Out of Africa (2)

There are 54 independent nations in Africa, but I have visited just over 10%. This is sad, as each country is unique and has given me the opportunity to understand a lot about my roots.

But I am not crying over spilled milk today, just sharing my initial impressions of Ghana which I visited in 2023.

Kwame Nkrumah memorial 

This was my first trip to West Africa from which most slaves were shipped. 

Interestingly, on that trip, the hotel we stayed at was right on the Atlantic Ocean, across which our ancestors unwillingly traversed. Mine and your ancestors survived that journey but millions of Africans didn't!

Ghanaians tell me that even today when it rains heavily, a number of local people use nets to collect items, even gold, that washes up from the deep where so many sunken trips have ended up over the centuries.

On arriving in Accra, I was immediately struck by how much some sections look like my own capital city, Kingston. 

For like Kingston, the roads are choking with traffic, the sidewalks are overwhelmed by vendors' stalls and hustling pedestrians and in some sections, many buildings and developments appear totally unplanned.

 

Like Kingston too, there is obviously a wide gap between rich and poor as the mansions and slums stand out in contrast to each other.

 

The affluence in Accra is enhanced by wealthy Nigerians who live in the oil-rich state of Benin which is only an hour and twenty minutes away by air and seven hours away by car.

 

 Because the Muslim culture in Benin is strict, things like liquor and wild parties are frowned on there, so they flock to the better sections of Accra to enjoy themselves and their immense wealth which they have no compunction about flaunting.

 

Their parties normally last for days, day and night, I was told.

 

Despite the crowding on the roads in the city, I immediately noticed how disciplined and well-mannered their drivers were in comparison to ours!

 

An interesting experience I had was when we encountered a landslide just outside of Accra, after a heavy shower of rain. This landslide totally blocked our side of the dual carriageway, but in sync, drivers simply turned around and crossed over to the lane on the other side of the carriageway where traffic faced them. That lane of traffic immediately gave up half of their space, no impatience, no honking of horns, no fights, no pulling of weapons, no cursing and swearing at others, and no mishaps

 

It was an amazingly disciplined and seamless operation,  although there were no police present to maintain order or give directions!

 

It is not only on the roads that you see the difference in discipline, but in their everyday life and this is especially marked in the crime statistics, especially violent crime. (According to  Travel and Tour World, "Ghana has recently been recognized as the second safest country in Africa, according to a comprehensive ranking released by global tourism experts. This report, which focuses on recommending top destinations for 2025, highlighted Ghana’s impressively low crime rate, positioning it as a safer destination than countries like Canada, Greece, and Australia. This recognition is expected to influence travel choices significantly, as travelers prioritize safety in their decisions.")

I don't know how accurate the above is. But I felt totally safe on my visit there and far safer than in Jamaica and the USA.  For my poor beleaguered homeland is so notoriously violent! The statistics show that our murder rate per capita, is nine times higher than Ghana’s, which is a very vast country by comparison.

 

Ghanaians on a whole are extremely friendly and welcoming, from political officials and tribal chiefs to the man in the street.

 

This welcoming attitude and peaceful coexistence among the numerous tribes, has led to a marked influx of black people from all over the world, especially the USA.

 

For with the low crime rate all over, the relatively cheap cost of living, (especially noticeable in land prices and construction costs,) plus the strength and stability of the Cedi, the country is very attractive to foreigners.  (The Cedi is the official currency and while it resembles the Jamaican $20 coin, it is worth 10 to US $1.)

 

Another drawing card is the fact that most Ghanaians speak English as well as many tribal languages and many are quite conversant with a few European languages.

 

As a Jamaican, I found Ghanaian food and cooking to be similar to ours but I had to be careful with the meats, as they tend to be extremely spicy. However everywhere you turn there are familiar fruit trees and ground crops.  I couldn’t find a breadfruit tree anywhere though and on describing it to all who would listen, it is clear that it is just was not used or grown there.

 

One marked difference between Ghanaians and us black people in the West that I immediately noticed too, was how short school children keep their hair,

 

Curious as usual, I had to ask and learned that in Ghana, boys and girls attending government schools from kindergarten up to University level must wear their hair trimmed very low.  It is said this is to prevent them from being distracted by vanity!

 

At first, I was appalled to hear this, but if it works for them, who the hell am I to criticize?

 

 Before visiting Ghana, I had traveled to Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.  But to me, Ghana felt very much like home and to tell you the truth, had I visited that huge low-crime,  developed, democratic, country when I was much younger, that would be where I would have chosen for my retirement.

 

More anon.

Animals everytime!

 If I had to make a choice between humans and animals, it would be animals all the way. 

No hesitation. No apologies.                                                                                       Maybe it's because my first memory of life on this planet was seeing cute kittens in my bed. 

I don't know if that's why I love animals so, its just what it is. 

I guess that's also why my first choice of profession from as far back as I can remember, was to have become a vet.

 That dream was only frustrated when I inadvertently killed a baby duckling.😭.

I still occasionally think about it. 

Especially since it is possible that I had buried the poor creature alive when it was only drunk. 

That question will haunt me forever I guess.

So what the heck could have taken me on this path today, you could very well ask?

It's the hoopla on social and other media, accusing an elephant of killing an American woman in Zambia!

It is a blatant lie.

What the elephant did was to charge a safari jeep, overturn it and the wowan died from either something like an heart attack or maybe she was crushed to death by the jeep or other passengers.

Regardless, it was an accidental death and while I am always sympathetic to the families when humans die, THE ELEPHANT DID NOT KILL HER. 

I feel very passionate about this, for unlike humans, so-called wild animals don't kill humans or other animals willy nilly. They usually only resort to killing when hungry, or (they or their babies) are threatened. 

I am a bit uptight about the issue, mainly because I interact with these animals whenever it is safe to do so and get impatient at times when people react with the unnecessary "aren't you afraid" hymnal. 

Elephants, the gentle giants often protect smaller animals.

It's as if they think I am stupid and would put myself in unnecessary danger! 

Elephants are among the gentlest giants in the world. I saw them being used in Cambodia like how we use donkeys and mules in the Caribbean. I actually rode one but found it uncomfortable.  (I don't enjoy riding horses either!)

But to each its own. 

I also learned a bit about those gentle giants in Kenya when I spent a few hours observing them while on safari there.

Waterholes are for all

One thing that has stuck in my mind is how polite they are to each other. Like many humans, they tend to travel around in groups and stick to their herds. When they are enjoying themselves in their water holes, the minute another herd approaches, they leave the waterhole so the newly arrived can enjoy it. 

No holding out or fighting for space like us humans. 

The only time elephants made me feel a bit antsy was in Botswana when a huge herd was approaching our jeep. When they seemed determined to come right up to us, I admit I was kinda nervous. But they simply walked right up to our vehicle, one or two looked at us curiously, then they proceeded on their merry way.

Had this been a group of strange young men, I might not be here today to tell the tale! (especially if they were white men.)

In short, I am not at all suggesting we should put ourselves in danger around so-called wild animals, but in my book, they are far less dangerous than so-called civilized or tame humans!

Love those in the ocean too😊.

                                          

Youtube Link; https: https://youtu.be/4Tf4fwQ87wg

We are unwanted 😡

 We Jamaicans tend to hold ourselves in high esteem and based the performance of many of our nationals at home and abroad, we have some reason to feel so.

For on an individual basis, so many Jamaicans tend to be world beaters!

This is s especially so in sports, music, the arts, etc although when it comes to, operating collectively, especially in sports, we tend to bomb out.

I am not at this time thinking about sports though but our reputation as a country.

A paradox is that despite our terrible reputation at home and abroad because of crime, we remain among the most desirable vacation destinations in the Caribbean

 But that’s for another debate.

The latest statistic which gave me a jolt recently, was when at I heard on Radio  Jamaica (RJR) that in the Caribbean, our passport is one of the least desirable. It’s something, I have never really mulled on, although I travel a lot.

This is demonstrated by the extent to which countries are prepared to refuse to take a chance on us, by allowing us into their countries without visas!

According the report, Barbadians, can travel to over 160 countries without needing a visa and Bahamians are next on the high list with over 150 countries not asking them to get visas.  However, Jamaicans can only travel to 90 countries without a visa. (The entire list and ranking are online).

Even other Caribbean countries don’t particularly like those of us trying to travel to their countries with a Jamaican passport, despite us holding something marked a Caricom passport.

I remember the last time I went to Trinidad, how they scrutinized my documents from top to bottom.  I was just attempting to get home next day after leaving Guyana!  This while other Caricom nationals just ‘zoopsed’ through. 

At that time, I had to catch a connection through Trinidad .

 I was just overnighting there to catch my connection!

As I have been mainly been travelling to Africa recently, my esteem was lifted a bit by the fact that quite a few countries on the Continent, welcome us without visas.

These include Botswana, Zambia, Ghana , Kenya, South Africa.

 I must admit though, I was shocked when no such privilege was extended to us by Ethiopia!

 Shocked, because so many Jamaicans hold Ethiopia in such high regard, with some of our nationals even considering their former King a high prophet.

Besides, quite a few Jamaicans have made that country their home.

Could it be because of the actions of the Jamaicans there why they put in the visa restriction?

On the other hand, more Jamaicans have made Ghana their home and they haven’t slapped any visa restrictions on us!

(According to my research, 1000 Jamaicans live in Ethiopia and around 4000 in Ghana).

Our government needs to tell us why we are the personae non gratae in the Caribbean and why they are not negotiating bilateral agreements for us to travel more easily?

Visas are quite expensive documents and considering how we open up our country to the rest of the world, isn’t it time we get a break?

I forgot, politicians travel on diplomatic passports so don’t have the hassle of getting visas.

Anyway, our passports are probably blacklisted because the world knows our governments are so notoriously corrupt with no one ever being held accountable for anything, so they don’t want people who consider corruption the norm, to visit them!

So, I guess we will continue to be the pariah of the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

---

 [jw1]

Exploring Africa!

I had the opportunity to visit the Motherland twice in 2023, but found it intriguing when quite a few of my fellow countrymen/women, asked incredulously  "how yu go a Africa so often?"

Had I visited Europe or North America twice in a year, it wouldn’t have seemed so strange to anyone.😥.

Snow-capped Kilimanjaro in Tanzania,
as seen from Kenya.

You see, we Jamaicans were brainwashed for decades (even after independence😡!) into believing that the European and North American  continents are the epiphany of civilization, whereas Africa is a dark undeveloped place that no one should visit.

Serious ting.

It may appear strange, but many Jamaicans even think of Africa as a country and not a continent made up of 54 diverse and independent nations!

This is because we have been fed so much negative crap about Africa as a whole, that most have not had the interest to research the facts for themselves.

Anyway, I plead guilty to belonging to the class of travelers who have avoided Africa for far too long!

I actually reached the south-western tip of the continent😊

So, for decades when traveling to faraway lands for pleasure, had chosen some exalted city in Europe, never a country in Africa!

 I was bitten by the travel bug from I was 14 years old, thanks to my parents. For it was at that age that they took me to places as diverse as Cuba (then highly developed and not yet communist), a few small eastern Caribbean islands, Montreal and New York.

So, it was from then that I decided that I wanted to see the natural beauty of the world, interact with every animal I could find, and relive history, but bypass cities and man-made edifices.

Playing with a 40-year-old seal in South Africa

But Africa was never in my plans, because of the negative press with which I had been bombarded for decades.

It was only when my Canadian friends who went to work in Kenya, invited me to stay with them after telling me how wonderful it was there, that I decided to explore.😡.

So, Kenya was the first country in Africa that I visited and it was a wonderful experience.

It was also then I  discovered what a fool I had been all along!

Quite frankly though, I was a bit surprised at how developed Nairobi was, because of the negative images that had been implanted in my brain for decades.(brainwashing is real and has proven to be super-effective for decades!)

Well, that's all behind me now, for it will be Africa every time when going on long-haul trips, for there is so much to see and do and so little time. 

On safari in Kenya with my hosts and friends.

Nairobi is very developed

The reality of Kenya certainly belied the propaganda that I had heard all my life. 

What impressed me immediately too, was how highly they respect their own currency, for that's the only cash they accept.

 Better, yet, they are so technologically advanced, that almost everyone pays with their phone. 

So whether you are buying an orange on the street or a car, just pay with the swipe of your phone.

Since that eye-opening trip, it's been Africa all the way for me.

Hanging out in a lobby in Botswana

My second trip to the Motherland took me to parts of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned for decades), and Cape Town in South Africa.

With Wendy and family.

This was all thanks to my Jamaican friend Wendy, who lives in Lusaka. She has lived and worked in Africa for more than seven years and knows areas of the Continent extremely well. 

I learned so much just visiting museums on this trip!

She was therefore able to guide me on how to travel, where to go, where to stay etc.

 It was a wonderful trek and I am eternally grateful as I was able to travel to places and experience things I had only heard of, but never thought I could do in this lifetime.

A Mandela memorial on Robben Island

Up to now, I still can't believe I saw and did the things which had only been distant dreams for decades. 

Fact is, the education I received on these brief trips have been more valuable and memorable than I have accumulated in many years.

Sections of Cape Town, South Africa

More recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ghana and even got my new name, KORLEKi.

I felt so at home in Ghana for the foods, flora, city scenes, lifestyle, fauna and even the huge gap between the rich and poor, seemed so much like ours at home.

But boy is their culture deep.

Joan, my views: A cultural powerhouse (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

I now understand why Rita Marley made that county her home for some 20 years!

I understand that the properties above are part of the Marley portfolio I Ghana.

Ghanaians are also super-welcoming but interestingly, while I had been under the impression that most of the slaves that were transported to Jamaica had Ghanaian roots, on my visit there, I learnt that only 23% did. 

Joan, my views: Religion and slavery (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Although i  had long ago been told by my grandmother that our actual roots were in Sierra Leone with the Mandingo tribe, I still felt at home in Ghana and honored to be inducted into the Krobo tribe.😊

These school children reminded me so much of our own💓 

I also discovered that many Ghanaians are outstanding linguists, speaking French, and German due to their close association with Brussels where thousands live and work. 

Most also speak English very well as it is compulsory in school and they all speak many tribal languages as well.

The magnificent Mosi-oa-Tunya which spans sections of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is named among the top 7 natural  wonders of the world.

Because I am crazy about animals, I think the country I need to return to soon is Botswana, although I still have another 48 independent nations in the homeland to sample!

You can easily do both land and river safaris in Botswana 

So much to do, so little time.

Oh well, it was the insightful Lao-tzu who said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," so I should be grateful that I got the opportunity to take that single step a few years ago.

Now its on to the rest of the journey.

The exploiters contender

 The story of Africa has been one of brutality, racism and exploitation. This by rich countries which have vied over the centuries, to steal the wealth of this resource rich continent.

Not much has changed over the centuries except maybe the modus operandi of the vipers and an increase in the number of those who may wish to join the rape.

The most recent entrant into the band of potential pillagers is of course China.

They have not come with the violence of the previous exploiters though, but with apparent kindness.

I only hope African leaders have learnt from the experience of  others though and most recently, the Sri Lankan experience with China. 

They also need to pay close attention to the extreme racism Africans and other blacks are often subjected to in China! (During the pandemic, it was widely reported that several African ambassadors had to write to China’s foreign minister, calling for the “cessation of forceful testing, quarantine and other inhuman treatments meted out to Africans” and Uganda even expelled some Chinese from their country in retaliation!)

Interestingly, Zambia only recently discovered huge emerald reserves. 

That’s why I find this you tube discussion I just got, so interesting: https://youtu.be/EvW18HDsFyw.

It sure stirred up bad vibes!

Hopefully the Zambians have a similar wise warning proverb like ours in Jamaica which is :’tek sleep mark death’.

Forever grateful

I can’t believe the adventure/trip of a lifetime is over already!

Omg, it took months to plan and work out the logistics but it seemed to be over almost a few days after we got here.

But really I am looking at it from the wrong perspective, for in less than three weeks, I experienced things that had previously been distant dreams.

Like seeing the magnificent Victoria falls which defies imagination, seeing a huge assortment of animals operating in their natural environment, visiting Robben island and walking the king of beasts. 

I really can’t believe I did it all in such a short time!

There is no way any of this could have happened without Wendy. 

She told us where to go, where to stay, how to travel and was in constant touch to ensure that we didn’t fall by the wayside. (We did though, despite her best efforts 😊, but that’s life.)

It was a fateful day when I overheard my daughter speaking to her and thought I heard that she was living in Lesoto.

Kids playing football at Rhys’ and Nyah’s school 

Immediately afterwards I called and asked if I could visit her. That’s when she told me she was not in Lesoto but Zambia.

 Never mattered to me seriously though which country she was in.  

I just wanted the opportunity to visit the motherland once again😊.

When she said I could come, I was on cloud nine and now,  the rest is history.

Hanging out with Bolt while waiting to go to airport.

As we are leaving later today, Wendy picked us up and while she worked on-line, we hung out at her home before heading to the airport.

She took a break and we went with her to pick up the kids and see a bit of their school.

Secret Service planning the route for USA VP’s  visit later in the day.

Kamala Harris is here today, and while we weren’t there for her arrival later in the day, we saw preparations being made.

Incidentally, the food in Zambia is very similar to ours and that is another reason why I felt so at home there.

A very favorite dish of all Zambian’s is Nshima. It’s made from corn and as a lover of our own turned corn meal, I had hoped it was the same thing, just by another name.

Nshima

It isn’t and I never liked it when I had it at a restaurant in Livingstone, but when Wendy’s helper Ruth cooked it, I went for seconds!😋

I don’t know how we can ever repay Wendy for this has been the trip of a lifetime and here we are at her home, heading shortly to the airport. 

Yup all good things must come to an end but the memories will last forever.