Ghana presidential runoff elections

The presidential runoff elections here in Ghana are taking place on Sunday 28 December, and I am still ambivalent as to who should win. I don't have the right to vote, but I can still express my opinion. Once again the "special" elections which were held earlier in the week for those who are on duty on the actual election day seem to have had some issues - mostly in terms of much larger numbers of people voting than in the previous time.

Then there is the business about the borders being closed from Friday. I don't understand why this was necessary, though I suppose it is better that it is all of them rather than just those with Togo! I guess it just means that some people will slip in on the unauthorised routes - instead of doing it legally.

And there are other worrying stories - not proven, but discussed at length on the talk shows - which seem to indicate that both the NPP and the NDC are really desperate to win. And will they accept the totals that are released by the Electoral Commission? Or will there be cries of "we wus robbed!"?

Two more days to Ghana's election

Two more days to the Ghana elections on Sunday 7 December 2008. Today was noisy – with all sorts of groups and floats passing by with brass bands and/or loudspeakers proclaiming the latest party songs. The traffic was awful – just like the morning and evening traffic jams but all day. And initially I couldn’t figure out why, and then it clicked. The NPP (New Patriotic Party) were having a mega-rally at Accra Academy, which is on the main Mallam highway, which I suspect was causing total chaos and not just a traffic jam, but probably gridlock! So all the "wise" drivers decided to go on the alternative route instead. Luckily I got out relatively early this morning to do some shopping.

Ironically it rained twice today – extremely unusual for early December in Ghana. I wonder whether this is a sign from on high? Though of what?

No electricity, no vote?

How I wish that people would respond this way, but I know it is not going to happen. Despite all the frustrations of constant power outages, everyone just grumbles, and gets on with life. Those who have the money use their generators - and they are noisy, especially if one is not a good sleeper, and the thing is less than 20 metres away from one's bedroom.

The rest resort to rechargeable lamps (but most don't last all night) or kerosene lanterns (the quality seems to have definitely gone done since I came to Ghana) or candles. Each has its own issues. With a rechargeable lamp, you do need electricity, unless it's solar, in which case you need the sun, and to bring it in before dusk or before it rains. Yes, I have forgotten my solar lantern until after dark, and yes, it has been drenched during a tropical rain.

Charging the rechargeable lanterns does take about 12 hours, so even if you take to work, it probably won't fully charge. Ditto using a cigarette lighter in the car - which I did last week in desperation. Solution: we now have five rechargeable lanterns, plus one solar. And for the rest, it is the kerosene lanterns, candles and flashlights/torches.

Buying kerosene isn't straightforward either - or maybe it is just that I find it quite difficult to get a hold of, involving visits to several fuel stations, and wasting lots of fuel in the process. Sigh...

Not surprising electricity supply is on my mind as last week we had no power for almost 72 hours - including three nights. And yesterday the lights were off for more than 12 hours - again by the time I came home, and for me it makes evenings tense, rather than relaxing and a time to wind down. I can't read for long, and at a certain stage there is nothing else to do but wash, go to bed, listen to the radio and go to sleep. Not my idea of a particular productive time! I was NOT a happy bunny

Yet no one seems to publicly mind. I guess that is why I would like to see a handwritten or handpainted sign that says "no electricity, no vote?"

Ghana elections

A comment from frustrated voters in an area of Accra

Hairdressers and the little things in life

Funny how small things matter more as I grow older, and probably more stuck in my ways, and maybe lacking the variety there used to be. It was time to cut my hair – I really shouldn’t leave it for more than four or five weeks, but sometimes I do for all sorts of reasons – including procrastination, feeling I have other more important things to do and/or spend my money on…

When I first came to Accra I asked a fellow obroni about hairdressers that did hair for non-Africans and basically settled on one at Osu. There were changes and a few times I went somewhere else, as one of the staff set up her own place. It was a bit of a pain though to go rather further, although the problem was more mine than anyone else’s.

Having decided it was that time, I called my usual place in Osu – on both landline and mobile, and no answer…. Did it again a few days later, and the same… So I decided to physically go there, which is what I would have done at first not so long ago when there weren’t mobile phones and landlines for the most part didn’t work.

It was all locked up, and no signs anywhere, and when I asked from the shops next door, I was told they had closed down – in September? Looking back, I guess I wasn’t too surprised, as there hadn’t seemed to be many customers around whenever I went. I guess there are more alternatives now, and perhaps different ways of being known – plus the lure of the new Accra mall does attract a lot of foreigners.

I was sad though, as I always found people there pleasant and relatively efficient. And A was always full of chat, which was rather nice… I wonder what she is doing – is she in Ghana? Or outside with her family?

Oh, well, found another alternative – again somewhere that was mentioned to me a long time ago, but I never followed up. Very convenient to work though, which is always a plus. And when I went in to make enquiries about making an appointment, they definitely won brownie points by suggesting that they could do my hair immediately. I emerged rather happier with myself, and as others were complimentary on the result, that made my day!

Detours to get home

For nearly a week access to the main road – or rather the side area of it – was blocked as deep trenches were being dug, and large water pipes were being laid. A big nuisance, even though we had all seen it coming for several weeks, or even months. But then, how to get home? It did mean taking going the long way round, via a rough unpaved road, full of deep gulleys and in some cases some rather unsettling rocks which had been put in to fill the depressions… Funnily enough in the five years I have lived here, I have never used either of the two alternative routes I had to, so that was interesting, though I managed to lose one of the wheel covers on my car. That did not make me happy.

Initially the first day the junction was blocked the company responsible carefully put up white and red plastic to tell vehicles that the road was closed. That only lasted two days- and it did make me wonder as to who removed them? It was kind of fun going along and having people tell me that the road was closed, and my mouthing that it was OK, or even rolling down the window, and telling them I was going to my house – both in English and my disastrous attempt at Twi!

I guess Engaa Street is a relatively useful road, as it does actually connect with other places, and not peter out into a dead-end, like so many others in Accra. It could definitely do with some grading though. Gutters were dug about four years ago – but they were soon washed away in many places, and where the concrete gutters were done, they have started to erode.

But now it looks as if the big pipes are being connected to the smaller subsidiary ones, so maybe we will have water through our pipes rather than having to rely on tankers! That would be great, cos I am really, really tired of having to buy water every week. Not to speak of the cost, which is considerable. And as P said, tanker water service really is horribly inefficient, and environmentally degrading (given all the diesel consumed!)

Almost a week with electricity!

Last week was pretty bad - for all sorts of reasons, but mostly because of the electricity being off for five nights and much of six days. OK I was at work during the week, but it is incredibly depressing to come home from a day at work, and wanting to relax, only to find that the lights are still off. And naturally half of the rechargeable lamps are not working - all right most of them are pretty lousy, and obviously meant for occasional use, not the constant use we can give them. Then we more or less ran out of kerosene, and even the kerosene lanterns and lamps we have don't work properly. Sigh. Oh, and I forgot, only one of the solar lanterns works, and even that didn't charge on some days, because it was so gloomy and raining. And I had forgotten I had some packets of candles, so we had to buy more of those! So whatever way, I couldn't really win. I guess it is time to invest in some new lamps of all sorts.

There were funny elements - carrying two or three chargers to work - for a lamp and phones, with all the trailing cables. I remembered too late that one of them was supposed to work in the car, but obviously some of the brain cells had gone off with the electricity.

And then there is all the food which went bad. The fridge was the first to be cleaned out - though I have found that yogurt which is definitely spoiled for ordinary eating will still do fine in cakes! [Waste not, want not, as my mother would say!]. Then the freezer - after three days that needed to be cleared out too - since we tend to store a whole lot of food in the freezer rather than in the fridge. And everyone uses the freezer as basically a slightly colder version of the fridge!

We went to ECG on two mornings - and we were not alone in our irritation (and lack of ironed clothes!) and they did promise to do something about it - only it happened on their time, and not ours.

We don't have a generator, though the house next door to us does, though it didn't work very consistently, and it is horribly noisy... Advantage: you do get some lights from their outside security lights... Major disadvantage: interrupted sleep!

So that's probably why I didn't feel more rested during this whole period - even though I was going to bed earlier than normal...

My gripe for the week? month?

Olympics and Ghana

Why do I feel that it has been rather quiet on the Ghanaian media front (except maybe from a few sports journalists?) regarding Ghana's contingent to the Olympics? I hardly heard anything about the group, and who they were, and their strengths/weaknesses/preparations/hopes/fears, plus of course those of their coaches. And then there is the question to how many "officials" went along with nine competitors? Not to speak of those who accompanied President Kufuor on his trip...

When will we ever learn? or is this just another case of the last minute? Isn't this now the time to be thinking, and preparing for 2012? and maybe 2016? Who is out there looking at the kids of 10-12 to see their potential, and help to mature it.

Lousy language, I know, but this is really bugging me.

Not a foodie

I am not a foodie, but I do like food and eating and reading about food and cooking. And even watching food programmes on TV! Yet, I will eat most of what is put in front of me, without fussing too much – unless it is absolutely spoiled, or too much salt or too much pepper…

I like baking, and cooking non-everyday meals. So there is the sweet and the savoury. And I like both, but then I have to deal with the likes and dislikes of those living with me. R is fine. Even since he’s been ill he’s been pretty much able to eat almost anything we give him, as long as it doesn’t require too much chewing. That does bother him, even with his new teeth! And he does have a very sweet tooth, and will eat lots of cakes and other nice things, with anything to drink – again preferably sweet. Sometimes he does ask about coffee, but most of the time he doesn’t remember.

Last Sunday I made a new cake recipe – sent to me by Z, K’s girlfriend. I think K said it was sort of adapted from a recipe in Joy of cooking which it is, but it was OK just doing part of it. The plain yellow cake went down pretty well with everyone, though I misgauged the oven again! That was just the small one with the leftover. But the main one was the hot yellow cake, drenched with a mixture of milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk, and then put in the freezer for a couple of hours. It should have gone into the fridge, but there was no room…It was very sweet and moist. Next time I think I will put less sugar in the main cake though. The sad thing is that most of the hordes didn’t really like it, apart from R and Ro – both of whom will eat anything sweet. So next time, I guess I will make it for those of us who like such things, and keep the plain one for the rest.

I bought some fresh coriander outside Saagar in Osu. It does have a wonderful smell, and makes salads taste special. I really do like it. Gives a kind of middle Eastern tang to a salad...

Accra Shopping Mall

The Accra Shopping Mall was finally officially opened last Friday - even though there are still several spaces that are covered by the construction companies labels, but Accra has been and will continue to be patient. I guess the shops are being "dripped" to us the consumers one by one - sometimes there are tantalizing notices advertising the coming of one or another retail store, but sometimes not. So every weekend is in theory a discovery of something new?



From what I hear the rents are fairly high - at least for Accra - which has rather limited the local companies. And I do wonder how some of them are going to cover their costs, as there don't seem to be that many customers around - at least when I am there! But maybe they come in their numbers at other times... It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so.



I do wish that the movie theatre would be completed sometime. I guess it is the thought of being able to see a movie on a large screen that is tantalizing, instead of watching stuff on DVD (usually a pirate) or on satellite TV.



The other beef - shared by many I suspect - is the traffic control, and getting in and out of the Mall by car. I've learned my lessons the hard way; I refuse to hit the Mall after 11am on a Saturday or noon on a Sunday. Having spent nearly an hour and a half in total gridlock trying to get out twice, that was it. No more. I go there mid-morning on Saturdays... Combined with the chaos on the Spintex Road, with a not exactly wonderfully designed interchange, one does have to plan one's exit times. Will anything change or be improved? Well, we will see...

VAT receipts?

Last week I bought a service, and as it was not from the market, I asked for a receipt. And what I was given really shocked me. The receipt looked like something anyone could buy from a roadside stationery shop, with no stamp on it, and nothing to indicate that the service I had bought came from a particular company. I asked for a VAT receipt, and surprisingly got quite a confusing comment back about how much the receipt would be for, and how much service credit I would receive. I was torn, I admit it. Should I go for the cheap option, which obviously meant that my transaction did not go through that part of the accounting books that are seen by or submitted to the VAT service? No, I decided to stick it out, and after waiting for another 20 minutes got my VAT receipt.

But the experience did make me wonder, as it is not the first time that a similar type of incident has happened. How many times are people offered a choice: I can give you an ordinary receipt for x amount, or a VAT receipt, but you will have to pay an extra 15% or 3% (depending on what the rating is, or maybe which receipt book the company has)...

Yes I understand that the business environment isn't easy here, but nor is it for those of us who earn salaries and have taxes deducted at source...

Getting internet access at home

Even though I have access to the internet at work, for a while I have wished that I could also have it at home. Tried one of the local ISPs - OneTouch - with a wireless modem, but I think my laptop is getting a bit old, and the connection with the USB port seemed not to work most of the time.

Saw a good deal with iBurstAfrica who have recently come onto the scene here in Accra, and am seeing how that works out. I don't want to say anything really, apart from "I am keeping my fingers crossed", "touching wood" and all those kinds of things. I know I shouldn't be so superstitious, but in such matters I am.

Maybe this will inspire me to express myself a bit more online?