During my tenth week in Ghana, I had been scheduled to join the trip to
Kumasi organized by our program. But given the current circumstance with Barack Obama coming to Ghana, there was no way I was going to miss out on this event. Deciding to ditch the group trip in an attempt to be part of history,
Tharani and I woke up at the crack of dawn in hopes of finding the perfect location to spot the Big BO. We hopped in a taxi, and immediately head to the International Conference Center (ICC) where Obama was going to make a public address.
And so the day began. Excited and anxious in the back of the taxi for what the day could potentially bring, I couldn't help but zone out thinking and pondering about the sudden transformation of Accra. Within days prior to Barack
Obama's arrival, massive
billboards, posters and banners had been
erected at every corner of the city. Every radio station in Ghana had been focused on this singular event as Ghanaian citizens called inn discussing political/
social/economic possibilities and consequences of the visit of an American President to Ghana. The past week riding in
trotro's blasting Ghana talk radio, i was intrigued at peoples concern and
superior knowledge of not only local political issues but international issues affecting them also. The city was totally flipped upside down in anticipation of
Barack's visit. I remember one day at work walking past a television and noticing a Barack Obama music video chanting "Obama, we love you,
OGhana we love you" (while still
maintaining the same amount of flash and booty shaking as other music videos
lol)!
Snapping back to reality riding in the back of a taxi, I peered out to the street. It was apparent that security had been increased by probably a thousand times than on any other given day. Every 5-10 feet of all the streets we passed, there were police
personnel standing heavily armed with what looked like
Ak's, hand guns and
batons (This is NOT and
exaggeration!). The city was covered with an uncountable number of check points. We soon arrived to the entrance of the ICC and to our surprise, we were the first ones there. But it wouldn't take long for the street corners to be packed with Ghanaians and foreigners alike filled with shared anticipation and excitement. After some early frustrations of trying to secure a good location/view point, we finally set up base
in front of the Accra Stadium where we waited patiently for several hours for BO to drive by. Every couple of
minutes, we would see an entourage of vehicles passing with different politicians in each group. We saw the President of Ghana Prof. J. E.
Atta Mills, former president F.L. General Jerry
Rawlings, Political Opposition leader of the
CPP and others who were unrecognizable to us. With each passing entourage the crowd got louder and more excited for the main event; A view of
Barack Obama. But unfortunately, that never came. The vehicle which he was supposed to be in was empty and by the time we realized that he was riding in a different car, BO had already been inside the ICC preparing to make his speech. As others were
disappointed, i do not regret our little adventure. We listened to
Barack's speech right outside the ICC with
Ghanaian locals and from the moment that Barack began
speaking all the way to the end, the streets remained silent listening and hanging on to his every word. It was an experience that I do not take
for granted and will remember forever.
"We will look back to places like Accra and say this was the time when the promise was realised; this was the moment when prosperity was forged, when pain was overcome, and a new era of progress began." Barack Obama July 12, 2009, Accra, Ghana.
During my tenth week in Ghana, I had been scheduled to join the trip to Kumasi organized by our program. But given the current circumstance with Barack Obama coming to Ghana, there was no way I was going to miss out on this event. Deciding to ditch the group trip in an attempt to be part of history, Tharani and I woke up at the crack of dawn in hopes of finding the perfect location to spot the Big BO. We hopped in a taxi, and immediately head to the International Conference Center (ICC) where Obama was going to make a public address.
And so the day began. Excited and anxious in the back of the taxi for what the day could potentially bring, I couldn't help but zone out thinking and pondering about the sudden transformation of Accra. Within days prior to Barack Obama's arrival, massive billboards, posters and banners had been erected at every corner of the city. Every radio station in Ghana had been focused on this singular event as Ghanaian citizens called inn discussing political/social/economic possibilities and consequences of the visit of an American President to Ghana. The past week riding in trotro's blasting Ghana talk radio, i was intrigued at peoples concern and superior knowledge of not only local political issues but international issues affecting them also. The city was totally flipped upside down in anticipation of Barack's visit. I remember one day at work walking past a television and noticing a Barack Obama music video chanting "Obama, we love you, OGhana we love you" (while still maintaining the same amount of flash and booty shaking as other music videos lol)!
Snapping back to reality riding in the back of a taxi, I peered out to the street. It was apparent that security had been increased by probably a thousand times than on any other given day. Every 5-10 feet of all the streets we passed, there were police personnel standing heavily armed with what looked like Ak's, hand guns and batons (This is NOT and exaggeration!). The city was covered with an uncountable number of check points. We soon arrived to the entrance of the ICC and to our surprise, we were the first ones there. But it wouldn't take long for the street corners to be packed with Ghanaians and foreigners alike filled with shared anticipation and excitement. After some early frustrations of trying to secure a good location/view point, we finally set up base in front of the Accra Stadium where we waited patiently for several hours for BO to drive by. Every couple of minutes, we would see an entourage of vehicles passing with different politicians in each group. We saw the President of Ghana Prof. J. E. Atta Mills, former president F.L. General Jerry Rawlings, Political Opposition leader of the CPP and others who were unrecognizable to us. With each passing entourage the crowd got louder and more excited for the main event; A view of Barack Obama. But unfortunately, that never came. The vehicle which he was supposed to be in was empty and by the time we realized that he was riding in a different car, BO had already been inside the ICC preparing to make his speech. As others were disappointed, i do not regret our little adventure. We listened to Barack's speech right outside the ICC with Ghanaian locals and from the moment that Barack began speaking all the way to the end, the streets remained silent listening and hanging on to his every word. It was an experience that I do not take for granted and will remember forever.
"We will look back to places like Accra and say this was the time when the promise was realised; this was the moment when prosperity was forged, when pain was overcome, and a new era of progress began." Barack Obama July 12, 2009, Accra, Ghana.
