Fetish Priest Online

I met someone the other day who said that it seemed Ghanaians don't really use the Internet. Of course a lot of people don't have access to the net, but at the same time a surprisingly large body of people regularly frequent Internet cafes, was my feeling. However, I think I have found the perfect example of that Internet IS being used by Ghanaians. So proudly presenting a very exciting and well made website for the Fetish Priest Kwaku Bonsam.

The site has pictures, contact information and writings about Kwaku himself. In the long list of services Kwaku offers you can find treatment against proverty, barrenness and to obtain Visas to go abroad (!).

In an interview for a newspaper he was asked how he received his powers. Kwaku tells the story of how he helps a sick man he found lying on the street to the hospital. As a thank you the man gave Kwaku his address and asked him to come visit.

I followed the address and it took me to the North, way after Navrongo.

I finally got to him at a village and after a brief stay, he gave me something and said what he was giving me would send my name very far and no one can bring me to shame in my entire lifetime and that my children would inherit the blessings of what he was giving me.

At that time I did not know what it was and I was a little disappointed because I thought he was going to give me some money for the help I gave him; rather he gave me a deity.

The next day I threw it away but it came back to me and that made me a little scared. I then threw it in a manhole but the manhole exploded and it came back to me again.

Then there was this time I went to witness a fetish dance and I got possessed and started to perform wonders for the first time.

Every week here in Ghana, I hear references to this spiritual world with its spiritual solutions to real problems. I find it really interesting that this traditional world has here taken the leap into the World Wide Web.

Some might say it is just business as usual, a healer who "perform wonders" for money, just with a new type of marketing. Yeah, maybe. Still, I couldn't resist the temptation of signing up for the traditional fetish mailing list. Can you?

Blogs in Ghana THE FULL LIST

Since some time back I have had a mission to draw together bloggers in Ghana. Reasons for this being a mix of sheer curiosity of the people behind the words and a vague feel of that we could maybe work together in some way.

So far my accomplice and myself have found 13 bloggers blogging out of Ghana. We have set up two fruitful meetings and the next one is planned for beginning of October. At the first bloggers meet-up, we decided to make it easier for you readers to find us, hence we now present the feeds collection Ghanablogging.com. Here you can find the most recent posts from all our blogs thanks to David.

Are you a Ghana blogger not included? Please send me an email!

Election Fever in Ghana

They are all the same!

The esteem for politicians is not all that high in Ghana. Some of the sentiments, I can relate to, maybe it is the universal gossip about the boss, but what is different here is the accusation of everyday corruption. My fellow Ghanaians blame their politicians for “chopping money” – meaning eating it as in buying big cars and offices for themselves, or giving contracts to relatives who know little about building roads/hospitals/etc. or simply spending more time outside Ghana talking than in Ghana making change.

The elections are coming up in December and the frontrunners are Nana Akufo-Addo and Professor John Atta Mills. Akufo-Addu is the flag bearer of the ruling NPP and Mills is currently in opposition with NDC.

I am planning to write one post each week about the election fever until we know who is the new president of Ghana.

Thankful in Traffic

In the quite chaotic Ghanaian traffic there are a number of things that brighten my day. These days we tend to mostly complain about the many car crashes, the traffic jams, people failing to adhere to traffic rules and regulations or the regulators of the traffic flows being outright silly.

As a counter balancing act I here will list my favorite elements of the Ghanaian traffic, you are welcome to add to it!

1. People are friendly and will let you in to any queue, no matter how slowly it moves, if you give a sign like twitching your headlights or raising your eyebrows.
2. Funny vehicles like the pearly white Mercedes with the Registration "JESUS 1" (Oh Lord, won't you buy me...), the itsy-bitsy small truck that is loaded with chocolate (Think Ompa-Lompas) or the hot pink pick-up (Barbie's car!).
3. If you make a mistake, there is room for it, because mistakes happen all the time...
4. When reversing out from a tight spot there is always someone there to direct you.
3. FAVORITE The random messages displayed in the back windows of the public transport Tro-tro's, like the one in the picture above, "THEY ACT AS LOVERS".

What do you make of that?

Im clueless. Is it an accusation? A biblical message? A warning to the public? A general statement being true in different situations?

Thinking about this I have a happier and even a bit thankful drive to work.

Important Vacation

In three short weeks I had time to meet up with a bunch of friends and family members, eat "sill" and "kräftor", take walks on the beach and talk, talk, talk in Swedish. It is extremely important to reconnect with your base as an expatriate. This I've learned from among other aliens Agneta Nilsson, founder of the SWEA. She is able to live in two worlds (LA and Sweden) by sustaining her contacts in Sweden even though she lives in the US since many years.

I feel better grounded now somehow, I know my friends still care for me even though I moved away and a further reassurance was the gut feeling that came to me already when I walked to the gate for the Accra flight last Sunday - it is clear that Ghana is my home now.

My lovely vacation is hereby over and there are a lot of things to sink my teeth into back in Ghana. Among others a slow launch of the website aponkye.com, a new go at my migration research proposal and a Ghana bloggers meet up on Thursday.