Easter in Kwahu

In Ghana, Easter brings a nation-wide paragliding festival that happens on a mountain in the Easter Region called Kwahu. Leon and I decided to go, with our friends Victoria, Sky, and Sol. We didn't know where we were going and we had no place to stay other than my 3 person tent.

On the way to the station in Central Accra, I ran into a guy I know from the dance department and he took us where we needed to go, and saw us off on a tro-tro. Every time I am even the slightest bit lost there seems to be some Ghanaian person that helps me find my way and asks nothing in return. People are so generous with their time here. I know if I asked someone to show me directions in Vancouver, it is unlikely they would take me to the place I was looking for. I don't think I would either...

I had gone out to a party at the Canadian embassy the night before we left, so I had not done my laundry. I had no clean clothes left, so I washed a few shirts in the morning before we left and wore damp clothes when we left. It was nice actually, it kept me cool. I think I will start dipping my clothes in water before I go out.

The road was the worst I have ever been on. It was supposed to be a highway, but there was about a 2 hour section without cement, and with large potholes that forced the tro to drive about 20km/h. The trip that should have been about 3 hours took us about 6. On top of that, the road was all dry dirt, so we were driving in a dust storm for 3 hours. Our hair looked like we had dyed it dark red (the colour of the dirt here) and our clothes were visibly dirty. I won't even describe what it looked like when I blew my nose. And there were kids on the tro too. I was worried for their lungs.

Oh, and my seat in the tro-tro was a fold down seat that had no back except for a broken metal pole that used to support the back. I was sore by the end of the trip. But I forgot all about that as we were driving up the mountain. The sun was just setting, and the sky was starting to become dark, with pinks and purples. There were clouds. It was cooler on the mountain than in the valley. As we drive up the winding road, we had a view of the different plateaus of the mountain, totally forested, with the evening sky as its backdrop. It was so beautiful that I was not even concerned that it was almost dark and we had no place to stay.

We arrived in Mpraezo, the town we planned to stay in. It was hectic. It really was a festival. There were vehicles and people everywhere. Merchants, loud music, honking, flashing lights. It was a bit overwhelming, but I was happy to be swept up in the momentum.

As we expected, all the hotels were full. Leon, Victoria, and I had brought the 3 person tent to sleep in. Sky and Sol were supposed to meet up with friends but their plans fell through as we were climbing the hill. So we were now 5 with a 3 person tent. We decided to split up and search for a place to set up the tent. We went in two groups. Sky, Sol and I went one way; Leon and Victoria another.

We searched for the police station, so they could tell us where to go, but instead we ended up speaking with a man named Kofi, who told us he had a place for us to stay. We got into a taxi together, drove about 10 minutes out of town (yes, I was feeling a little uncomfortable at this point) to find an unfinished building that he said we could stay in. It had a room with a roof and bunk beds, but no lock on the door. There were already clothes in the room. I think someone else was staying there. It was not the best option.

Just at that moment, Leon and Victoria called and said they found a place with an old woman in the town. We hitch-hiked a ride back into town, met up with Leon and Victoria and started the most blessed weekend I have had in Ghana.

The family are among the people I cherish most in Ghana. Esther was the woman that Leon met. She invited us to stay. She is 23 and lives in Takoradi. She does traditional dance, writes her own gospel songs in Twi, and one of the most beautiful women I have met in Ghana - her looks and her personality.

The grandmother is named Charlotte, and she doesn't speak English. Leon and I have enough Twi that we were able to understand and communicate with her. She was very appreciative of that. Her son, who lived in London, had died not long ago. That weekend was his memorial. We found out later that the son was friends with many obrunis, and that our presence that weekend reminded Charlotte of her son. I do not think our presence there this weekend was a coincidence.

Angela was the young daughter. She is 8 years old, in class 2. She is the smartest little girl and so open. Her eyes are wide and bright, they cannot hide their curiosity and imagination. We all fell in love with all of them, but with Angela in particular. She was closest to Leon. It was nice to see him in that role, playing with her. Leon cares for people in a very deep and unique way. I was touched just to watch him and Angela play together.

There were two brothers, the older was named Emmanuel. He took a liking to me, and we played together a lot. He loved to do martial arts moves, and make funny noises like Arlan used to. Actually, Emmanuel was a like a young, Ghanaian version of Arlan. But less shy.

There were other family members too. Paulina, Jocelyne, Kwame, and a few others. They were all so open to our presence.

That night we went out to one of the many stages that had been set up around the town for the festival. We ate kebabs and danced azonto. Wherever we go, if we dance a little azonto, we start a flash mob of kids who want to watch us dance. This night was no exception. We were in the center of a crowd of kids who all dance better than us, and we danced azonto. It was great fun.

We all slept in a living room. In the morning, they prepared bread, Milo, and egg for us. My favourite breakfast in Ghana. We ate with Angela. To our surprise, Paulina, Angela, and Ethel decided to come up to the mountain with us to watch us paraglide. We ended up waiting all day and they never came around to us. They told us to come back the next day. We went home and had homemade fufu with the family. It was so delicious. Leon planned on attending church, so I decided I would go too. By the time the family was ready to go, we had missed the whole service. We arrived at the church as they were taking the Eucharist. We sat down, and they ended the service. Then we left.

That night we went to bed early. I was deciding whether I wanted to sleep or go join the party I could hear outside. I thought about it for a little while and fell asleep. No regrets.

Leon went to church the next morning, while we went back to the mountain. We waited the whole day again, with no success. Come back tomorrow they said. We got a refund instead. They all planned on leaving that night, but I decided to stay. They stayed too, because it was too late. That night was the best of all. We ate yam and sauce and then visited outside.

In gratitude for the weekend, we gave them family a card with some money in it. The moment was the most beautiful of the weekend. I grabbed Charlotte and Paulina's hand and stood holding their hand as Leon thanked them for their generosity in Twi. I have never heard Leon able to communicate such complex thoughts in Twi. It was a spiritual moment of gratitude and giving-back. There was something in that moment that calms me when I think about it. Then Charlotte blessed us in Twi. She told us about her son, about how we are always welcome at her house, and how grateful she was to have met us and shared Easter with us. It was one of those stop moments that I will never forget.

Leon told me after that he had been praying at the same moment that he met Ethel. He was praying that God put an angel in his path. And then Ethel was there. She truly was our angel. The whole night had a magic hanging above it. It was the best part of our weekend, one of the best parts of my time in Ghana. And it did not feel accidental.

Then we danced. We had a dance party, and we all danced in a circle. Some azonto. Some traditional African dance. Some free-style. It was fun and easy and everyone participated.
The night calmed down after that, with us playing little games with paper and rocks and whatever else was available.

At one point, Ethel sang us some of her songs that she had written in Twi. It fit right into the magical atmosphere of the night. Her voice was soft and unsure. It was too beautiful. Then Leon taught Ethel some salsa, and we all danced salsa - badly. I danced with Ethel, and we made up our own spinning dances. It was a very romantic moment.

Finally, Emmanuel and Angela became tired. Sky held Angela in her arms and I held Emmanuel and they both fell asleep. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend. I went to sleep that night feeling completely content. I didn't care that I didn't paraglide. My time with this family was the best way I could have spent my time.

Then the next morning, as everyone was loading onto the bus to go back to Accra, I decided to stay. I gave them my bags, and stayed in Mpraezo. I was going to go try paragliding one more time. The moment was so perfect. Ethel, Paulina, and Angela stood there shocked as they watched the bus drive away without me. I was happy to stay a while longer with them.

I never did paraglide, because the weather was bad. I have no regrets about my weekend though. It ended up exceeding my expectations in totally unexpected ways.