Igår var jag på universitetets bokaffär i Accra och köpte en ghanansk kokbok och en omtalad (i alla fall i vissa kretsar här) bok som heter "The Imported Ghanaian" skriven av Alba Kunadu Sumprim. Författaren är ghanan men född och uppvuxen i London. Boken handlar om Ghanas kultur och ghananer. Den är väldigt roligt skriven, särskillt om man bor eller har bott här, men ibland på gränsen till för elak. Här är ett utdrag från förordet om hur ghananer är:
"Akwaaba People ~ 20 things you need to know
1. First and foremost, Ghanaians know everything and are always right. If you try to tell or show a Ghananian something or a better way of doing things, then you are too known, and they are not going to listen to you.
2. Ghananians answer a question with another question or a reply that has nothing to do with the original question asked.
3. Ghanaians are no respecters of time, they make their own time keeping rules and will turn up when they damn well please.
4. Ghanaians love to tell people to 'exercise patience', but to get any results and quickly, you have to shout and get upset. Only then they will take you seriously. On the other hand, you will shout and they will grin in an embarrassed manner and still continue to do what they are doing. You you know why? Because they are always right.
5. The proverbial Akwaaba people, Ghanaians are very welcoming and friendly, especially if youare foreign and of the pale variety. They will bend over backwards to do anything for you - unless you are a Ghanaian.
6. Ghanaians are snobs and will quickly look down on anyone they consider not to be worthy. However, on seeing a white person, the average Ghanauan will relegate themselves to the caste of the grovel accordingly. Hence many, taking full advantage of this foolishness, have labelled Ghanaians as a friendly and welcoming people. This is all true, unless you happen to be a Ghanaian, of course.
7. The surest way yo test your popularity is to keel over and die. Ghanaians love funerals. It's the number one form of entertainment and people will turn up at funerals of people they don't know. People love you after you've died, but while alive, ahhh... that's another matter.
8. Though a peaceful people, it doesn't take much to offend Ghanaians or for them to be at the ready to 'show you where power lies' - 'Do you know who I am?' They are also the same people who belong to the 'exercise patience' peacekeeping brigade.
9. Ghanaians use the words 'lend me' to mean 'give me' and if you have the audacity to ask for your possessions to be returned, they get offended because you are too known.
10. Ghanaians are very honest. But, Ghanaians rarely say what they mean or mean what they say.
11. Ghanaians don't like to say no, any other word but no. They prefer words such as 'yes', 'we'll see', 'go and come' or any other combination of words , which always end up meaning NO.
12. Don't ever tell a Ghanaian the truth: they don't want to hear it. A nice lie is more palatable and on one will tell you a liar because they don't want to offend you. Truth by omission is another form, for that you have to develop psychic abilities to figure out what is going on.
13. Ghanaians rarely listen to anything properly. When a Ghanaian doesn't understand something, they seldom ask for clarification and will do what they want. You know why? Ghanaians are always right.
14. Ghanaians are very religious. Church is the second biggest form of entertainment.
15. Ghanaians are very forgiving. Forgive and win brownie points in heaven, therefore 'take things as they are'. Especially if it has no effect on them.
16. Ghanaians don't like taking responsibility; they prefer to rely on or blame someone else.
17. Ghanaians love anything foreign, especially, other people's cast-offs-foreign newspapers to wrap food in, second hand clothing and z-rated television programmes - Ghana the dumping ground. However, when things go wrong, who's to blame? Foreign culture, of course. It can't be Ghanaians because they are always right.
18. Ghana hates individualism, but because Ghanaians are always right, each person does what they please. The motto is, ' each person for them self, God for all of us'.
19. Ghanaians, the moral polica, 20 million and counting. They will always feel free to butt into your business and dish out advice, even if unwanted.
20. Ghanaians take themselves too seriously, even if though they generate humorous situations, at time frustrating, at every turn."
1. First and foremost, Ghanaians know everything and are always right. If you try to tell or show a Ghananian something or a better way of doing things, then you are too known, and they are not going to listen to you.
2. Ghananians answer a question with another question or a reply that has nothing to do with the original question asked.
3. Ghanaians are no respecters of time, they make their own time keeping rules and will turn up when they damn well please.
4. Ghanaians love to tell people to 'exercise patience', but to get any results and quickly, you have to shout and get upset. Only then they will take you seriously. On the other hand, you will shout and they will grin in an embarrassed manner and still continue to do what they are doing. You you know why? Because they are always right.
5. The proverbial Akwaaba people, Ghanaians are very welcoming and friendly, especially if youare foreign and of the pale variety. They will bend over backwards to do anything for you - unless you are a Ghanaian.
6. Ghanaians are snobs and will quickly look down on anyone they consider not to be worthy. However, on seeing a white person, the average Ghanauan will relegate themselves to the caste of the grovel accordingly. Hence many, taking full advantage of this foolishness, have labelled Ghanaians as a friendly and welcoming people. This is all true, unless you happen to be a Ghanaian, of course.
7. The surest way yo test your popularity is to keel over and die. Ghanaians love funerals. It's the number one form of entertainment and people will turn up at funerals of people they don't know. People love you after you've died, but while alive, ahhh... that's another matter.
8. Though a peaceful people, it doesn't take much to offend Ghanaians or for them to be at the ready to 'show you where power lies' - 'Do you know who I am?' They are also the same people who belong to the 'exercise patience' peacekeeping brigade.
9. Ghanaians use the words 'lend me' to mean 'give me' and if you have the audacity to ask for your possessions to be returned, they get offended because you are too known.
10. Ghanaians are very honest. But, Ghanaians rarely say what they mean or mean what they say.
11. Ghanaians don't like to say no, any other word but no. They prefer words such as 'yes', 'we'll see', 'go and come' or any other combination of words , which always end up meaning NO.
12. Don't ever tell a Ghanaian the truth: they don't want to hear it. A nice lie is more palatable and on one will tell you a liar because they don't want to offend you. Truth by omission is another form, for that you have to develop psychic abilities to figure out what is going on.
13. Ghanaians rarely listen to anything properly. When a Ghanaian doesn't understand something, they seldom ask for clarification and will do what they want. You know why? Ghanaians are always right.
14. Ghanaians are very religious. Church is the second biggest form of entertainment.
15. Ghanaians are very forgiving. Forgive and win brownie points in heaven, therefore 'take things as they are'. Especially if it has no effect on them.
16. Ghanaians don't like taking responsibility; they prefer to rely on or blame someone else.
17. Ghanaians love anything foreign, especially, other people's cast-offs-foreign newspapers to wrap food in, second hand clothing and z-rated television programmes - Ghana the dumping ground. However, when things go wrong, who's to blame? Foreign culture, of course. It can't be Ghanaians because they are always right.
18. Ghana hates individualism, but because Ghanaians are always right, each person does what they please. The motto is, ' each person for them self, God for all of us'.
19. Ghanaians, the moral polica, 20 million and counting. They will always feel free to butt into your business and dish out advice, even if unwanted.
20. Ghanaians take themselves too seriously, even if though they generate humorous situations, at time frustrating, at every turn."
Ja, vad säger ni? Särskillt ni som varit här nere, känner ni igen något?
Tidigt i morgon bär det av till Togo. Resan är hittills ganska oplanerad eftersom vi ingenstans har kunnat hitta en guidebok över Togo. Mina togokunskaper är ytterst begränade och består mest i att jag vet att huvudstaden heter Lomé och att landets totala befolkning är på drygt fem miljoner. Annars tror jag mycket är likt Ghana, till exempel klimatet. Dock har jag hört att Ghana i jämförelse mot Togo är mycket planerat, organiserat och vänligt. Detta skrämmer mig lite. Men ja, mamma, vi ska vara försiktiga! Planen är att komma tillbaka söndag nästa vecka eller innan, om en vecka är för lång tid i Togo. Reaktionen när man pratar med folk är nämligen alltid 'Ska ni stanna i en hel vecka!?'. Jag tycker personligen inte att en vecka i ett helt nytt land känns som för lång tid men vi får se. Har dessutom hört från många att man inte kan stanna mer än två dagar i Accra, högst. Jag gillar verkligen Accra men nu när jag tänker på det så ligger det nog något litet i det ändå.
Drygt tre veckor kvar. Jag börjar få lite ångest över hemresan. Ghana är ju väldigt härligt ändå. Jag har längtat hem under perioder och varit oerhört frustrerad ännu oftare men samtidigt har detta varit fantastiska månader som jag inte vill ska ta slut. Naturligtvis ska det bli roligt att komma hem men jag kommer verkligen att sakna Ghana.
Slända i Kumasi
Josef och Maria med Jesusbarnet på Ascots julspel i december
2 kommentarer:
Hi hi... när jag läser 13 tänker jag på taxichaffisen som körde oss via dig till Shangri-La :) ... annars tycker jag nog den verkar väl självkritisk, men han är ju ghanan så han har väl rätt ...
Ingen kommer att vara gladare än jag när ni är tillbaka från Togo. Sköt om er!
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