Ghana-isms

Two days ago, March 6th, Ghana celebrated its independence! This is a pretty big deal, as Ghana was only born 53 years ago. It was the first African country to achieve independence from Europe, under the leadership of “The Big 6”:

1. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
2. William Atta
3. Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey
4. Dr. Joseph Danquah
5. Edward Akufo-Addo
6. Ebenezer Ako-Adjei

It’s hard not to learn about these guys when you visit Ghana, because
- they’re on all the money, and
-the major roads/roundabouts in Accra are named after them.
So if you don’t know where Nkrumah circle or Danquah circle is, you’ll be lost as well as poorly-informed.

Nkrumah is the man you’ll hear the most about, because he served as the first president of Ghana. Like Ghana’s George Washington. Not only is he memorialized in the major circle of Accra, but there was also a museum and monument park built in his honor.

So, in honor of Ghana’s independence, the next few posts will be about unique “Ghana-isms” that I’ve learned while I’ve been here. Anyone spending more than a week in Ghana will probably hear at least some of them…...

Are you sure?

This may seem innocuous, but it isn’t used in the expected context. For instance, no one will ask you if you’re sure you want chocolate versus vanilla ice cream. Rather, they’ll catch you off guard like this:

Taxi driver: “So, are you German?”
Meghan: “No, I’m American.”
Taxi driver: “Are you sure?”

As if I don’t know where I’m from? Let’s try another example:

Medical student: “So why are you here in Ghana?
Meghan: “I’m doing research on HIV in the Children’s Block.”
Medical student: “For how long?”
Meghan: “8 months”
Medical student: “Are you sure?”

Hm. I hope I have my departure date correct. Since I’m the one who booked it!

I don’t exactly know what Ghanaians are going for when they ask this question. But they do it frequently. Maybe it’s just an icebreaker? Or maybe they have better ideas for me. I’m secretly a German girl who’s here in Ghana for 3 months. I’m slowly learning to face facts: Ghanaians are always right. Once you accept that, the rest of the Ghana-isms become amusing rather than frustrating. Woohoo!