Yesterday Alice who is on placement here for one year as MSO (Management Support Officer) and I headed to another festival and by far my most favourite so far! As we rode the bike into the village our eyes were treated to a feast of bright colours absolutely everywhere and our ears were beating with the sound of stamping feet and chains! As we got off the bike I was unsure as to what reception we would receive, but immediately people were greeting us, shaking our hands and welcoming us to their festival! We were walked right up to the dancing and given a front row view of it all, which meant me being me I took the opportunity to snap away...
Throughout the afternoon we found an ever-growing group of very friendly children attaching themselves to us and wanting to hold our hands, which was just lovely!
And I even found myself being asked to take my clothes off as it is tradition for women to wear towels or cloth to the festivals, definitely not long trousers as I was!
I was also asked by a local man if I have a husband, which is a very regular thing here for men to ask! They have no concept of girlfriends and boyfriends in Ghana so when a man and a woman start a relationship they just refer to each other as husband and wife! Now I learnt early on (the hard way) not to give my number out to anyone, even on a professional level and to most definitely lie and say I have a husband otherwise men will just pester all the time phoning to greet and ask you to meet up with them!! Obviously this is all just with a view to you becoming their Western wife, bringing them money and status! Furthermore the concept of monogomy is not one practised by Ghanaian men so even if a man has a wife he will still try to find himself more women to have relationships with! Women however, as is so often the case in these situations, are most definitely not allowed to be with other men and must stay faithful to only their husband regardless of his behaviours! Now I wonder which bright spark came up with that rule eh?!
So before I enter fury again...with yet another festival under my belt, I am gearing up for Tengzug festival tomorrow, which will no doubt be fabulous simply for it's rocky setting and famous shrines...an update will follow as soon as poss...!
I was also asked by a local man if I have a husband, which is a very regular thing here for men to ask! They have no concept of girlfriends and boyfriends in Ghana so when a man and a woman start a relationship they just refer to each other as husband and wife! Now I learnt early on (the hard way) not to give my number out to anyone, even on a professional level and to most definitely lie and say I have a husband otherwise men will just pester all the time phoning to greet and ask you to meet up with them!! Obviously this is all just with a view to you becoming their Western wife, bringing them money and status! Furthermore the concept of monogomy is not one practised by Ghanaian men so even if a man has a wife he will still try to find himself more women to have relationships with! Women however, as is so often the case in these situations, are most definitely not allowed to be with other men and must stay faithful to only their husband regardless of his behaviours! Now I wonder which bright spark came up with that rule eh?!
So before I enter fury again...with yet another festival under my belt, I am gearing up for Tengzug festival tomorrow, which will no doubt be fabulous simply for it's rocky setting and famous shrines...an update will follow as soon as poss...!
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