Independence Day

Happy birthday Ghana!

I was awoken early Tuesday with the sound of beating drums resonating from the village and the pitter patter of running feet and excited voices. Today was a big day, March 6th marks Ghana’s 55th independence day anniversary and on March 6th you march! All the village children dressed up in their best school uniforms and their whitest of white socks (which in rural, dusty Humjibre where all laundry is done by hand without bleach, keeping whites white is quite a feat) ready to show off the marching skills they’d been diligently practicing for the past two weeks. In the hot morning sun, the children lined up with their classmates as young boys began pounding out the beat on their drums. They marched through Humjibre’s dusty main street and up the hill to the football field where they marched their little hearts out in a marching competition in front of the entire village. After a rousing game of football accompanied by some drinking and dancing in the streets, the evening ended in a clap of thunder and a cleansing Spring downpour.

Ghana is a relatively young country, but their heart beats strong!