What the Dickens?!

NB. Late post, written on Jan. 15, 2008. Did make it to the match; will post in subsequent posts.

Saw a sign post that reflected my mood today. It was an advertisement for a daycare/nursery. Had a good laugh as I thought it quite creative that someone would link Dickens to education in a sign in this way. Only in Ghana of course. A worthwhile cause though if you look at what they aim to do.

But I digress. Am in the middle of lack-of-football-CAN2008-tickets. SCREAM. It's official, I have football fever. Me. A non-soccer-watching-only-if-the players-are-cute-woman. Will watch the highlights, but no, never sat down to watch a game, even during the Reggae boys brief flirtation with fame. But here I am - hands clammy, heart-beat elevated, nervous shivers, the works, all because I can't get tickets for Sunday's opening match of the Black Starts against Guinea!

Got my hopes on on Wednesday as we had a memo from the Ministry saying that tickets would be available to the staff - we just had to indicate how many we needed before three that afternoon. Of course was one of the first in line, money in hand, orders ready. Waited in anxious anticipation - decided yes, was time to shop. Bought my flag, scoping out the t-shirts, deciding on a hat, even considering a drum! Then this morning got all of one , only one, of the fifteen tickets I ordered and my money back, no guarantee.

ARGH!

What the dickens is happening? Funnily enough this was the closest to a swear word or phrase I had ever heard my mother use when we were children. I have no idea where that evolved from or how that evolved, but yes, here was I repeating the same words - along with a few choice interjections.

On a brighter note had a good laugh at an article I read in one of the papers. Of course it's about the upcoming CAN 2008. Will share my fav section and give the URL for the rest of the article. A must read. Enjoy. Will continue to scout for tickets. Wish me luck!

The Gbagbladzas of Ghana
Also, can someone explain to me why all the African football teams are named after animals?
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroun.
The Desert Lions of Algeria. Or is that Morocco?
The Atlas Lions of Morocco. Or is that Algeria?
The Teranga Lions of Senegal.
The Simbas (Lions) of Tanzania.
The Elephants of Ivory Coast.
The Green Eagles of Nigeria.
The Cranes of Uganda.
The Black Mambas (Palancas Negras) of Angola.
The Zebras of Botswana.
The Crocodiles of Lesotho.
The Leopards of Zaire.
The Horses (Les etallons) of Burkina Faso
The Hawks of Togo.
There’s even the Squirrels of Benin!
If we had to switch the name of the senior football team to that of an animal, I wonder which would work for us: The Goats of Ghana? No, goats stink. The Sheep of Ghana? No, sheep are too meek. The Rats of Ghana? No, rats are destructive. The Mice of Ghana. Naaah, my daughter thinks mice are yacky.
The Nkotres of Ghana. Lizards are slippery and difficult to hit. A lizard’s tail will even live on its own for a while when separated from the body. It’s got that never say die spirit.
How about the Gbagbladzas of Ghana? That gets my vote. You see, cockroaches, I understand, will survive a nuclear meltdown. Now, that’s way up over and above never saying die. They simply don’t die. Period. I can imagine the BBC commentators at CAN 2008 trying to wrap their stiff upper lips round it: the Ge-ba-ge-blah-de-zars.

This was written by Kwaku-Addo Saki-Addo and can be viewed at: http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/columns_author_all.php?id=49 along with some of his other articles/columns.

No condition is....

I read somewhere once that tro-tros (aka minibuses/minivans) are as common on Ghanaian roads as potholes and I must say I can't disagree. To drive in Ghana you can't be susceptible to road rage. It just wouldn't make any sense. Venturing onto the road at any time of the day is sure to involve serious tactical driving as one swerves to avoid them, not knowing whether to scream obscenities in frustration - granted I would have to know them in the local language - or just shake you head and thank the stars for yet another lucky miss.
Confronting these vehicles on the road aside, it's actually quite amusing to read the inscriptions splayed across the back windows. This makes for interesting reading, especially in bumper to bumper traffic as you fight your way to or from work. These messages can be inspiring, God-fearing, ridiculous, and even down right undecipherable!
An all time favorite seems to be ' no condition is permanent' - very apt if you consider all the things one can often times complain about. I saw this one recently that reminded me that not even the spelling is in fact permanent but rather 'perminent'! (see pic left).
Another that had me cracking up was ' detamination' which I hope was really 'determination'. I hope you can make it out from the picture (right) - apologies but this was taken in the night and so the night so the focus from my phone wasn't very clear.
Other common ones are:
- Not by force
- Observers are worried
- Many are called, but I am chosen
- Naked I came
- Chastity is a lifestyle
- No man no cry
- Blackman, Blacksense
- Fear Woman and Grow old
- Your wife is not your life partner
- Six Feet at Last
- No Big English
- Travel and See
- No Jesus. No Life. Know Jesus. Know Life
- God Dey
- People doesn't know, but who will tell them.

And the list could go on.
Humor aside, I guess in some ways it is pretty much a social commentary on daily life and 'livity'. Though some of the names do leave me wondering exactly what they are commenting on and why. Would be interesting to talk to some of these tro-tro owners/drivers and ask the rationale behind some of these things.

Only in Ghana...

... will you perhaps see a sign that reads " For fridge and stove repaiers contact the shoe maker at republic hall".
Hmm, jack of all trades and master of ....well not spelling as that was how 'repaiers' was also written.
Made me smile this morning.