Obroni, how are you? - I'm fine thanks.
Obroni is the word for "white" in the Ashanti language, the largest ethnic group in Ghana and has replaced the Christmas and New Year, the eternal "Yovo. This report is therefore mainly from the trip.
Today's something I never expected: strike. The teachers remain on strike and at home to sleep off to really sleep. After yesterday's first information regarding it arrived, everything was first again in the balance because of the state radio station does not have an official position of the union was sent and thus no one knew what was going on. My first fear is that once again add all the small and everything is just a nice attempt, was taught to the happiness of a better and at least my College is participating in the strike. So today I go there all the time to Lome and submit this report. Tomorrow will show if the strike continues or whether there are any negotiations.
Ghana
travel
two weeks , about the time of Christmas and New Year, I'm across begereist through Ghana, Togo, the western big neighbor, the former Gold Coast. In fact, Ghana was, at that time long ago, high on my preference list. I did not know anything definite about the Country, only that we speak English and there was all a neighboring bit better and developed than in other countries. During my trip, the two points are fully confirmed.
My means of transportation were almost exclusively bush taxis, known as Tro-Tros there, once I was sitting in a real bus. Bush taxis are minibuses (VW-Bulli-format), in the uncomfortable but often the case, three seat benches at three to four people and two benches in the convenient case. Always with the twelve other people, I am traveling around the country.
Between 1 - 2 day stay I had in various Cities, where I most often in Guest Houses in lower case with friends friends came.
My first stop was the town of Akosombo, where the dam was built to the largest man-made lake in the world. The lake, Lake Volta, extends over a large area of land (850,000 acres, 7% of the country) and has many tributaries from Togo and Burkina Faso. was built
the dam shortly after independence in the 60 years with the support, both financial and physical shape, and by sending experts from around the world. Today the dam is only the State of Ghana and is 80%, the largest energy source in the country, among other small power stations, which I know nothing else. However, not only Ghana is covered by the dam, some quite Togo and Benin, which themselves do not own power plants are dependent on him. A very impressive structure, the dams entirely of sand, clay and rock are built. Of course, it also has its dark shadows, so the flooding at that time had 84 000 people are being relocated.
Accra has 2 million inhabitants, is the main and largest city in the country. Accra is large, modern and just different than the rest, which I so far in West Africa have seen. Accra leads into a highway, which come just before the town is 6 lanes and much of that would be traveled cars in Germany by the TÜV - in Togo, one could only expect very few. The roads in town are well developed and large and equipped with functioning street lamps.
are also many large buildings, such as banks, hotels, government buildings and others to find. Also houses several levels, which are not covered with bricks and corrugated iron to form a minority.
A general westernization can be seen, but which at the same time the alienation of traditional Culture is connected. The colorful Panje clothing, for example, in Togo and also in more remote places of the country's most popular, is hardly to be found in Accra.
a margin between rich and poor but I could also make easy because my apartment was a "friend" on the beach. The beach is also a single tip and still crowded during the day. The area was a slum same and a visit to the nearby fishing quarter, led me back to narrow the adjacent corrugated iron huts, or to people who had no house.
The coast of Ghana is with many, a total of seven: former slave-trading forts and 15th to 18 Century equipped. In Cape Coast, another major city on the coast, is the largest, it is now been transformed into a well presented museum. The slaves were captured from a growing catchment area and had to travel huge distances, bound in 10-15s series. A guide showed the separation of sexes in prison cells where slaves were set up for transport, the passage through the "Door of no return", "stored" for weeks or months. At the same time the fort had large defense systems, not against domestic insurrections, but against other European powers, under which most forts changed constantly changed hands. The Cape Coast was gone, after several changes, most of the time in British hands and introduced as the main administration of the area.
There is a very oppressive feeling is to look at the people spread over 300 years back in which millions were shipped Africans in the "America", as stated in the museum.
As in Togo, Ghana, both Christianity and Islam equally represented, the more Christian south and the north is heavily Muslim. The center is a metropolitan city Kumasi, although geographically more southerly located, there Christians and Muslims live in the ratio 1:1.
elections
The period of my trip was just in the government elections and was therefore particularly exciting and interesting to watch. After Ghana's independence in 1957, the first in Africa, the country was, as almost every country in Africa, fell after several years in a number of military coups. But in the 80 years was the country back to democracy and was subsequently ruled alternately by the two major parties, the NDC (National Democratic Congress) and the NPP (National Patriotic Party). The former president, Dr John Kufuor of the NPP has vacated his office after 8 years as required, but after a first round of voting could not be found new, so it came to the ballot. Both the election day, the projections and the result announced, I have observed in various cities.
on election day, I was not in any big city, but all seemed to stay pretty quiet. In the first projections I was in Cape Coast, more of the NDC that is inclined to the opposition, which easily took the lead and thus trains triggered jubilation in the streets. Directly to it, it went to Kumasi, the NPP Stronghold, home of the Ashanti, the largest ethnic group of Ghana. This was also the only region that has spoken out clearly for the ruling party, all other regions were sometimes even significantly NDC in hand.
were missing in the end only 4 of 200 electoral districts and the NDC had a wafer-thin lead which they held until the end and so won with 40,000 votes ahead and a total of 50.3% of the vote. The new president thus is John Atta Mills of the NDC.
All the time I had a slight fear that some disaster will happen, manipulation allegations or military action, as in those days also stable sounding Kenya Case. But this fear was a warning to the entire country and its people, as well as the expectations that everything goes well. The population was very interested, and choosing the main theme. Both parties had their slogan and to a corresponding movement of the arm as a sign. The NPP, the ruling party, proklammierte "We're moving forward" and a sign, the hands move forward, while the NDC "change for a better Ghana" demanded and thus as a sign of his arms as if to be off the bench in football, a player is to rotate the arms in a circle left. So did everyone by arm movement or as a welcoming, always his political views publicly Kund and differences were accepted almost amusing. With all the interest, however, lacked some knowledge about the actual party programs and content, making it easy just by simple slogans was to manipulate people. The election campaign reached every last lost villages, of which nothing and no one else actually be achieved. was
Then when everything is over, I discovered a general satisfaction. The NDC supporters went joyfully through the streets and at some point, the NPP supporters simply left with why I will probably never fully understand. The relief that everything went well, was doing in the end more important than the success of the preferred party. Some of the Togo can only dream of.
is unmistakably an advanced stage with the democratic system and the development of the country. On the streets of the political "freedom" and a bit of optimism is palpable, everything is a bit better than in Togo, where, when it comes to politics, one can feel only disappointment, anxiety and helplessness.
over the country is currently under construction, especially on roads that connect the major cities are very much attention. The whole infrastructure is superior to Togo by far. The country has a growing own industry, so that even on some products, sometimes "Made in Ghana" to read. A year ago there was a currency reform that were deleted for the 4 zeros from the old currency and it now pays with convenient prices. However, the transition has still not quite in the population, so one is always all sold in the old way and one bill in the head prune at first all the zeros, before the bill can be unsheathed.
With all the development and progress, but Ghana still remains a poor country. Simple mud huts with corrugated iron roofs are to be found everywhere, in the poorer north are the most common around village huts covered with straw
So, I'm just now from the Mardi Gras, returned the largest carnival in North America. The Mardi Gras is basically similar to the carnival, which we celebrate in Germany. Mardi Gras is celebrated every year around the same time as in Germany and takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, instead. There is generally much more parades, sometimes on day 4 - 5 different. Instead of sweets, however, the cars throw beads, which are here called "Beads." The beads are really thrown in all sizes and variations (in mass). The chains are especially Women are very popular and therefore one can then their chains in the evening in the French Quarter to exchange certain things "for (I leave the times are here so without comment ;-)). 
Sunday and Monday have We then saw the parades in New Orleans and have visited include New Orleans. Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) is the only day on which all people are covered. In contrast to the costumes, the costumes are here in Germany some variety, some full of tradition (with masks, etc.) and also clearly nudist. Is not to say that there is so much better. (Not bad!) 
The parades were great, I caught about 1 ton of "Beads" with whom I now do not know what to do with it, and have otherwise have had fun, too. Unfortunately, there was also this year a number of shooting Errein (I was told yesterday of four pieces, including some fatal). But shooting reach, there are every year at Mardi Gras. Otherwise, New Orleans 
