My First Detty December in Ghana
At the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana
Of all the places I have traveled so far, Ghana has been the most culturally enriching trip to date.
I decided to add on Ghana to my trip to West Africa last December after I was already scheduled to go to Lagos, Nigeria for a wedding.
If you are not already familiar, December is one of the busiest times to visit the country. “Detty December” as it is called in both Nigeria and Ghana is a time of festive celebrations from around mid-December to New Years. There are gatherings, festivities and parties that last until the early hours of the morning. And that is no exaggeration, it is common for folks to leave FOR a party at 2am!
I stayed at the Movenpick hotel in Accra and it was truly a 5 star experience. The hotel is its own little ecosystem with bars, restaurants, shops, a gym and spa, a pool and its own organic herb garden. African art lines all of the hallways and common areas as well.
View from the Pool of the Hotel
Breakfast was complimentary every morning and there was a large selection of fresh juices, fruit, meats, sides, pastries and more. There were also stores in the hotel where I made my first purchase of the trip. An amazing hand woven bag by a local artist. This would be the first of many purchases I made. =)
Fresh Juice from the Breakfast Bar every morning.
The local art scene in Ghana caught me by surprise. There are shops and art markets all throughout the city. My first full day there, two of my friends and I made it to three different markets. Now let me tell you, negotiating at a West African market is another level of skill! I wasn’t ready!
I had been warned but we were really put to the test. There are no prices to go off of, just the numbers thrown out of the seller’s mouth. I learned that they always start wayyy higher than what the item is even worth. And it’s your job to negotiate the rate down to a number that makes sense to you. By the end of my trip, I thought I had the hang of it but after talking to some of my friends, I might not have done enough!
One of the biggest markets we went to was the Makola Market. It is the largest open-air market in the city. And we saw a little bit of everything being sold there.
Makola Market
The Accra Arts Centre was another one I LOVED. I purchased almost all of my gifts for my family from this market. It is much smaller than Makola but it has so many handmade pieces from jewelry to pottery and paintings. We also got a free drumming lesson while we were there!
My second full day I was able to visit my line sister who lives in Accra with her husband and baby. They live on a compound that is her husband’s childhood home and they run a travel company called Certified Africa that is based out of the city that connects travelers from around the globe to Accra and other African countries. Spending the day on their compound was so incredibly special. We were able to try homemade food, help prepare traditional Ghanaian jollof rice, sit in on their Certified Africa team meeting, take an Afrobeats dance class and meet many of their family members. The day was so special to me and I am so grateful I had the experience. I learned so much and felt like I got an authentic view of everyday life in Accra.
At my line sister’s Compound in Accra
At the end of the night, they dropped us off at our hotel and we got ready for our evening out! (I told you Detty December does not rest for anything)
That evening we went to Bloom Bar and Polo Beach Club, which are two popular night spots in Accra. I had the most fun at Polo Beach club! It is right on the beach, with the floor of the club surrounded by a large pool. The DJ was playing everything from Afrobeats to American hip-hop. They even had a fireworks show! I think my friends and I left at almost 3:00am and people were STILL coming in.
Before leaving Bloom Bar for Polo Beach Club
The next morning we got up for our Cape Coast tour. This was the only tour I had booked in advance because I knew this was something I could not come to Ghana without seeing. I did my tour through Kwame with Kwame Cultural Tours and I highly recommend him.
Kwame and our guide from the Ancestral River Site
He picked up our entire party from our hotel and we drove almost 2 hours out to the Cape Coast. Our first visit was to the Ancestral Slave River site which I wrote about here.
From there we went to Cape Coast Castle and had a tour. Visiting the Castle was emotional and heavy but more importantly, empowering. It put into perspective how much my ancestors went through, how much strength they had and how much strength has been passed on to me. I left feeling like there wasn't anything I could not accomplish. I have no excuse! I shared more about the experience on my Instagram Page below.
After our tour we went to a local restaurant where I tried a soup made with peanut butter (and some other ingredients I can’t recall at the moment), which came recommended and I also had red snapper fish. The meal was delicious. On the trip back everyone was knocked out. It has been such a long day but it was well worth it.
The next day happened to be Christmas. This was the first time in my life not being home for Christmas and I am glad that I was in Ghana because I still felt so at home and comfortable. I had breakfast that morning at the hotel, went shopping with friends, sat by the pool and met up with one of my good friends from back home who was spending a month in Accra with her mom. She invited me to a family dinner that was like nothing I’ve seen! They had a full program of singers and speeches, an open bar, a diverse food spread and everything on the menu was named after a guest. This was hosting at its finest! We played games and talked about everything from travel to friendships.
Blurry but this was the Menu from Christmas Dinner
The night was not over yet though, because remember it was Detty December. The people don’t sleep.
My friend and I went back to my hotel to change and get ready for the rest of the evening. We ended up going to two different bars that night and didn’t get home until a little after 5am. Detty December won and I was out. I should’ve mentioned earlier that my voice was completely gone by this point. I think between the travel, lack of sleep and new environments my body had enough and I was very hoarse.
Lucily, I only had one more day and then I could actually get home to rest. I checked out of my hotel the next day and did some final shopping. I was hoping to get my mom a bag from the Oye brand, which are bags hand made in Ghana. The shop in my hotel had some of her bags, but not the bag I thought my mom would like. I messaged the owner of the actual shop on google and she said she would meet me at her store just so I could come shop! Talk about amazing customer service! The store was wayyy on the other side of the city so my friend and I made an adventure out of it. I decided on a bag and wallet and was on my way.
Outside of the Oye store in Ghana
I made it to one more event before heading to the airport for my journey back home.If I wasn't already starting to feel sick, I would have LOVED to stay longer. But after two weeks of running on fumes, parties and nonstop activities, my body was not having it. I was so tired.
I landed back in New Jersey before my flight to Atlanta. I was so incredibly full off of the trip. The one thing I did not expect was how jarring it would be to be back in the states. The moment I stepped off the plane I became instantly aware that I was a minority again. I realized that for the past two weeks, what I looked like had never been top of mind for me because everywhere I went, everyone looked like me. I had been in the majority. I thought about what a privilege it is to grow up in a place where you are allowed to just be who you are and your race does not automatically put you at a disadvantage. What accomplishments and great things could one achieve if the focus was off of how your skin differed from everyone and more on your unique gifts and talents? It honestly made me a little sad and I told myself I would do everything I could to hold on to and preserve the vibrant energy and confidence boost Ghana gave me.
I finally landed back in Atlanta and I think I slept for two days straight. The experience inspired me so much that the same week I got back I planned for my next trip to Colombia. The trip unlocked my travel bug once again.
Ghana will forever hold a place in my heart and I can’t wait to make it back!
At Cape Coast
