A Visit to Asokore
After spending the week in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, I decided to spend the weekend in Asokore, a village 45 minutes away from Kumasi. On Friday, I was excited to tell my students about my travels. They questioned why I wanted to go to Asokore. For many here, it may considered a boring place, since there's not much going on except for visiting a neighbor or two, or finding a T.V. in someone's window to watch. But, for me, it is like my second home, since 5 years ago...that is where I spent 5 months of my time teaching.
While I am enjoying my time in the city of Kumasi, surrounded by a warm and loving family....with the cutest two girls who I've adopted as my own.......I was looking forward to new scenery....and the quiet that the village usually brings. I say usually due to the following:
After arriving in Asokore around 7 p.m....I was greeted by the younger brother I never had.....Ibrahim....a former student of mine whom I've stayed in contact with for the last 5 years. After saying my hellos to the neighbors and anyone who wanted to converse with an "obroni"......I was able to sit down for some time and eat plaintains and kontumbre (a spinach like vegetable) with Ibrahim and his family. After my belly was satisfied...all I was longing for then was a cold bath and long, restful sleep. The cold bath was no problem.....since I haven't yet come in contact with a shower with hot water. Though, I 'm not looking either..since from the moment I get up till the time I go to sleep...I seem to be sweating. I envy my African friends who say they are cold while my face is covered with beads of sweat!
After my cold bath, I was ready for a good night sleep. After catching up on some conversation with Ibrahim and his family, I made my way to my bed....looking forward to a quiet and restful sleep. Well, once again...I was quickly reminded that I wasn't back in my bed in NY...where I could hear a pin drop in the middle of the night. Here...it was quite the opposite! See, about 2 hours before going to bed, I made a comment to Ibrahim about the great lively music I was hearing as we walked to his house. He reminded me that a funeral was taking place. A funeral to me means sorrow, tears and quiet. In Ghana, the word funeral takes on a whole new meaning!
It is tradition in Ghana, within the Christian religion, to have an ongoing celebration when a person dies, filled with music, dancing and drinking. Ongoing is defintely what happened that night. As soon as my head hit the pillow......I remembered the loud music that I walked through just a few hours earlier. While it was enjoyed then, since I love to hear African music, it was now my time to sleep, which I realized wasn't going to come easy. I'm not sure if I slept all that night...and if so...it couldn't have been more than a total of 30 minutes. The whole night, the bass of the music surrounded me.....no where to escape but into my ears! I thought at least they would quit sometime before midnight......not thinking the funeral would persist until my breakfast hour the next morning. For a quick second during the night, the music did shut off. I figured it was "lights off", which could happen at any time in Asokore, no notice of the electricty being cut off. It was the first time I was actually wishing for that to happen...since then the funeral would have to come to a close....what's a funeral in Ghana without music? I guess I didn't wish hard enough...since the lights off didn't come...instead...maybe someone stepped on the electric cord...since within a few seconds...the bass was beating again...and the people cheering....ready for another 5 hour marathon of dancing and drinking!
If the music wasn't bad or loud enough, I got another surprise around 3:30 in the morning. I know I wasn't dreaming, since I wasn't even sleeping. I began to hear very loud voices......so close....they sounded as if they were just outside my door. Which, after asking the next morning, they were!!!! During a funeral, it is customary for people to go from house to house...singing African songs and gospels...in hopes of recieving money. While their singing was soothing, I definitely would have enjoyed it more during my waking hours.,...instead of when I was trying to sleep. If I knew they were looking for money...I would have been the first to jump out of bed...and offer all that I had....in hopes of them leaving...to get some sleep. But, I didn't think they were there for money...thinking instead that they were maybe drunk and lost...thinking they were at their own house..instead of at a house where an "obroni" was staying and had no idea what was going on!
So...in short....the restful evening I thought I was going to have....and even boasted about to my students....was nothing but a night full of tossing and turning. However, I can now say that I truly experienced an African funeral. Even if it was spent in bed! :)
While I am enjoying my time in the city of Kumasi, surrounded by a warm and loving family....with the cutest two girls who I've adopted as my own.......I was looking forward to new scenery....and the quiet that the village usually brings. I say usually due to the following:
After arriving in Asokore around 7 p.m....I was greeted by the younger brother I never had.....Ibrahim....a former student of mine whom I've stayed in contact with for the last 5 years. After saying my hellos to the neighbors and anyone who wanted to converse with an "obroni"......I was able to sit down for some time and eat plaintains and kontumbre (a spinach like vegetable) with Ibrahim and his family. After my belly was satisfied...all I was longing for then was a cold bath and long, restful sleep. The cold bath was no problem.....since I haven't yet come in contact with a shower with hot water. Though, I 'm not looking either..since from the moment I get up till the time I go to sleep...I seem to be sweating. I envy my African friends who say they are cold while my face is covered with beads of sweat!
After my cold bath, I was ready for a good night sleep. After catching up on some conversation with Ibrahim and his family, I made my way to my bed....looking forward to a quiet and restful sleep. Well, once again...I was quickly reminded that I wasn't back in my bed in NY...where I could hear a pin drop in the middle of the night. Here...it was quite the opposite! See, about 2 hours before going to bed, I made a comment to Ibrahim about the great lively music I was hearing as we walked to his house. He reminded me that a funeral was taking place. A funeral to me means sorrow, tears and quiet. In Ghana, the word funeral takes on a whole new meaning!
It is tradition in Ghana, within the Christian religion, to have an ongoing celebration when a person dies, filled with music, dancing and drinking. Ongoing is defintely what happened that night. As soon as my head hit the pillow......I remembered the loud music that I walked through just a few hours earlier. While it was enjoyed then, since I love to hear African music, it was now my time to sleep, which I realized wasn't going to come easy. I'm not sure if I slept all that night...and if so...it couldn't have been more than a total of 30 minutes. The whole night, the bass of the music surrounded me.....no where to escape but into my ears! I thought at least they would quit sometime before midnight......not thinking the funeral would persist until my breakfast hour the next morning. For a quick second during the night, the music did shut off. I figured it was "lights off", which could happen at any time in Asokore, no notice of the electricty being cut off. It was the first time I was actually wishing for that to happen...since then the funeral would have to come to a close....what's a funeral in Ghana without music? I guess I didn't wish hard enough...since the lights off didn't come...instead...maybe someone stepped on the electric cord...since within a few seconds...the bass was beating again...and the people cheering....ready for another 5 hour marathon of dancing and drinking!
If the music wasn't bad or loud enough, I got another surprise around 3:30 in the morning. I know I wasn't dreaming, since I wasn't even sleeping. I began to hear very loud voices......so close....they sounded as if they were just outside my door. Which, after asking the next morning, they were!!!! During a funeral, it is customary for people to go from house to house...singing African songs and gospels...in hopes of recieving money. While their singing was soothing, I definitely would have enjoyed it more during my waking hours.,...instead of when I was trying to sleep. If I knew they were looking for money...I would have been the first to jump out of bed...and offer all that I had....in hopes of them leaving...to get some sleep. But, I didn't think they were there for money...thinking instead that they were maybe drunk and lost...thinking they were at their own house..instead of at a house where an "obroni" was staying and had no idea what was going on!
So...in short....the restful evening I thought I was going to have....and even boasted about to my students....was nothing but a night full of tossing and turning. However, I can now say that I truly experienced an African funeral. Even if it was spent in bed! :)
posted by Cari G. @ 3:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home