While Southern Ghana appears to be more or less an Evangelical Christian monoculture, with tribal affiliation and social structure on the wane, there are a few subcultures that are becoming highly visible. A prime example of this is the Rastafari movement (don't call it Rastafarianism... because "-isms" create schisms!).
I'm told that in recent times, it has become a new home for Rastafarians and their culture. Considering the amount of reggae one hears on the radio, I'm not suprised. Even Bob Marley's widow, Rita, recently built a state-of-the-art studio in Aburi, north of Accra (Note to self: record next album in Rita Marley's studio).
Wednesday marked the 70th anniversary of the Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia - the Lion of Judah himself. So there was a big party at Akuma Village, near the beach in Western Accra, with live reggae bands, vegetarian food and the whole nine yards.
We met up with our new friend Cha Cha, who is one of the inhabitants of XOFA village. His band was supposed to play that night, but it fell through for some reason. Anyways, Cha Cha is a great guy who is all about peace, love, understanding and all that other idealistic hippie crap. And he knows the difference between a Rasta who is true to himself and the fake pot-smoker wannabes. He even said that he couldn't wait to get back to XOFA in Volta Region, because he just couldn't take the city life. In a country where rural-urban migration is a huge problem, here is a guy who knows the score!
Anyways, we danced for a while to the music and then suddenly a fuse blew and the power went out. Soon, a drum beat started up and there were voices singing in the darkness, truly a sight to behold. The spirit of Ras Tafari lives on! Happy Coronation Day, kids.
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