One of the most interesting aspects
of Ghanaian culture is the food. Ghanaians have managed to do rice in more ways
than one—and they’re all delicious. My favorite rice variation is probably
jallof rice, which is essentially rice boiled in a tomato-based stew. It sounds
kind of strange but the rice soaks up all the spice and flavor from the stew
making it delectable. 
Among the more exotic dishes are
Kenkey and Banku. Both of these dishes are mainly cornstarch and are prepared
very similarly. What’s amazing is that the only difference in their preparation
is how long the starch is stirred with water. This very subtle difference makes
these two dishes taste very different but both are equally delicious. Kenkey
isn’t stirred as long, so it tends to be thicker. It is usually served with
ground pepper, onion, and some type of fish. The Banku on the other hand tends
to be softer and is served with different types of soup.
My favorite dish, however, is a
dish called Fufu. The fufu itself is nothing more than a special type of dough.
At first glance it resembles pizza dough but it is very different in both
texture and certainly taste. It is made traditionally by grinding cassava and
plantains. I was lucky enough to watch the process and it requires two people
to work intricately in-sync. One person must use a giant pistol and mash the
two ingredients together in a large wooden bowl while the other person turns
the flattened dough over in the time that the other person has lifted the pistol.
For those who want to enjoy fufu without the arduous labor can just by flour at
a local store and bake it sort of like a cake. Either way, it is delicious and
served with different types of soups. My favorite soup though is groundnut (a
‘knock-off’ peanut) soup.
While the cuisine is great, the
sights are even cooler. In addition to the cape coast castle I went to on week
one, I was able to visit the military museum in the middle of Kumasi. The
museum itself is the castle that the British built in the middle of Ghana’s
Ashanti region to defend themselves from Ashanti forces. Inside the castle, is
house to thousands of artifacts from Ghanaian, British, Dutch, Portuguese,
Italian, and Japanese military endeavors. It’s amazing to think of how much
history of the country is influenced by so many different world powers. I was
learning about Ghanaian history but it really felt like a lesson in world
history.
On a less educational excursion,
the other interns and I were able to go up to the countries northern regions to
go to Mole national park. It’s a reserve, owned by the government, which is
home to much of Ghana’s wildlife. I saw a wide variety of wildlife that unique
to the continent that I will never be able to see anywhere else. Most of the
animals I saw were during the day tour I went on. However, the night tour was
incredibly special because the lack of light pollution makes the sky look like
a planetarium. I’ve never seen so many stars at once and, needless to say, it
was absolutely beautiful. If you ever consider coming to Ghana, Mole National
Park is a must see.
I was also able to go to a local
village by the park. Ghana’s northern region is vastly different from its
southern areas. Literally everyone in the village was a farmer and they each
specialized in certain crops. Also within the village, I got so see different,
more domestic specialists. For example, there is one lady who makes shea butter
from scratch. When the shea farmers come with what they have reaped, she makes
enough shea butter for the entire village. There was also a medicine man that
concocts local medicines from local herbs in the area. I was baffled at how
these people were so self-sufficient and divided labor within the village so
strategically.
Hopefully it is clear by now that
Ghana is a country teaming with culture. The crazy thing is that all I have
just said barely captures all the awesome aspects of these people. My time here
is almost up but hopefully I can delve deeper into the immense ocean that is Ghanaian
culture before I go.
