Friday just called to say it has arrived and will be staying for 21 days! That, ‘Soloku’ and grind tugged along. And for the period they are here, it will be Friday every day. So I must alert you that it’s time to let it rip! It’s that time of the year, and Accra, it’s about to go down!
If you’re an old resident, you know how it gets! If you’re visiting, let me tell you, Accra is the real deal for cosmopolitan living in West Africa, you know. The city is so fabulously fashionable, by the time you return to starting position in a twirl, you would have sashayed from standing in the midst of the most colourful wax print district in the world in Makola market to the dazzle of the sparkle of iridescent lights bouncing off a mirror ball glistening in Airport City! Accra is happening so fast!
Once upon a time, not so long ago, it stood still at Osu – its most cosmopolitan quarter whose pretence fetched it a nickname of mismatched familiarity; but as with all things Ghanaian, it’s stood the test with its High Street christening rather famously in the shadow of its more celebrated namesake – Oxford Street! Here, all the fascinating shops and restaurants resided.
Indeed, only after a few generations since being declared capital of Ghana in 1877, its tentacles, flowing like lava, has opened up to embrace all those other settlements dotting the route up to the foothills of its northern boundary, atop of which the resort town of Aburi lies with its cooler clime.
Osu’s immortality fizzled when Lagos Avenue emerged in the newer East Legon enclave. A major hotspot of the last couple of decades, Lagos Avenue has held its own, flapping its sequenced, shimmering chiffon as though it were in a flamingo dance move – setting the uptown neighbourhood on fire!
Not only did it lose its iconic cosmo status to East Legon, but Osu also lost its food capital status to Airport City and Cantonments. All the swank has merged away, leaving Osu with the Night Market whose tabletop fare is just as incredibly fingerlicking, anyway.
Go to the Osu Night Market, off Oxford Street, for authentic charcoal grilled juicy mackerel and pepper sauce we call ‘shitor lo’ and know that you are, indeed, in Accra!
The capital’s art scene has grown in such heaps! For eye-raising art, your best bet for a unique buy is at the 55-year-old The Loom on Kwame Nkrumah Avenue or Ablade Glover’s Omanye House on the La Road.
In between, try Abena Quashie’s Berj Gallery in Labone or Gallery 1957 inside the swanky Kempinski Gold Coast City Accra Hotel, which also hosts Baba Amadu’s Amba Gallery – famous for ethnic art. Or check out Paa Joe’s coffin ensembles in the Teshie area, as well as the enigmatic Atukwei Clottey’s place inside the Labadi community. Or the Noldor Residency for the most amazing debutants, and nearby in South Labadi Estates, Amoako Boafo’s place!
For something less-celebrated, go to the Arts Centre – next to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
Take the tour of the park. You’ll learn Accra’s history, as it links to the independence movement in Ghana. You’ll learn about James Fort Prison, down the road from where you stand, where our first President, incarcerated, yet winning the general elections of 1951, was released and paraded through the streets past where you just drove.
Accra’s zany heritage lives in the old neighbourhoods of Bukom and Chokor; as well as Adabraka, Mataheko, Dansoman, Nima, Kaneshie and Teshie. And then, it lives at Nyaniba Estates, Cantonments and Kanda. It gets even more zany in the newer neighbourhoods further north at Tse Addo, Spintex and East Legon, where most of Ghana’s vibrant middle-class reside.
How do you tell between them? Their architecture gives them away! The solid pillars and shutter windows with details that embellish the old bungalows of the downtown neighbourhoods have now given way to glass and wrought iron that clad the spatial newer outer neighbourhoods, which serve as dormitories because the owners spend most of their day in Accra’s sweltering traffic on their way to work downtown.
But, it’s Christmas. The likelihood of getting stuck in traffic is high. Don’t fret, though. In our Essential listings section, we have curated places where you can go and hang out, avoiding the traffic and crowds, and places where all the crowds are. We also have a recommendation of all the best events happening during this end of year period.
Keep a copy of BENTSIFI or B&FT Weekend at hand and refer to it often as you plan your holidays. Alternatively, you can visit https://thebftonline.com/ or WhatsApp your inquiry to 0244697046. Here’s to a fabulous holiday. Enjoy!
