GROUNDNUTS
We have experienced many types of interesting food while living in Ghana. One of the main staples we enjoy are called groundnuts. They are a major legume crop in the northern regions of Ghana. These nuts are also a core ingredient in many local food recipes. We would call them peanuts. They are small and tasty when freshly roasted. They are relatively inexpensive and can be found on any street corner, bottled and ready to eat. We like snacking on them in the office while we work. Not sure why I never really knew how peanuts grew.... great visual explanation below.
FUFU & BANKUThe original and main ingredient for fufu is boiled cassava, plantains and cocoyams (taro). We see young men on the streets carrying and selling cassava (huge root vegetables) up and down the isles of waiting cars at stop lights.
Method of making Fufu: Separately mixing and pounding equal portions of boiled cassava with green plantain or cocoyam, or by mixing cassava/plantains or cocoyam flour with water and stirring it on a stove. Its thickness is then adjusted to personal preference, and it is eaten with broth-like soups.
The traditional method of eating fufu is to pinch some of the fufu off in one's right hand fingers and form it into an easily ingested round ball. The ball is then dipped in the soup before being eaten.We were chatting with some of our local friends and asked them to teach us about fufu. They like to eat it for the one main meal they have in the mid to late morning. This fills their stomach. By simply adding water occasionally, the fufu expands in the stomach, keeping them feeling full.
Banku is another traditional Ghanaian dish, made from fermented maize (corn) and cassava dough.
The banku mixture is boiled in water until it has a smooth, white paste-like appearance before being kneaded into a dough. This process is repeated until the dough is evenly cooked. Banku is similar to Fufu, which is made from plantain and cassava, but is eaten in a similar fashion.
This dish is a staple in many parts of Ghana and is usually served with soup, stew, or sauce made from vegetables, meat or fish. Banku has a distinctive sour taste and a slightly sticky texture that makes it ideal for dipping or scooping.
The origins of banku are not clear, but it is believed to have been introduced to Ghana by the Ewe people who migrated from what is now Togo and Benin. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend a performance at the National Theater of Accra. We have passed the interestingly shaped building many times and wondered about the inside. Here was our chance... to see the "Sound of Music" with an all Ghanaian cast. Surely, this is a once in a lifetime experience!
The National Theater was built for $20,000,000 by China and offered as a gift to Ghana in 1992. Since that time, the building has significantly deteriorated. I was shocked at the dirty and broken down condition of the premier event center of Accra. Many Ghanaians are embarrassed of the deplorable condition and have tried crowd funding to raise money to renovate the facility. So far, to no avail.
The musical stageplay was to begin at 12:00, with doors opening at 11:00 for "rush seating." By 12:00, there were 20-30 senior missionaries and a few locals gathered and waiting for entry. Finally around 12:15, we were allowed to enter the theater and find our seats. Many of the chairs were broken, there were only 2 air conditioning units working to cool the entire theater (not a chance of that happening), the tattered curtains were wide open, revealing stage sets still being hurriedly put in place, and there was commotion happening all around us with last minute details being put in place. Finally, at 12:40, the play began. I wasn't sure we would make it past the first act. But then, something magical happened. My vision changed.
Maria came running down the isles, singing at the top of her lungs, while the words to the song were projected on the side walls (this continued for every song). The nuns began to sing as Maria rushed to find her place in the convent. Maria was sent as a governess to unruly children.... you know the story. With each "act" the stage would darken and to our surprise, commercials began playing on the side walls (we assumed correctly - sponsors for the show) as the cast scrambled to change clothes and set up one or two items on the stage to indicate the new location of the story. The actors voices were not perfect, there were mishaps, the storyline had huge gaps, the recorded accompaniment was loud with several missed notes (we are sure they recorded their own soundtrack for the play), the microphones used by the actors picked up every breath of every actor, even if it wasn't their turn for script, it was hot, we were hungry and thirsty (we were told several times "the kernals for popping corn had not arrived yet"), our bums were numb as we slid slowly off the broken seats. Gradually, many of the seats filled up throughout the performance with more and more locals arriving quite late (fairly normal for any movie theater also). The locals were audibly thrilled and gave encouraging sounds and feedback throughout the play. It was actually hilarious. There was a camerman roaming the audience with a very bright flash, taking pictures of the audience members and blinding us on the spot. Hilarious right? The ushers stood in the isles and never moved, so if you had a seat that your view was obstructed by their tall hair, oh well.
And despite all of these seemingly negative details, we were able to see the incredible effort that went into the performance, requiring several months of practice, and then more practice, all for only 1 day of 3 performances (12:00, 4:00 & 8:00). They truly gave it their ALL!!!
At the end, we gave them a standing ovation and cheered as if they were a full cast of highly paid Broadway performers. Their smiles said it all!! Truly, it was a once in a lifetime experience I will always remember!
Thank goodness we are not judged on the first, second or even third act of our lives. We make mistakes, we unintentionally hurt others by our thoughtless words, we judge without thinking, we occasionally take the wrong path. We may think there is no way we will ever make it through this life and onto the next with any degree of reward or happiness.
The truth however lies in the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ! As we give life our best effort, despite ill-timed attempts to make things right or carelessly blundered actions, bungled words or fear of never getting it right, we can still have HOPE. Always available to us is a perfect brightness of HOPE in our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement and ability to bring us to our Heavenly Father, clean and pure and ready to receive the standing ovation of a lifetime, hearing: "Well done! You did your best!"
If needed, change your VISION for the future!! You will see that life doesn't have to be that complicated. Just continue to progress forward, toward Jesus Christ!! He is always the WAY!!!!
Much love from Ghana!!!
💓💛💚
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