We step outside, walk to the street to pick the Tro-Tro in Accra and the Yellow-Yellow in Tamale, which will take us where we need to go.
During the day, we talk, joke, laugh, negotiate, and return to serious. We walk, sit down on a wooden bench or a plastic chair, and wait. I listen to Hausa, Twi, Dagbani, bring out the few words I know, before we all switch to English, or someone is called to translate.
When the sun is at its highest, we seek the shade, take something to eat, and think about what is left to do before we continue our day.
We see familiar faces, greet, stop, talk for a while. We meet new faces, we ask for a seat, take our time, a number is saved, a name misspelled, a place remembered, and a chance is born to eventually meet again.
With the black rubber bags in our hands, we follow the shouting for our direction back, find our way in between people, we squeeze inside the Tro-Tro, the Yellow-Yellow. „Driver, bus stop.“ Carried away in our thoughts, we nearly missed our junction. We leave our tight seats, step onto the quiet street, and walk the rest to what we call home for the time being - Accra, Tamale, or somewhere in between.
We cook, eat, take our bath, and lie on the bed, the fan’s blades rapidly cutting through the air. The night has already long set, our legs and feet vibrate from walking in the heat. We talk about the day, about what we saw, what we heard, and what is there for us tomorrow. At some point, our eyes get heavy, our words slow down, until there’s nothing but the slurring sound of the fan blowing lightly onto our sleeping bodies.
Capital city of Ghana
Tamale
After Accra and Kumasi, the 3rd largest city is located in the Northern Region of Ghana
Tro-Tro
The main public transport used in Accra and other big cities
Yellow-Yellow
main public transport, especially in Tamale
Dagbani
apart from English, one of the main languages spoken in Tamale
Twi/ Hausa
Two languages, among many others, are spoken across the country
Kontumire
big green leaves, which are cut into small pieces for stew
Gara
(Hausa “add up”), Asking for a little extra for what you’ve bought at the market