Destination Summer ‘21: Accra, Ghana.
There is something very special about Accra that gives me hope and inspiration for the future. I’m reading more and more about an international, bright young contingent of social media-savvy entrepreneurs who congregate in cafes, running start-ups from their laptops.
For many of us, this summer has become the summer of planning what to do next summer. And while we all live with the knowledge that nothing is promised, the uncertainty of today has given me a renewed sense of value for both everyday experiences and the anticipation of experiencing something special and new.
Ghana’s capital city, Accra, is one of the places I have always wanted to visit. Accra is Ghana’s most densely populated city and the last 20 years have seen the city’s prosperity flourish remarkably. The city’s bustling activity stretches beyond the center of town and well into Accra’s outside margins. Meanwhile, several posh hotels serve the city’s increasing tourist class with top-of-the-line luxuriousness and impeccable hospitality.
That hospitality extends to the everyday people you’ll meet on the streets too, I’m told by friends who know the city well. Accra is a friendly place. And while English is spoken, there are different interpretations, some influenced by the several different native languages that mix with the Anglo tongue of the country’s colonial past.
Speaking of that past, just last year marked 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” brought national attention to the West African nation, as countless African descendants living on the continent and the diaspora observed with prideful solemnity the scope of their history and spiritual fortitude. The Ghana Tourism Authority collaborated with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture; the Office of Diaspora Affairs; the Panafest Foundation; and the Andinkra Group of the United States of America to produce the event, which featured celebrities, politicians, and world leaders. Since the event, Ghana has seen an increase in tourism and media interest in its metropolitan capital, Accra.
This Christmas Accra is the first stop on this year’s Afrochella festival, an annual celebration of millennial African talent that travels all over the continent. The event features live art and fashion installations, music and a smorgasbord of African cuisine.
Above and beyond the festivals, historical significance, Accra’s loquacious, energetic people and its sprawling development, there is something else very special about Accra that gives me hope and inspiration for the future. I’m reading more and more about an international, bright young contingent of social media-savvy entrepreneurs who congregate in cafes, running start-ups from their laptops. Frankly, nothing gets me more inspired than hearing about enterprising young people, especially those whose networks and resources might be limited. This is where the successful among us need to invest, starting with our time, awareness, and our interest. This is our future.
Of course, like much of the world today, social distancing has prohibited some of the bustling activity that makes Accra so promising, special, and alive. I keep the city and its people in my prayers and hope its economic and infrastructure advances remain sustainable through these uncertain days before us. Summer 2021, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
— Christina Lucas
