Kumasi
Kumasi is the second largest city of Ghana and is regarded as a cultural capital. I was now already the second time there and can confirm that. It is also the center of the Ashanti, one of the major ethnic groups in the center Ghana. A well-known international figure in Kumasi would Kofi Annan (former Secretary General of the UN).
Compared to Accra (the real capital), Kumasi shines in all criteria. It has an interesting architecture, less traffic, a beautiful and larger market, a major cultural center, a zoo and many craft suburbs.
the time, to see everything, we stayed no longer, for it was at a meeting with the organization. The main things we have seen, however. Around noon, not to spend in the sun, we first went into the cultural center. In the middle of the park was a small (!) Museum. As in all museums was allowed to take any pictures. The tour was mainly about former tribal kings and the traditions of the Ashanti.
Apart from the museum, the cultural center was more of a big art market. It was the artists in the production of pottery, wood carvings and commissioned many paintings watch - and buy them of course. Although I was determined not to buy, I left for 25 cedi for paintings. Thanks to my reckless trading talent I have taken an amazing amount of it (4 images). After a little refreshment, we wanted to pounce on the huge market in the center. As was noted in our guide, he's divided into different areas. The Schneider district borders the household and grocery part, behind the metal goods district is so
Ben was looking out for drugs and it drove us back and forth across the narrow, full market. In the meat-quarters I ran out of steam. Not because it went ahead as fast, but because I was forced to hold their breath - the smell was probably the worst I have experienced in Ghana! Complete innards lay on the wooden tables in the sun and stank to himself. Since I wanted to stop quickly in another district, we rushed around the corner and I almost collided with a man who wore a cow's head on his shoulder. Weak stomach, we finally reached a somewhat lighter part of the market and finally we stayed hanging on a CD stand.
I was in search of Alpha Blondy, a reggae singer from the Ivory Coast. In Techiman ran a cassette and I am told that he was. As luck would have it, there was even a "best of" - CD from him. For the equivalent of € 1 I could not say no.
Normally people are not in a hurry, but what has struck me in retrospect, ran over a white T-shirt with us. Not two minutes later, a mob assaulting Santander came in our direction. There was one in the middle (a thief with a white T-shirt), which was in direct contact with a police officer. The man was totally beside himself, and struck around as if it were his life. It was not to blame him, for around two in the middle were about five others who threw things at the thief and tried to pursue him. The action moves now directly in our direction and we came closer and closer. A man was armed with a wooden chair and another tore the wooden bench on which the dealer from the CD version was sitting still in the air. That was the time when we looked out our shell shocked and quickly run away. It was jinxed, because the mob seemed to follow. We crowded under the fleeing people and I hid myself behind a Trotro. Half a meter next to me was a woman the goods from the head "shot." One of the pursuers had a yam root (8 kg) are thrown to the thief, but probably missed the target.
The whole thing was so quickly around, as it came. Relieved, we went back to the CD version. The people around us went back to their usual routine. Such things are probably not uncommon. A little more courage, one could do in Germany, but such dimensions, it should not really have. It may well be that they killed the thief in the pursuit!
When we finally found a way out of the market, we tried to come to a taxi stand. Despite the relatively simple structure of the inner city, we ran us and the sun burned down on us mercilessly. Some time later we were finally in our guest house where we were able to recover from the long day. In the evening we have set ourselves in a pub. It came by a few artists that sold on the streets. I was weak again and bought another two images. Tough Enough was traded I come back to below 30% of the original price. In Accra, on the art market, I would never get the pictures at the price.
The next day was only from the back to come to Agona Swedru. Ben and I said goodbye to the Texaco gas station and were finally glad to be back home. The trip was expensive for Ghanaian conditions for European however, been relatively cheap. We took a lot of impressions and experiences, but were especially fun!
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PICTURES: Kumasi
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