chapter 6: pure old skuul, baby!

one of the best things about ghana is the sheer joy with which the people live life. at any point in the workday, they're sure to take a break for a good laugh or just to bullshit with you, to sing and dance if they hear a good song on the radio.

i got another good example of this on saturday. it was the annual luv fm old skuul's reunion. 50 secondary schools, hundreds of singing, dancing kids and hundreds more alumni and friends, all eating, drinking and letting loose in the same place.

we got there at about 10am, well before the festivities started. they were behind schedule, as is often the case, but even at that hour, with only a few schools present, i was transfixed. yes, "somewhere in the distance i heard the pounding of native drums..."

i went to investigate the source.

the boys were more than happy to play for the camera, liberally displaying the hilarious ghanaian obsession with showing off one's gyrating rear end. they're amazing dancers, but they love to goof off even more. by 11, the place was jammed with a sea of happy folks having a great time amid a cacophony of yelling and music, all greeting each other. even me and doug, who'd come up from takoradi for the spectacle, were treated like old friends. good thing we didn't have to pass a dance test to earn this kindness. if there's one thing i've learned here, whitey should never dance if he doesn't want to provoke spasms of laughter. especially whitey with a fused spine, and therefore a noticeable lack of gyrate-a-bility.

we were a particular hit with the boys from kumasi technical institute, who proudly call themselves the canadians. they have an alliance with a technical school from saskatchewan, and many of the teachers at kti trained there. when they found out i was from the land of the maple leaf, they pulled me into their circle and danced around me as i comically goggled at the spectacle i'd become.

ghanians get up early; 4 or 5am in many cases, but they also like to party late into the night. after the skuul's reunion, everyone headed over to the kiravi night club. i was constantly bombarded with "hey! eho beye butu butu!" for weeks before the skuul's reunion, luv had been running a promo featuring me saying that line which, loosely translated, means the party will be rockin'. everyone assumed correctly that the white man in the luv fm t-shirt was that voice. i was famous.

inside, the dance floor was packed, and there was barely any room to move. a nice coincidence for someone with no moves and a reputation to uphold. another funny thing about ghanaians is that they seem to be looking for something they can't find very much of in a mate: westerners. the men say it's because ghanaian women are only interested in money, which may or may not be true for one or both genders. in either case, westerners of either gender rarely get lonely.

'nuff said.

i arrived home that night just before 4am, exhausted but full of beer and a day packed with good memories.