Thursday, March 31, 2011

Contrast in Ghana!

I am sitting in a little drinking spot having a bitter lemon which is really quite refreshing after giving up on waiting for an hour for a friend in a hair salon. (This could easily be a new pastime for me!) (Actually this is how I got my first date in Ghana 8 years ago! A story for another blog) Beautiful women strolling around is a bonus but the waiting is just too much.

Anyway, my point was that as I sit two gentlemen were calmly washing their face, hands, arms and feet and preparing themselves for their prayers. I sat quietly and watched and admired their dedication and the peaceful nature of the prayer. Watching them prostrate and then stand was weirdly hypnotic! It is also interesting to see them happy to get down and pray wherever they are. This time outside a little barbers shop on the step by a gutter. Very nice!

And then to spoil the nice moment I am having, a little girl comes to take a piss just beside where the men had been. She is then told off for pissing all over the side of the gutter and goes to get a little kettle to clean it! Not so nice!

Ghana and its contrasts!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Unpredictable Ghana!

Firstly I realised that if I mention Wanlov The Kubulor in my post I get a lot more readers! So I have done it again to ashamedly get more readers to my blog. Thanks Wanlov, and once again very entertaining show last week! Here is a link to one of my favourite Kubulor tunes!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnRvsvLlrZA

I am also almost getting to my thousandth viewing. I will have to think of an interesting story to post up to celebrate that!!

Anyway, on to todays musings! Ghana is the most unpredictable place I have experienced! (I have jumped straight in this time!) This can be a positive and a negative thing and I will try my best to give a balanced view! (Although those that know me will realise I am far better at complaining (its an English thing maybe?))

It really is difficult to predict what will happen to you on a day to day basis in Ghana. Planning sometimes is just not worth it. You can plan a whole day, and wake up in the morning ready to run out and achieve your goals in the hope that you will feel satisfied at the end of the day, but then everything changes. You wake up, get to the shower, and there is no water. Ok no problem, you can fetch some and bucket bath with just a little delay. Then as you get back to your room to iron your shirt, the power goes off. With another little delay maybe you can find a shirt that looks ok and then head out of the door.

After this you can have the problems with transport, finding a taxi (or tro tro) hoping it doesn't break down on the way to your first port of call and hoping they have change for you at the end of the journey. (or else they have to go round searching for change from everyone in the area!)

So you get to your destination for a planned meeting. And you have to hope that the person has reached the office. (remember he or she will be facing the same difficulties) If they are in the office, its likely you will have to wait for them for a while, or someone else will nip in front of you to have a short (long) talk. With all this going on, you will regret making your second appointment so close to the first one and will have to call to either postpone or cancel the meeting entirely!

This is just a small and short example of how unpredictable Ghana living is! Anything to do with time is a doubt. Water and electricity can not be assured. Women chasing me is very unpredictable (although more often than not they are not!!) Going out or staying in can also not be planned. (Many an evening I have planned to stay in and I have ended up on a big night out until 5am!)

Career wise I am a little annoyed with this element of Ghanaian life. Lack of communication at work leads to new tasks popping up without any notice. But also in the TV industry its difficult. Whereas last month I was on tv all the time. Getting shows and acting in series. Champions league, Afia Schwarzenegger, English Premier League. But this month I have hardly has anything to do. I guess that the nature of the game and here even when you are good or better than others (I am not saying I am!) you do not necessarily get given the gig. It is who you know, who your family is and who owes you!

But if not for unpredictability I may not even be in Ghana now. I kind of came on a whim and hoped that things would work out. The TV work came because I was going to buy sweets in the evening. (check out an earlier post) I randomly came to this house where I met a lot of good friends, which is how I secured the job I am doing with the volunteers now. So certain things are definitely positive about the nature of Ghana. If things are going badly, it is not long until something strange will happen and you will be on your way up the ladder!

Please leave comments and get back to me with your experiences of unpredictable Ghana!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Water!

Ok so now I know why everyone was going out to fetch water yesterday morning....There is no water flowing through the pipes around here! (Fabulous) This means bathing and flushing the toilet are quite difficult at the moment. (not ideal at all!)

This is a very short post really but I will take a little time to tell you about last nights activities. Uta (still without a nickame damn it!) Dramalison, the new guy Stephan and I, went out to watch Wanlov the Kubulor launch his new album. African Gypsy. Kubulor is quite popular in Ghana and is definitely an interesting performer to watch. He wear a sarong like garment and never wear shoes. (I've seen picture sof him strolling around London barefoot) He is a master of Pidgen English and always has a blent of humour in his music. (I implore you to check him out on Youtube!)

He is half Romanian and Half Ghanaian and in his new album he mixes the two together. The outcome was quite surprising to me. The fiddle and accordion go remarkably well with the Ghanaian drum and other instruments. It was a really great show and I will definitely be getting my copy of the album!

Go and check him out!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A new Career?! Acting!!!?

Well Well it seems that Samuel Polley (me, or Samdingo, or English Breakfast (coined by Swiss Tony)) could be on the first rung of the step towards treading the boards of the West End, or dare i say Hollywood!? Well no! Probably not! But, I had had my first acting experience in Ghana.

I did tell a few people when I came to Ghana (when they questioned me!) that although I am coming with nothing to do, (quite a risky step) I will find myself in situations where I can try and do well. So far it has happened with the TV work as a football pundit, and now there is potential in the acting area.

I happen to know the lead actress in a new series on TV3 called Afia Schwarzenegger. Afia is the apparent God Daughter of the man himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger! (I know, quite a crazy story line!) But in the last 7 weeks it has gained quite a cult following, and they are gaining viewers every week.  They have special guests stars (which this week included Mzbel and George Williams!(google them)) and then me! Special guest Samuel Polley (Sports Analyst?) I don't know how I found myself into this one. But I continue to say yes to the things that come my way. It is possible it is a one off event but it was a lot of fun and a real education. lets see if i get another!
                                                Me on Location with Afia Schwarzenegger
             

The basic story line is that I am about to be cheated as a foreigner..(I am called Mr Suarez, which may make me a little hated in Ghana!) and i understand everything said to me in Twi. (Ghanaian Language) In the end I end up scamming the girl out of all her belongings! (and then speak a little Twi of my own!)

Anyway, a short blog to tell you about my new acting career, and if one day you see my name in lights you will know where it started from!

Goodnight!