Weekend in Cape Coast/Elmina

Last weekend we took our first NYU group trip out of Accra. As you can ascertain, I'm sure, it wasn't my ideal scenario. Too touristy, too many people packed together, not the approach I wanted to take to experiencing Africa. Nonetheless, it was a valuable excursion.
We left at 6:15 Saturday morning, via a fairly atrocious van that resembled a party bus. Not quite the tro-tro trip we took last weekend…though the breathing room was appreciated. Three hours later we arrived at the luxury, 5-star Coconut Grove Beach Resort hotel for breakfast by the ocean. It was gorgeous, peaceful, relaxing…but beyond extravagant. $90/night - compared to last Saturday’s accommodations of $9/night. It certainly provoked discomfort, though it presented a challenge to articulate, as it simultaneously offered (albeit excessive) comfort. Just another way some people “do” Africa, I guess!

We spent the day stopping at various tourist attractions, all of which were fruitful, though I wished we could spend time exploring the fishing villages of Cape Coast and Elmina. Instead we just observed the devastated but vibrant towns from our towering bus windows. First we went to the Elmina Slave Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and were given a not-great tour of the immense white spectacle where slaves (and previously gold – from which Ghana’s coast received the title “The Gold Coast”) were stored, traded, and departed from in the Atlantic Slave Trade. It was profound, chilling, and challenging to be there, and here too I felt marked uneasiness being A) white, B) a tourist, and C) part of a school “fieldtrip” of sorts.

For lunch we went to another hotel’s restaurant, a place called Hans Cottage, which was built over a crocodile pond. Really eerie, ugly creatures! Then we went to Kakum National Park, one of Ghana’s protected rainforests, which boasts the only canopy walk in the country. Though we saw no animals (and were given a disclaimer upon arrival that this would likely be the case), the park was massive, magical, a real sanctuary. Though unfortunately clogged up with tourists (ourselves and other groups), it felt great to be in the thick of the forest. And because I don’t have any qualms with height, I really enjoyed the canopy walk, a precarious-seeming structure constructed of two wooden planks (a width of maybe 8 inches) held in place and supported by webbed rope sides. And oh, the views across the treetops! Stunning.

The evening at the resort was serene, however strange it felt to luxuriate in such splendor when just meters down the beach the locals lived in abysmal poverty. Right before dinner, while sitting with a few other girls on chairs overlooking the beach, a bumbling drunken man clearly not staying at or associated with the resort meandered our way. Now, as many Ghanaians will flock to Obrunis, grabbing hands and launching into welcoming conversation, it seemed innocent as any interaction at first. But when it became clear that my inability to make sense of what he was saying was not a cultural snag but due to his alcoholic incognizance, I tried shrugging him off. But he was persistent, and would not leave until finally, prompted when he very inappropriately grabbed at me, a friend called hotel workers over to deal with the situation. I have no tolerance for such behavior, which is universal, and which I do attribute to problematic gendered proclivities. The better parts of the night included strolling on the beach just after sunset and dancing in the sand around a huge bonfire after dinner.

We left midday on Sunday (against many of our wishes, as it was a gorgeous day for beach-bumming), only to then stop for lunch at a seaside restaurant that in typical Ghanaian fashion did not bring out our food until over an hour after ordered. Not keen on spending the height of the lovely day indoors, several of us explored the rocky coast just outside. We befriended a few children, who became enraptured with our strange Obruni mannerisms, shared dancing moves with us, and delighted in photography – as both taker and poser. Although we left the area by 3 PM, we hit horrendous traffic due to a political rally for the main party (and the one currently in power) in Accra, stalling us for over 2 hours in an outright standstill.