June 17

He just stood there like an imp staring at me. But I really wanted to know. Why does their GhC5 dish of fufu come with one piece of chicken, and an extra piece of same size chicken cost GhC2? So what, the fufu element of the dish is GhC3? That morsel! Ok, and the service, but come on! Bro Nii, the lad introduced as manager, didn’t have any answer, or explanation, or comment, or excuse, nothing for this aggrieved customer! O, I felt so like a customer; bruised, used, abused and exploited! I had had quite a good reception at ‘Le Jardin’, this cozy ‘green’ eatery next to Jack & Jill School at Airport Residential Area. It’s so nicely tucked behind plants and shrubbery you tend to forget there’s traffic nearby. And I had a Muscatella! It was ice cold and refreshing, reminiscing. That drink is so ‘Ghana!’ I know people abroad who hide some under their bed and drink it only on rare occasions, and they make such a moment of it too. I savoured the one I had here, as well as their groundnut soup. It was nice, but never again will I subject myself to another such thievery from this ‘Le Jardin’ place! I don’t mind paying a fiver for a meal, but I do mind, when portions just don’t add up! And Bro Nii offered no reprieve for how I felt, he just watched me walk away, a very unhappy customer!
The music was nice and loud this Saturday night. It was after the blessed showers in the early evening that had cushioned me into bed I found myself gravitated once again to Rhapsody’s! Mia, their charming Supervisor who ensures everybody is well looked after, smiled at me again today. She’s always floating around the place, clearing tables and checking on her customers, making them feel like clients! One moment she was here, serving a Long Island cocktail, the next, she was over there, handing over a shot of something swig to someone, and giving them also a smile!
And I was in great company tonight, sipping a mix of cocktails with Rachael, Joel, Theresa and Iyiola! The room was buzzing with a mill of people, all happy faces, animated, eyes telling wild stories that evoke belly-deep laughter. Everyone was holding one interestingly sculptured glass or the other, or one filled with contents that begged to be licked!
Apparently, it was the ‘official’ opening of the joint that’s livened up the north-east end of town in the last several weeks. I gate-crushed!
Now, those living at the Spintex and East Legon areas can have somewhere fabulous to hang out. Like I said the other day, this joint is so retro in style, and attitude, that you cannot be ‘stiff’ - you know, pose and poke your nose in the air as if your mouth reeked of some bad odour - for more than five minutes once you are here. I saw many of our regular ‘stiff’ set loosened up considerably, laughing and even bopping their head to the wacky but utterly appropriate tunes being churned out by Rodney Savage and co, the Soul n Motion crew. The selection was so apt, so cosmopolitan and multi ethnic, like the atmosphere, for a moment I thought it was DJ Blow at the ‘turn-tables’! It turns out freewheeling Blow - after his debacle with Atlantis, - was actually swigging it out at Champs inside Paloma on Ring Road, holding another bunch of happy people hostage, subjecting them to the Saturday Night Fever jig, and singing along in loud Guinness banter! Apparently, he does this there, courtesy tiGO, every other Saturday and its all fun with wacky antics! I’m there next Saturday!
But back here at Rhapsody’s, I see the room is filling up more, and people are having to brush against each other to pass. It didn’t take long for me to become tipsy, from downing some of the innocent looking Long Islands – iced tea laced with some polite unsuspecting intoxicants – and needing to use the loo, I’m calculating how many steps and maneuvers I must make to get to the washroom. After gauging cautiously, I move, with military precision, hoping no one notices my uncommon sways, - or if they do, they were all in the same mode - and advanced gallantly.
As I zip up, I find myself in front of the curious looking aluminum fountain that stands as the basin for washing hands! It has a dedicated ‘manager’ and, trust me, this ‘manager’, if she were not available would cause many of us to become yokels! And it would be particularly those ‘stiff’ ones among us who would look most sheepish for not being able to operate it. The thing looks like a space ship, with buttons and protruding taps dispensing soap, and holes flushing water, all confusing, and if you ask me, most impractical. It’s so not functional. It’s nice, good even, as a decoration but not so much as a device for washing hands!
So earlier in the day last Saturday morning, I ventured at the Holy Spirit Cathedral for the funeral of my friend, the late actor Owusu Ansah. His was such a hard one to take. Death! It’s so final, with no chance to re-play, re-think or re-late. I was sorry I didn’t hold the last conversation we had beyond ‘Hi, hope you good!’ Maybe, I could have made him know how much his friendship meant to me too. Alas, I have no other chance to show this now. That’s what hurts.
here were so many people at the funeral. Indeed, many of them were the inquisitive lot, people who just wanted to be able to say they were there too. Many were also just ‘Star gazers’, so that when Jackie Appiah, the actress and Face of IPMC branding, came to hug me hello, several pairs of eyes shot stares at me, wondering who the ‘ell I was! I stepped away from her, and gave her back to ‘them’ to feast their curiosity! But the stares didn’t stop!
Have you ever done the ‘Fete de la Musique’ celebration at the Alliance Francaise? You’ve been missing one of the most culturally uplifting events in Ghana. Live band music, a colourful array of people, and at the Paillotte –the bar – grills and cold beers!
This year, the lead performer is the inimitable Sydney who will be splashing out ‘Africa Moniee’! Neo-traditional music group Hewale Sounds, the celestial Tema Youth Choir, sultry songstress Bebie Brew and Legal Stranger Black Prophet are all on the bill. Now, take that for an amalgamation of music styles and it’s on this afternoon from 4!

July 5

Nii Lante reminded me how his tribesmen have a pronunciation problem with, is it the letter h? Or is it a? He was giving directions to a friend of mine on the phone to come to Kokrobitey where I was this Sunday afternoon. it was difficult to get a position to stand where I could get network service except where he was manning the grill. Expecting a call, I left the phone with him to answer and give directions to the caller.
Walking towards him, I heard him as he gave the directions. “Yes, if you come forward small, you go see the signboard him wrote Cresta Hatrantic!” Hey, sturdy, young man! I looked at him. He was so eager to assist. “You fit hask anybody for there, or follow the harrow!” I wore an expressionless look and regarded him askance! ‘What?!’ I was bursting inside. I grit my teeth. I didn’t want to laugh out loud. So, looking away, I gave out a mighty minute long grin, releasing some of the hilarity from the bottom of my belly, and turned back to face him with my poker face!
I like it here at Kokrobitey. Not because I often hear the likes of Nii. My sister has this fabulous beach house that we often come to, to unwind. Away from the crowd, it is always peaceful, particularly when the day is not a holiday. On holidays, too many people throng there to the beach, and make it too busy. But this afternoon, having been travelling all over with my ‘Ethiopian’ entourage from last week, I went to there to rest the day away. And it turned out to be a wonderful day.
On Friday, we had made the hour long ‘voyage’ up the Accra-Tema motorway to the ‘Lake District’ – the Akosombo area! Lush, green with breathtaking views, we went up to the balcony at the Volta Hotel to catch a glimpse of the famous Dam in all its glory! There, it lay bare, huge, looking as magnificent as ever!
Nothing beats a leisurely cruise afloat the largest man-made lake in the world! - Lake Volta - with the ubiquitous Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku, Ghana’s steel marvel of the 1960s, a suspension bridge that is well-structured and beautiful, set as background for many picture perfect images! And though we did not go on a cruise on the lake, a stopover at the beautiful Afrikiko Resort nearby further exposed the lake, and gave us the chance to write our own poetry with it! Still, serene and picturesque, it painted a thousand different stories, ours included!
Then we discovered this new place, 10km away from Akosombo at Atimpoku called the Sajuna Beach Club. At first, I wondered how there could be a beach in the area, but then I realized it’s just the name of the club. It’s a fine place, with a playground for outdoor games! There’s an area for a 6-a-side soccer, volley and such, and a short lagoon that joins the lake set up for canoeing, and a pool for water squash, and trampoline all set with the expanse of the lake as backdrop.
A picnic area set under the big tree in the centre, close to the water creates the perfect atmosphere for quaint dinning, and here we sat to nibble on some snacks we had packed, some chicken and salmon in paninis and bagels from Melting Moments. This is the life, and we didn’t want it to end, but too soon, it did.
We took the scenic route back to Accra, up the mountains, the Akwapim-Togo ranges, through Adukrom and Asesseso, then Akropong and Aburi, cruising along the new dual carriage road with the capital spread on the planes in the horizon as we descended!
We overslept, when we tried to catch a short nap before going to the Alliance Francaise, where together with the French Embassy, they were presenting F. Nii Yartey’s Noyam African Dance Institute in a piece entitled the ‘Spirit of Dance’! So it was that, just as we sat down, amid a grand applause with cat-calls, the cast came on stage, hand-in-hand to take a bow! We weren’t amused at all! But we laughed at ourselves, and continued to do so even as we sunk into the cozy chairs at the lobby bar of The African Regent Hotel for coffee. Outside, a band played the night away in an animated and enthused fashion at the poolside with a mill of happy people.
Indoors, the sound was muted, but a Larry Otoo painting of musicians on the wall to my left kept drawing my attention! It had such movement, and each time I looked at it, it played me the song of my mood. Larry Otoo, he’s such a fine artist. Lately, I’m seeing more of his incredible works in public places, and that gladdens my heart. About time our art permeated our community! There are a few of his works at Berj Gallery at Ringway where I often go just to see. And there was some also at Auntie Frances’ The Loom, which last Saturday opened a unique exhibition that commences the eightieth milestone commemoration of the lady who started it all some 40 odd years ago, Mrs Ademola, who doesn’t look a day older than 60! On through the month, ‘Celebrating 80’ shows some great works and artists such as Otoo, Nana Amu Fleischer-Djoleto, Heather Badger among many others!
So the week ended with dinner at the cozy Piccaso restaurant inside Crown Apartmento Hotel at Airport Residential, serving their inimitable popular dish – the Fristo Mixto! A platter of seafood; of grilled sole fish, calamari’s that melt in your mouth and lobsters or shrimps, depending on what available on the market, tonight, shrimps! As I sat observing my guests enjoying it, I knew the chef had lived up to make this dishes’ appeal consistent. We returned the plate to them cleaned, with just scales and bones.
I’m off again now. This time I’m exploring the Axim area.

Sept 27

Today, I’m feeling completely frivolous. It’s as though thinking of the Joy ‘Old School reunion’ gig which takes place this afternoon has set my mood. Unconsciously I guess. I shudder to imagine the sort of foolish things some of the people who often attend this event “jimi –ready” have in store for us today! Those young boys - and girls! - who wear all manner of silly apparel including cross dress, all in the name of having fun! Don’t we all have a little bit of such ‘adventure’ in us! A sort of escapade! Go on, admit it. A tiny little weenie bit! Only if we had the courage to live it, even if it’s only for a day, or a few hours like the ‘Reunion’ offers us! Me, I enjoy observing these people just misbehave! It brings back a lot of memories of school days when during inter-house sport competitions we would bring out a bit of this idiocy in us! I just love singing along to the ‘jama’ sounds and whistling! Did I hear my old school ask that they bring some intellectual games to this event? Like Chess?! Come on, Motown! Let your hair down! It’s a day of frivolity, merriment, lightheartedness, a day when we can all embrace each other and just dance and laugh with old school mates and strangers with abandon, for crying out loud! Chill out!
Now, you know I don’t really go on so much about one thing, but I have to share this again. I had too much fun at the Disco Session with DJ Blow last Friday at the Impulse Night Club much to my own surprise! At one time, I think I must have been on the dance floor for over 30 minutes and in spite of feeling tired – it’s sad to realize one is pushing on in age (sob, sob) – both Adwoa Serwaa, my crazy dancing partner and I would be revived, utterly rejuvenated each time DJ Blow drops another ‘anthem’! We’d go, “hey, this one... I remember...” And then we’d try to do the dance of the era of the song, like the ‘messup’ or ‘shoe-shine’ or ‘the Gbojos!’ remember that one? And when we started the dance-train, everyone joined in and we just had a ball! The rotating Mirror Ball also made it all surreal, and on occasion, I thought I was at Keteke or Maharani! O! What fun we had. On again this Friday, I shall represent once more, as the dancing is actually helping to tighten my previously aching joints! I like it that the session begins early, and it’s free entry between 6pm when it starts and 8. A cover is charged thereafter, and ends aptly at midnight. Good enough time for me drive home safely as there’ll still be a few cars on the road! These days you don’t want to be driving around too late! And, it’s also nice to see so many people dressed decently in a club!
Now, did you also hear Komla on BBC World Service? I mean, World! There’s a difference. There’s BBC Network Africa service and there’s BBC World Service. Our ‘Boss Player’ has moved on from Network Africa, and has become, get this, the first African to be a presenter on BBC World! That is something! I mean, Ghana, we chalk so many firsts, and Komla has made another illustrious one for us! I celebrate him! I’m so proud of him. On the BBC website, he’s mentioned as The World Today’s Komla Dumor. Now, that’s absolutely nice.
So, do you have social confidence? I like to think that I do. If you think you don’t, there’s a good chance for you to rectify it. Ha, well, if you switch toothpaste to Close Up, you’ll find you’ll have so much of it, you can even grow close to a partner for a dance of Salsa! You know, that passionate dance form that brings people close together. With Salsamania taking over the capital, there’s a big carnival, the ‘Close Up Salsa Fiesta’, coming to the Round Pavilion at Trade Fair Centre soon. I hear it will feature some 10 Salsa clubs from around town whose groups and couples will make presentations for marking by some experts who will select the best. As organizer Tess tells me, the mouth is central to all communication, and if it is Close Up clean, you can better communicate, whether it’s through talking or through dancing Salsa! So get the toothpaste and dance!
Talking about dancing, wondering where the dancehall king of Ghana is, I’ve just called Samini to find out what he’s been up to and he’s telling me how excited he is to be in the studio, putting the finishing touches to a new album. “It will feature some great variety of new stuff, including some songs in Dagarti!” he says. Well, hurry it Batman! Now, we miss you. Time was when he used to annoy me, this Samini, with his super cool style and stagecraft! When he’s performing, all the ladies would scream, and in his smooth style, he would deliver a show, making them talk about him all night! That is annoying to any guy, particularly those like me who sport a one-pack tummy! Well, now, I miss seeing him and his energy on stage, so it’s time he re-surfaced. “Soon,” says he. I wait impatiently.