ANOTHER TRIP TO ACCRA

Trips to Accra from Berekum these days are more expensive than they used to be in the past. Back in 2014 such excursions would only cost 50.00 GHS one way (US$25.00). Now the fare is 73.00 GHS (US$12.16), one way. Depending on exactly which VIP coach you take for the ten-hour journey. My most recent trip was on Monday, November 29. Even though I made previous arrangements with one of my regular three-wheeled taxi drivers. To pick me up at the same location where I normally disembark. when returning home from my frequent trips to Berekum. He never showed up even though I arrived at that spot at the exact time agreed upon by both of us, 5:30 A.M. This failure on his part caused me some nervousness. But I didn’t panic. Because even though I arrived at the coach station very early in the past we never departed until around 7:30 A.M. I didn’t have to spend too much time waiting because approximately ten minutes after arriving there. I was able to board another three-wheeled taxi which happened to be empty.

I arrived at the station in a timely manner, purchased my ticket, and waited with the rest of the passengers for the arrival of the coach. At the appointed time I attempted to get on the coach taking my duffel bag which was hanging over my shoulders. While carrying my small red suitcase with one hand. After getting on and finding a comfortable place to sit. I was told not only that I was in the wrong seat. But that the arrangement that I had attempted wouldn’t work, and was instructed to take my suitcase to the luggage bay of the very large coach. I did as I was told and paid an extra 5.00 GHS for this facility. The total cost of my trip to Accra was therefore 78.00 GHS (US$12.72). Once again I climbed the stairs leading to the interior of the huge limousine which I soon discovered was able to accommodate sixty passengers when full.

I retrieved my duffel bag from where I was sitting at first and attempted to locate my wallet in the usual place. A small pocket at the front of my bag. My right hand fumbled around in that small space in vain. Since my wallet wasn’t there. I returned to my new seat but my wallet wasn’t there either. I went over to where I was sitting previously but those two seats now had new occupants. Once again I frantically searched every pocket in my duffel bag but my wallet was nowhere to be found. Confusion, fear, and panic were about to take over my life. When I heard the voice of a man saying to me, “Sir, are you looking for your wallet?” I answered in the affirmative. Since it was lying at his feet, he kicked it towards me. I promptly picked it up and thanked him profusely. How quickly, suddenly, and unpredictably can unexpected calamity overtake us in this fragile life of ours? Some stray animal attempts to cross the road and is killed by a speeding motorist. Four children left home for school in Oxford, Michigan on Tuesday morning, but now are lying in the morgue.

OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The 15-year-old student accused of firing on his classmates at a suburban high school, killing four and injuring seven Tuesday, faced a slew of criminal counts Wednesday as authorities released more details about the events leading up to the attack. Prosecutor Karen McDonald identified the teen as Oxford High School sophomore Ethan Crumbley, noting he would be tried as an adult on charges including first-degree murder and terrorism. The suspect pleaded not guilty to all charges. District Court Judge Nancy Carniak denied bond.

1. “At its best, life is completely unpredictable.”- Christopher Walken
2. “I figured something out. The future is unpredictable.”- John Green

Is it any surprise therefore that we are warned in sacred literature to be sober since the future is absolutely unpredictable. We are counseled, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7 NKJV).

The coach left the station at approximately 6:45 A.M. We passed through downtown Berekum slowly and carefully. When we arrived at the village of Kato some officers dressed in military fatigues were at the first so-called Immigration stop. The bus was waved down by a female soldier. The driver got out, walked over to where the commander was standing, and after a brief exchange, the captain of that unit approached the coach, stood at the door, and addressed me since I was sitting at the front. “Do you have your passport with you,” he asked me? I replied in the negative. He asked me to disembark from the coach and invited me to accompany him to the small office located near the road. He continued, “Where are you from?” I replied that “I was from the U.S.A.” “This is very serious,” he protested. “You know that you are not a Ghanaian, therefore you should always have your passport with you.” “What kind of Visa do you have?” he asked. “I have a ten-year multiple entries visa,” I replied. “Is it up-to-date?” He persisted. “Not really,” I advised. “I updated it in May and it cost me 1600.00 GHS to do so.” “I can update it when I leave or whenever it’s convenient.” “That is what I’ve been told by the Immigration authorities,” I informed him. “Not true,” he insisted. “You should always upgrade it two days before the expiration date,” He contended. I didn’t try to argue with him. “Anyway, since you are traveling with a reputable transportation company I will permit you to continue on your journey. Just give me 300.00 GHS and go,” he concluded. “Sir, I only have 100.00 GHS (US$16.00),” I replied. I extracted that amount from my wallet, placed it in his hand, and left.

After returning to my seat on the VIP Coach, I discovered that the lady sitting next to me and carrying her baby was married to a pastor of the Pentecostal Church. I said to her, “I don’t understand this, the officer never got onto the bus. He came to the door of the limousine, looked straight at me, and demanded my passport.” Her reply was, “It’s because of the color of your skin.” This explanation made no sense to me because even though I was light brown, I was still a member of the Black Race and I had met several Ghanaians in Berekum who were also light brown in complexion. As I attempted a mental reconstruction of the events that had transpired in connection with myself. I came to the realization that where I was seated was no accident. I had been specifically located in a seat at the entrance. To give the constabulary and soldiery easy access to me. No wonder the driver said to me during the course of my conversation with the captain, “Talk to him and talk to him very well.” Now I clearly understood that this was a set-up. To prey upon North Americans and Western Europeans. Since those are the only countries with currencies strong enough. To supplement the loss of purchasing power being experienced by all Ghanaians. Consequent to the creeping devaluation of the Ghanaian Cedi.

Oil-rich Middle Eastern countries also enjoy such purchasing power. But when their citizens go abroad they travel mostly to North America and Western Europe. As I thought about the amount of money I had so easily surrendered, I almost kicked myself several times. One hundred Cedis might only amount to US$16.00 externally. But in Berekum that amount of money represents two large pieces of Pona Yam, three cans of condensed milk, four large loaves of whole wheat bread, six cans of sardines, and three cans of sugar. Enough to keep me supplied with those items for one month. Gradually it dawned upon me that I had been shaken down by a con artist in uniform. He was younger than me, had less education, and had only limited access to current information. Yet he was able to scam me. Regrettably, I have learned repeatedly at the University of Life. That knowledge and education are no match for cunning, treachery, subterfuge, and outright deception. My grand-aunt used to say, “You can hide from a murderer and a thief. But it’s impossible for you to hide from a liar.” My experience is by no means unique. Corruption is a way of life in Ghana.

More than half of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country has increased and the government is doing a poor job in fighting it, a new Afrobarometer survey shows. Approval ratings for the government’s anti-corruption efforts have declined sharply since 2017 after more than doubling in the previous three years. The survey shows that most Ghanaians perceive at least “some” corruption in key public institutions, and a majority fear retaliation if they report graft to the authorities. Ghana ranks 78th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index, three places below its 2017 position. (AfroBarometer 1999-2019).

After I returned to my seat on the VIP Coach the driver continued on the journey to Accra. Not very long afterward the baby who was in the arms of the lady sitting beside me. Introduced himself by pressing his feet as hard as he could against my left thigh. I responded by gently stroking his chin with one of my fingers. Soon she placed him in my arms since the time to feed him had arrived. She proceeded to prepare his formula and then she fed him. After all of that routine was completed her son had a massive bowel movement. The mother did the sensible thing and commenced changing him immediately. The stench struck the driver squarely in his face. Apparently, he was the only one on board with powerful olfactory senses. “What’s going on here?” he complained. “All of this can wait for a few minutes. Since we are only a few moments away from the convenience stop!” I rose to the defense of my newfound infant friend and asserted, “Sir, he has no control over this. He is only a baby.”