1. Do not wash with another man’s bath water. 2. If you dance two dances at once, your bottom will go askew. 3. No matter how long you stay in the river, you cannot become the crocodile. 4. He who follows the elephant encounters no dew. 5. But for the tortoise alone, the gun will […]

I’ve spent the last 24 hours being ill with some authentically African complaint, after eating dodgy food from someone who swore it had no meat in it, and lied. I’m getting better though, and am ready to finish my interviews. It sounds as if my last one may be tomorrow, which is cutting it fine […]

April 6 The people I’ve met here have been almost uniformly great. The hostel is full of an ever-changing cast of students, volunteers, NGO workers and travellers passing through. It has its drawbacks – this isn’t the biggest season for tourism, and for the last week I’ve been almost alone except for three Flemish sex […]

April 5 I was writing up my research notes at 7.30 this morning when I decided it was time for a day off.  A couple of new guests have arrived, and I offered to share my hard-won knowledge of Accra. So we set off for the national cultural centre, a place where you can buy […]

April 3  Signs I saw today: “No parking, no defecating” “No parking, here is not a washing bay” “Curses are real, have knowledge and overcome” “IMT Designs Consultant: quantity surveying, draughtsmanship, architectural design, construction, astrology.”  Travelling in Accra at night is always epic. Today I spent a record 2 hours getting across town in the […]