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By Peace Akwei-Brock and Alyson Ratney
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Year of Return through the eyes of Ghanaians
From the Ghanaian perspective, the Year of Return was a success and we look forward to having more visitors come to Ghana once the pandemic subsides.
We had the privilege to watch TV programs on the Year of Return recently. The human crowds of anxious young men and women who had queued for various events caused unimaginable vehicular traffic jams and we were exciting to watch. Also, we saw the excitement on diasporans’ faces as they interacted with Ghanaians, ate authentic dishes, and explored historical sites. The emotional reactions from diasporans’ visits to the slave castles touched us as well.
Ghanaian Hospitality
It’s worth mentioning here. True to our nature, our people love foreigners. So many Ghanaians went out of their way to entertain and sell their skills with the expectation of making friends who would return the good deeds one day. Some Ghanaians displayed their hospitality by offering diasporans local food and organized tours free of charge to entice them to return. Friends even offered their houses for free, and diasporans were shocked, pleasantly, at this hospitality.
Places to Worship in Ghana
Ghana is a nation of mixed religions, Christian (Pentecostal/Charismatic, Protestant, Catholic, other), Muslim, and traditional. With over 10,000 churches, and many mosques and temples in Ghana, worship places were full of diasporans, and we enjoyed fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters.
Neoclassical Economics during the Year of Return
On the other side of the coin, there are bad nuts everywhere like all other popular tourist destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America. Prices tripled for everything you can think of, such as food, cost of entertainment, transportation fares, flights, and accommodation. A few locals took advantage of the occasion to sell at exorbitant prices. Some Ghanaians rented their homes for excessive rents to the dismay of some of us. Young ones complained that prices soared beyond their reach even after the visitors had left, such as restaurants, nightclubs, and other entertainment places. However, optimistic about a steady increase in visitors, fair pricing will be the norm. Local merchants and visitors will continue Africa’s bartering culture and merchants will still earn a profit without taking advantage of tourists.
Places to Visit in Ghana
Throughout Accra and in the regions’ capital cities, travel agents and individual transport owners organized excursions to the slave castles, beaches, popular spots like the museums and galleries, botanical gardens, holiday resorts, lounges, and bars. Every place was full. In Osu, where we have a famous street named Oxford Street, there was fun and chaos because that’s where the action is. Like popular fashion shops, food markets, restaurants, nightclubs are all located on Oxford Street in Osu. At times the street was closed to vehicle traffic to allow diasporans and locals to walk freely from twilight to dawn. We also witnessed the scene around the El Wak Stadium and the Labadi beach Hotel during that period. It was spectacular!
The Arts Centre at Accra central is another place one should not miss. You can find Made in Ghana, wooden wares, and crafts for arts and crafts. We are sure the diasporans spent a lot of time there and took back some of Ghana’s cultural treasures.
Ghanaians looking forward to welcoming more Visitors
Neither my friends nor I heard of any negative behaviour on the part of visitors. Both Ghanaians and diasporans had a wonderful time during the Year of Return. We are optimistic that visitors returned home with interesting and exciting stories about their time in Ghana. Ghanaians continue to reminisce and speak about relationships established and Ghana’s financial benefits from the year-long celebration.
With all the infrastructure projects planned for 2021, diasporans are sure to migrate to Ghana to establish partnerships and start businesses. We look forward to continuing our hospitality after Covid-19. “You’re Welcome!”
To inquire about booking a Ghana holiday, contact *Melanin Travels Magic at melanintravelsmagic.co.uk
∗ Melanin Travels Magic (MTM) is a one-stop tour operator specialized in providing cultural & heritage group trips primarily for people of African & Caribbean descent in Africa, Latin America & Caribbean destinations. MTM’s key mission is to educate, empower, and reunite the black diaspora globally around Black heritage traveling experience mixing history, culture, food, leisure in awesome destinations. For more information about MTM, visit: https://www.melanintravelsmagic.co.uk/ or follow @Melanintravelsmagic
Check out some of Ghana’s popular cultural spots below:
The Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana is one of Africa’s oldest and most powerful kingdoms with rich history and culture that have survived centuries of wars and colonialism.
https://manhyiapalace.org/
Elmina Slave Castle
Legon Botanical Gardens is a beautiful outdoor play space for persons of all ages. Come Conference with Nature at Legon Botanical Gardens. We know and believe that “Nature Never did Betray the Heart that Loved her” -William Wordsworth
Images by Davaun Jackson
The Accra regional centre for culture, “The Arts Center”,is better known simply as the National Center for Culture in Accra, Ghana. It is situated right next to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, where the Kwame Nkrumah Museum is. There you will find what is virtually the tourist heaven of Ghana. It has got everything from woven Kente cloth, wooden sculptures, bead works, leather bags, earrings and other fashion accessories, the latest in African Attire fashion and good-quality handicrafts from all over Ghana.
