Branda Ayo’s 29 Days in Ghana

I’ve always wanted to go to Africa. For a while, it didn’t seem like a thing to prioritize, but the desire resurfaced as I was introduced to Afrobeats. I felt like the music was pushing me to go, and when 2019 happened to be The Year of Return, Afrochella, and Afronation — it seemed like the perfect time. Hearing other people’s stories and seeing their trips back to The Continent made me want to take my own journey to Ghana. The music might have created the spark, but something deeper was calling me home.

Celebrating Haiti’s (my birth country) independence and the New Year while in Ghana was so surreal. It was 2020 and I could’ve been almost anywhere to celebrate the new decade, but destiny made it possible for me to be in Africa. In Haitian culture, there isn’t a push to go back to Africa or reclaim your ancestry because we have such a strong culture and local history as a people. But growing up in America and having the Caribbean background really shaped the way I saw things, and I knew I would ultimately find myself in Africa one day.

I traveled to Ghana from December 29th through January 28th, staying a total of 29 days (if you don’t count the 18-hour flight there and the early morning departure back). I knew I wanted to connect with other creatives during my stay, so I was so happy to stumble on the Skatehouse organized by SurfGhana while surfing Airbnb.

I’d been following the group on Instagram for a while, and once I realized that the Skatehouse and SurfGhana were connected, I knew that I had to stay there. The house host, Sandy, went out of her way to help me before and after my trip, and she was always available to help with any questions I had.

Once I arrived in Ghana, I was able to plug into a network of entrepreneurs, creatives, and musicians all looking to make an impact. The memories of being at a live show in East Legon and engaging in deep conversations about Africa and her future really made the trip more than just a vacation. It was a moment to learn more about myself and a country with such rich history.

I wanted to enjoy my time in Ghana but I also wanted to give back before I left. So I was glad to have the opportunity to help out at a beach cleanup near Osu Castle with Surfghana and other creatives promoting sustainability and up-cycling clothes.

The weather was pretty nice and warm, especially compared to the frigid temperatures of New York, and Uber was affordable enough to avoid long walks in the afternoon heat. I chose to use Uber over the regular taxis so that I could avoid extra fees and have a record of my travel in case anything happened.

My favorite dish had to be Acheke with couscous and Kelewele — which is a spicy fried plantain and popular street food in Ghana. They cut up the plantains in these really small pieces and season it with pepper. I preferred mine mild, but you can kick it up if you don’t mind the spice or have it served with fried peanuts. Acheke is like milled cassava, and I tried it with fried fish and stewed chicken. Delicious!

Some of the trip highlights were a weekend trip in Ada with the WildTours Travel Company, attending the This Is Ghana art gala by Danny Wonders, and visiting the Cape Coast Slave Castle. These were just a handful of the amazing experiences I had in Ghana, and I’m inspired to continue making more moments like these. Ghana gave me something to look forward to that I didn’t expect. It gave me community, culture, and a reason to return.

I hope that next year more Haitians from the diaspora will revisit the continent and explore their identities beyond the context of colonialism; before Europeans came and exploited everything. Ghana was just the first step in that process for me, and it was an experience I will never forget.

— Branda Ayo

Traveling Solo: When Ghana Called Me Home