Drumming & Dancing in Ghana: Road Trip to Kumasi and Cape Coast (Summer 2017)

I don't know about you, but I had this false perception of what life would be like when the pandemic hit last year. Schools shut down and I had to do distance learning for the first time in my life. I thought it would be fine - I'd post some assignments, give some feedback, and catch up on my blog. It would be the next best thing since we couldn't travel, right? I WAS SO WRONG. It ended up being the hardest year of my life, though I know that it was much harder for many others. Despite all the challenges, I am grateful to be healthy and that my friends and family are healthy as well. I am also grateful that I have some time now to slow down for a moment and breathe - for the first time in a really, really long time.

Back in Summer 2017 I went to Ghana (remember when we could travel??) to study drumming and dancing. I can't believe that was four years ago already... it doesn't seem possible! I talked about my first experiences in Ghana as well as Daily Life at the DMC previously, and I have been looking forward to sharing about my favorite part of the whole experience: The road trip to Kumasi and Cape Coast. This trip was truly life-changing, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity!

Ghana is such a vibrant, beautiful country 💟

We journeyed from the DMC to Kumasi, which is the capital of the Ashanti region in southern Ghana. Road trips are my favorite way to see a country because you can see ordinary life buzzing along the roadside as you make your way to your final destination. 

We rode in this amazing bus along the bumpy roads through villages and the beautiful countryside. I gazed out the window and watched many hours of colorful fabrics, hard workers, and traffic pass by as we made our way to visit the Mona monkeys at a sanctuary in Kumasi.

Lunch stop!

Video: Roadside in Ghana

We arrived later than planned, but we finally made it!

I had seen monkeys earlier that summer when Mama Britton and I went to Mount Popa in Myanmar. I was super nervous because those monkeys had been quite aggressive, and I wasn't excited for more of that. As we approached the sanctuary, our guide handed out some peanuts and bread. I was slightly more terrified at the thought of feeding the monkeys, but he assured me it would be fine. My goodness... they were SO. FREAKING. CUTE.

At this sanctuary, the monkeys have a very special relationship with the people living in the village. They live together harmoniously, to the point where monkeys who know they are going to die will do so out in a public place so they can be found and buried by the humans. This is unlike anything I've ever heard about wild animals!

When we got off the bus, our guides instructed us to hold the peanut in our outstretched hand. Sure enough, the monkeys walked right up to us and took the peanut. Their little hands and faces were adorable. I started to relax, when suddenly one climbed up me like a tree! And then another... and then a third tried but missed! I mean, I know I'm tall, but REALLY?? At first I was terrified, but the guide told me to relax. He said the monkeys are good judges of character, and they could sense that I was a good person. Maybe he was telling me so that I would relax, but I prefer to think that maybe there is some truth to that. I was later dubbed "The Monkey Whisperer." 

It was a good day.

These photos aren't great, but you get the idea...

The monkey graveyard even has "headstones" of sorts.

After it got dark, we boarded the bus and headed to dinner. We had some delicious food before going to our hotel for the night. It was an interesting place. It had clearly not had many guests recently, but it was a safe place to sleep for the night after a long day of driving. 

I really, really wanted to order this just to see what would come out. I ended up going with something else instead.

(Yes, we washed our hands first!)

The next day, we packed up and headed to the nearby Manhyia Palace Museum where we learned about the incredible Ashanti (Asante) Empire. I had heard of it but knew almost nothing, so I was really excited to see and learn about it. We saw some beautiful drums and learned about the Ashanti flag: Yellow stands for gold, black is for the race, and green is for the forest region. These are the colors for the flag of the present-day country of Ghana, with the addition of red for the blood of the forefathers. 

I learned that the Ashanti king signed documents with REALLY big pens and the throne is only for the king (or else!). The crown has a snake, crocodile, and an eagle. Talk about powerful.

We learned that "asa" means "war." We saw a coward mark and an execution sword (that was stopped in 1925 by the first Christian king). We saw war clothing, gun powder, and poison. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so you'll just have to take my word! It was so much to take in and I loved every bit of it. 

"Akwaaba" means "welcome"

We even saw a peacock!

We got back on the bus again and made the really long journey to Cape Coast. I saw more beautiful fabrics covering beautiful people along the roadside. I also saw the most stunning African sunset that reminded me of a painting that I made in high school. This made my heart so happy. 

Video: More roadside in Ghana

Here was the sunset...

...and here is the painting that 16-year-old Stefanie made. Not quite the same, but as they say where I used to live - same same but different!

After an incredibly long and bumpy journey, we finally made it to Cape Coast. Our hotel was a resort on the beach. As soon as we stepped off the bus in the pitch dark, I could feel all the tension melt away as I heard the sound of crashing waves. We couldn't see the ocean, but we could hear it and smell it. There is just something special about the sea. We had dinner and a yummy drink and went to bed. My roommate and I slept with the windows open so we could hear the water all night. It was probably the best night of sleep of my entire life. I still think about it to this day!

Talk about a welcome drink!

The next day we got up and had a delicious breakfast on the beach. We could finally see the water and the rest of the (beautiful) resort, too!

I spent many, many hours in these chairs over our two-day stay. I love the water.

Roomies!

It was a beautiful start to a very, very hard day. We went to the slave castle in Cape Coast. This was a really difficult visit and one that I think needed to happen. Reading about slavery from a history book written by a bunch of white men is very different from going and seeing a place like this. How awful it was. And imaging exactly what it must have been like, and knowing I could never completely fathom what happened here. 

I have never been to a place where I could feel so much pain, tragedy, and sorrow. It was in the walls and the floors and the too-small doorways and the floors soaked in all kinds of horrible memories. 

I'm writing this portion down because I want to remember it. I think it's important to remember it. This is information as I understood it from our guide: The official name of the castle is Elmina, though most people know it as "Slave Castle." It originally belonged to the Portuguese, who were in Ghana to trade and spread Christianity. El mina, or "the mine" initially had store rooms for gold that were later turned into dungeons to hold people. Actual people. I learned that in school, but somehow I processed it differently as I stood there and looked at the cramped spaces with no light and no air. 

Eventually the castle was used for slavery and held thousands of people at a time. Only one-third of the people actually made the journey alive once they left the castle. In 1634 Elmina was captured by the Dutch, then sold to the British in the late 1800s. It is the oldest and largest castle in West Africa: It is more than 500 years old (nearly 400 of those years were filled with slavery). 

I can't put into words how powerful it was to visit this place and what an impact it left on me. I spent most of the day in tears as we walked from room to room and learned about the horrors that happened here. 

The plaque in the final picture is important to read.

We left the castle and returned to the bus. Most of us rode in shattered silence. When we got back to the hotel, I plopped down in a chair and stared out at the water for hours, trying to process what we had seen.

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I did yoga on the beach with my dear friend Dana, and then the rest of the group joined us on the beach. Some played in the water, some meditated, some napped. Mostly I just remember how great it was to be together. I think it is what I needed after yesterday. (That doesn't mean we forgot about it. That just means it was a new day and a new chance to process. It is also not lost on me that we are privileged to simply move on with our lives, unlike so many who passed through that castle before.)

The currents in the ocean are very powerful in Cape Coast. It was really cool to have the opportunity to swim in both sides of the Atlantic that summer! 

After breakfast we packed up and headed to the rainforest for a canopy walk.

And this is how we came up with our nicknames: Big Tree & Little Tree

Next we drove to Kakum National Park. They have built a canopy walk, where you can literally walk through the treetops in the rainforest. I absolutely love trees - after water, trees have always been my next great love in nature. 

I was fascinated at how similar the trees were to the ones I had seen in my travels through Southeast Asia, where I was living at the time. I also felt very small, and it was a thrill to be on top of the trees. It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had! 

Even the lizards here are colorful!

Go Gators! (I had to.)

We stopped for lunch at a crocodile farm for tourists. I am generally not a fan of places like this, so I just focused on the yummy food and the beautiful flowers.

Beauty.

That closed the chapter on this incredible road trip. We drove along the coast and saw even more beautiful people dressed in beautiful colors in this beautiful countryside. We made the long journey home along the coast and were greeted by hugs and love all around when we returned to the DMC. It felt so good to be home.

And OF COURSE we celebrated our return with an epic game of Spar!

This was an incredibly long journey packed into a few short days, and it was totally worth all the driving. I saw and learned so much during this trip. 

When we got back to the DMC, a lot of the negativity that was previously holding me back during dancing and drumming lessons lifted. It was such a freeing feeling and a significant shift in my mindset and self-talk.

Ghana will forever have a little piece of my heart.