Kumasi: A fabulous tourist city
Undoubtedly, Kumasi is the most interesting urban spread in Ghana. Recently, I was present at Rattray Park where Mayor Kwadwo Bonsu told the President in the presence of His eminence the Otumfuo [not Otumfour] that “Kumasi is where Ghana happens.”
I agree entirely with him. Also, Kumasi is several times cleaner than Accra; you may ask Papa J. Rawlings. What Jerry did not say was that Kumasi has the best pay toilets in West Africa, thanks to two guys called Franco and Achamfuor [not Achamfour].
Gospel music, TV and sanitation
In fact, for the one between the Asafo market and the Neoplan station, there is a TV at the paying cubicle and I actually watched some portions of the FIFA World Cup there by wasting time to pay and collect my wad of tissue paper. The one at Pampaso plays gospel music and toilet sanitation announcements to you while you sit comfortably on the bowl.
There is another set of public pay toilets under the Kwadwo [not Kojo] Bonsu footbridge between Adum and the Central Market. Indeed, Kumasi is where Ghana happens.
I know some guys in Accra like Alolga Philip Mensah, another tourism guru who, for want of better excitement and environment than what he gets in Accra, travels to Kumasi on weekends to ‘dabble’ in funerals and ends up at various night entertainment spots before returning to Accra on Sunday. Some return the same day.
Currently, the hottest Saturday spots include Friends Gardens and one owned by the 4th Battalion of Infantry junior officers called Fourth Gardens. As for the funerals at the Jubilee park and Abbey’s park and several places, you need to be there rather than told, so you are always welcome to Oseikrom.
Kumasi boasts of more public statues than Accra, all telling history and culture.
Indeed, Kumasi is fabulous and as a friend told me in Johannesburg a couple of years ago, ‘Jacob, I would have been most unhappy if I had not been born a Kumasi guy.’ I feel the same way and try as much as I can to avoid Accra, but it is the national capital. Tamale is almost as interesting as Kumasi and I am dying for a rediscovery visit and short stay.
Kumasi is a very safe city, thanks to ‘Commander One’ Kofi Boakye. This fellow Katangee, recently shocked Kumasi by saying on Nhyira FM that the day Mohammed Alhassan transfers him, he would quickly pack up and go. Not that there are no criminals in Kumasi; there are, but Kofi and his men seem to have specialised in finding criminals.’ IGP, if you transfer this Katangee, I think there will be a demonstration.
Asantes [not Ashantis] have war-related names. For example, a beautiful kente design is called ‘antoko’ ie. he arrived too late to participate in the war.’
Asantes took wars very seriously for economic and freedom reasons. The title of the High Priest of Asante, the Nsumankwaahene, responsible for the spiritual protection of the Otumfuo, is Kogyawoasu [roll your tongue around it.] It means that if you miss participating in a war, you must weep. ‘Se yeko gya wo a, su.’
When in Kumasi, please ask questions so you do not form the wrong impressions. Like the Vatican, Manhyia Palace is a ‘city within a city’. Here, you can see kingship and royalty at its best, such as the Akwasidae of July 5, attended by some 10 ambassadors.
In Kumasi, everything - cars, furniture and food - is cheap. So government officials never want to be transferred from Kumasi.
Indeed, if you are bored in any part of Ghana, Kumasi is the place to go. And, lest I forget, if you have capital to invest in trading, bring it to Kumasi and you will never regret. The FM stations will ‘sell’ it for you.
Currently, besides cosmetics, fashion and ‘posh’ cars, the hottest items on sale on the airwaves are capsules manufactured here to enhance the performance of men for the jubilation of their wives.
Hotel accommodation is inexpensive, unlike the ‘impossible’ Accra, and if you tell them, you may go beyond the official check-out time of noon.
I am on a medical leave and live at South Suntreso, which I think is the cleanest part of clean Kumasi. Several of the Kumawood guys and ladies are here at South and I regularly meet Bill Asamoah. I never met Lil Wayne or Joe Shortingo. As for Agya Koo, the best place to meet him is at a funeral. This bloke is a great ‘adowa’ dancer and highlife singer.
Accra has its Oxford Street. In Kumasi, we also have our Bantama High Street and for weekend fun and entertainment, Oxford street pales into insignificance compared to the Bantama High Street where regularly, some smart Kumasi kids organise the famous Bantama Street Jam for free just for business reasons. Bantama High Street is enough reason for you to spend a weekend in Kumasi.
Kumasi is a fufuo [not fufu] destination and, being such an acclaimed fufuo eater, I am both happy and proud to be an Oseikromian. You will find great fufuo wherever you go, north, south, east, west and centre. Most people know this so I need not go into details.
What you do not know is that there are some chop bars at Krofrom northern Ghana station where the pounding begins around nine pm. So you can eat fufuo even at midnight, just like Bamboi where you can get fufuo at even 2a.m. I have had this privilege before, when I was coming from Wa.
There is every reason for you to visit Kumasi, or get yourself transferred to Kumasi so you can make great savings, have lots of fun, eat great fufuo and live longer.
The writer is a Tourism Development Consultant, Tel 0234 725 755 [e-mail: [email protected]]