Ghanian Traditions: New and Old

2/11/13

Entry #5: Ghanian Traditions Old and New

Today, I had the opportunity to experience two traditional Ghanian Activities: a naming ceremony and hair braiding. The naming ceremony was by far the shorter (and less painful) of the two!

One of the girls who used to live at the orphanage, Alice, recently had a baby. She stayed at the Achiase Children’s Home for a couple of years, but now is living with her daughter and Grandmother, as she wouldn’t be able to raise a child at the orphanage.  Despite her altered living situation, Alice remains close with Mama Sarah and Mr. Sam, and they held the naming ceremony at the orphanage.  When I walked into the compound I was surprised to find a host of Ghanian men and women dressed in their best clothes. We sat in a semi circle around the family of the child and stood for a singing prayer. Then listened as different important-looking people spoke in Fante.  Alice named her daughter after a couple of people with large influences on her life.  The child’s first name is Lisa, after one of the volunteers who was here a back when Alice still lived at the orphanage  (I am proud to mention that the kids always tell me I look like her) and her last name is Sam, after Mama Sarah and Mr. Sam, because they were like parents to Alice.  After he name had been announced, a couple more prayers were sung, then everyone gave the new mother 5 Cedi (Ghanian dollar) to help her pay for future schooling and we each took a turn holding little Lisa Sam.

I am sending out good vibes to Lisa and Alice, raising a child in and of itself seems consuming, doing so in Ghana would be difficult for someone like me, but I am sure if anyone can handle it, Alice can!

            The rest of my day was spent in a plastic chair getting my hair yanked.  Hair braiding is popular here in Ghana, but a bit different from what you’d have done on vacation in Mexico or the Caribbean with the little beads on the end, this is an all-day extravaganza! I arrived at “My Queen’s Beauty Parlor” at ten am and waited for an hour and a half before they one woman working there could get started.  Many Ghanian women do not keep long hair, usually it grows 2-3 inches long and stops, so adding fake hair to add length to the braids is a standard practice.  I chose purple fake hair, which they braided into my blonde hair and then extended to reach the small of my back.  The braiding took approx. 7 hours, as they took each section of hair and tied a chunk of the synthetic hair to it, then braided down to the end.  Finally when all sections were finished, the hairdresser took hot water and dipped my hair in piece by piece to seal the braids.  Finally, after eight hours I was allowed to go home, but with a set of rules for hair care from the Ghanain shop owner:  I was to sleep with my hair wrapped in a cloth, not go swimming, and not wash my hair.  This was a tall order for me, but I followed her instructions religiously…  for the first couple of days.  Now, two weeks later, the my blonde hair is falling out of he braids, I have a ton of dried sea water in my hair, but I have abstained from washing it and have been scratching at it like wild! Taking the braids out is quite the ordeal as well, and I’ve heard I’ll need help from my fellow volunteers, so I’ll let you all know how that goes as well! Overall it was a fun cultural experience, which I won’t soon forget, and above all else, I have a new found respect for Ghanian women who have their hair like this for months on end!

Coming up next…. Our western coast of Ghana travels!