Yes, I'm white, GET OVER IT

In pursuit of becoming a true Ghanaian and being fully accepted by the Ghanaian people, there are a number of things I need to be able to do. Despite most people (in the south) being able to speak English, I really need learn the widely spoken indigenous language, Akan (or Twi). I need to be able to do the local handshake – similar as in most Western countries, but ending in a mutual click between both participants’ middle fingers. And then, there’s eating the local food. But I’m looking to go further than just eating fufu. I’m even learning to POUND FUFU.

That’s right, pound fufu. Fufu is the staple and much loved meal of the Ghanaian people, rich or poor, across the country. For the unenlightened, it is made from yam (like a potato) and plantain (like, er, a massive banana...), pounded together to create a kind of doughy mixture. It’s then drowned in soup, with a load of meat thrown on top. There’s a certain technique to master in pounding fufu, so I had a little lesson. Of course, as the white man, undertaking this traditional African procedure, I had an audience of about 8 kids watching me try, all of whom found it hilarious.

But it’s all a good step in the right direction for me to immerse myself in the local culture. Being the white man does, at times, make it a little difficult to blend in, as you can probably imagine. The kids love it. It’s so funny, in many places here, watching their reactions when I walk past. Some pretend they’re not looking, others come and shake my hand, and others just point at me and shout “obruni”, meaning “white person” in Akan. So in response, I’ve begun to reply with “bebini”, meaning “black person”, which shuts the little bastards up when I shout that back in their face ;-)

Saying that, it’s never hostile and, in fact, is really endearing and friendly. Even though they laugh in my face at any attempt I make to speak Akan. At times, in more rural or suburban areas, it’s felt like an obruni parade - walking down the street to find myself waving to groups of kids all along the road, calling for my attention. It’s funny when you think of how racism can be so prominent through the promotion of a small yet loud minority, when you see in these kids that the natural human reaction to people from another race, without any outside influence, is actually a welcoming one of curiosity and intrigue.

I think Kofi’s jealous. Not the token anymore are we!? Being a black man at Glastonbury ain’t got NOTHIN on this!