In Ghana, death is truly a celebration. The passing of life is not death, but simply a transition of the soul…to a place far better than life here on earth.

Lauren was a very smart, bright, and beautiful girl. She was also hilarious and made me laugh :-).

Yes, she passed away at a very young age, but it was not without a purpose. Each and every one of us should choose life on this day, live right, and care for the ones around us. No one knows when it will be there time, so but be grateful and take advantage of every second.

There is an Asante proverb that says 

“Owuo atwereɛ, baako mforo” 

-Death's ladder is not just for one person to climb”

Yɛbɛhyia bio Lauren

(We will meet again)