Our Last Weekend in Tamale…

  Saturday we went souvenir shopping. The Tamale Cultural Center is a collection of about 12 tiny shops, side by side, where you can buy various souvenirs or other cultural items. I suspect it’s primarily a tourist attraction, since the prices are marked up and we didn’t see too many locals shopping there. But I understand they need to make their money. We negotiated a little, but mostly we ended up giving in. When we got home, Hamza invited us to his cousin Victoria’s birthday party. It’s the 4^th birthday party we’ve attended since we’ve been here, if you count Bertina’s. Everyone is so welcoming. The party was being hosted at Hamza’s house, so we bought a very small gift and took it with us to the party. Of course there was plenty of – you guessed it—food and dancing. 

I love how close the families are here. Reminds me of my own. No matter how simple and modest their gatherings are, they are so happy when they are together. I don't know if I remember a single moment when at least 2 people weren't smiling or laughing. 

Sunday was a really fun day. We started out visiting a Ghanian church. Mama Merci’s son Quako, invited us. Interestingly, Hamza and some members of his family are Muslim but his aunt and cousins are Christian. Here the culture is such that any person is welcome to worship in any way they wish-no questions asked. It was a nice building but really difficult to hear anything. They did sing a song in the beginning which was really nice.

Mama Merci's son, Quako, and me after church

Bertina and Jonathan with one of the pastors, who is also an ENT at the hospital

That afternoon we went to a football [soccer] game. The stadium was nice, and initially we thought it was going to be very similar to an American sporting event. It was RTU (Real Tamale Union, pictured in blue) vs. Audrana (a neighboring city). The spectators were 99% men and everyone sat on the same side, presumably because there was shade on that side.  The referees were making some pretty bogus calls (or so I was explained), but the people in the stands were getting really upset! 2 particularly belligerent men kept running down to the field to try and attack the refs. There was an entire team of armed guards, but ironically, they did nothing to help. Two or 3 times, the guards calmed down the guys who were trying to start fights, but they didn’t kick anyone out and they didn’t reprimand anyone. In fact, the police started begging people to behave over the loudspeaker. 

We were telling Hamza that in the States, that guy would’ve been arrested and in jail for trying to attack a referee. Also, multiple people were pelting the field (and the guards) with plastic pouches full of water. I saw so many bags of water come flying from the stands and explode at the referees and other staff that I lost count at 30. One scrawny guard took out his rifle, but then he just put it back in its holster. 

Ultimately, Tamale finally scored too, and the game was declared a draw. At the end of the game, however, throngs of men rushed out to the field and literally started attacking all the referees. The armed guards were pulling people off of them, and finally, they had to escort them out, surrounding them on all sides. It was really entertaining. Hamza also showed us a back road where they typically have to leave through (also escorted by the police), lest they get injured. Now you see what happens when you have that much testosterone at a sporting event!

Concession lady- looks like her baby wanted a snack

When we got home, Mama Merci had worked all day preparing dinner for us. It was SO delicious. The best food I have had yet. It was home-made Red Red. Red beans with red oil and plantains. The combination really hit the spot. After dinner we played Uno- Mama Merci really got into the game! She was competitive but fun. She sang every time someone had to draw more cards. These people have become our family here. They keep us from getting too homesick, they show us love daily by making us feel at home, and they make it clear they are available to us at all times. We will certainly miss them.  We’ve also been invited by several of the house officers to meet for lunch or dinner this week; according to Hamza, this is not typical of the house officers.

It is truly a privilege to come into someone’s space, their life, and their story. I’m talking about the local people, the patients and the hospital staff. We have shared so much with these people in just a short time, we truly feel like members of their community.