As I set off on a
trip to one of the silent towns in the Volta Region of Ghana with the Priest of
the Parish where I worship, I had one thing in mind: Sokode Gborgame, our
final destination where we had an appointment with a Reverend Sister. It was a
two-hour journey from our Tema base, and we actually set off about thirty minutes
later than the scheduled take-off time. It started and ended a pleasurable
ride, and I truly enjoyed every second of it. Initially, we were moving in snail
pace and I was wondering why Father was moving that slowly. Then, we
passed Afienya and approached the Shai Hills. I remembered that I had visited
the Shai Hills wildlife center with my colleagues four years ago; and actually
saw monkeys and other benign animals. As we passed by the main entrance of the
wildlife center, I reminisced over the experience and wished those moments
could be re-enacted once again.
We sped past and
continued on our way to the Volta Region. About a kilometer after the Wildlife
center main entrance gate (and the large signpost that indicates the purpose),
there were no fanciful houses in sight anymore. All that we could see were
merely shackles and huts where natives who put their wares, mainly fruits like
different species of mangoes, oranges etc by the roadside; and also, hunters
reside. Then, green vegetation was in sight: low grasses, tall trees and weeds
all over the place … such natural scenery. Then, littered by the roadside were
figures that I could not recognize from afar till we drove closer. Monkeys!
Wow!! … They were about ten in number and they sat on the right hand side of
the road only. I was amazed and really excited to see these monkeys; the last
time I saw a live monkey was about four years ago when I visited the Shai Hills
Wildlife center. This came more like a joyous enactment of a scene that I
appreciated several years ago. When I last visited Shai Hills Wildlife center, I
saw monkeys right inside the bush, though they strolled to the sit out and associated
freely with visitors who came with snacks and fruits. There was actually a
narrative by one of the Wildlife center attendants that one of the monkeys lost
her young that was about three months old, and actually sat beside its carcass
for many days until it was completely disintegrated. Asked why the monkey did
that? He said that monkeys do not like it when other animals feed on the
carcass of their young. Quite interesting!
We sped past the
monkeys and continued on our journey … our jolly good ride. Being with a Priest
entailed a lot of caution in my conversation and disposition (which can be
quite uncomfortable especially for humorous people like moi); however, we
journeyed on. Then, we arrived at Juapong town and after paying some money at
the toll gate just by the major entrance into the small town, we drove into the
‘Swinging bridge’ … I have heard so much about the ‘Swinging bridge’. I could
not still make out what was meant by the adjective ‘Swinging’ and I kept
wondering till that day. Now, I scrutinized the bridge to decipher why that
adjective was appropriate. I sure noticed that the bridge was suspended with
some thick iron rods at the top, but riding on it didn’t give that swinging
effect (which was actually what I anticipated). It was a short bridge, but very
fascinating and kinda modern by concept.
“Why is this bridge
called ‘the Swinging bridge’”? I asked
the Reverend Father
He smiled and
answered, “Because this water used to overflow its banks very often and so each
time that happens, it never gets as high as the bridge. The bridge is designed
to rest only above the water and never submerged by any storm”
Wao! What a concept!
I was fascinated the more. Juapong Swinging bridge … Now, I remember Wisdom,
one of the security guards at the complex where my office was located at Tema
who hails from Juapong. And he always used to tell me each time I asked him how
his weekend went on a Monday morning, “Madam, I went to Juapong” Interesting …
We passed Juapong town
and began to approach other towns. I fell in love with the names of the towns
on that axis. Many of them sound foreign and many actually seem to me to belong
to the old English fairy tale century, like Frankadua, Fintey, Sokorde Ando, Apeguso,
Ho etc. The country view of these towns is serene and full of vitality;
depicting vegetation and purity, at least, that was what I felt as we rode
deeper into the heart of the region till we got to our final destination,
Sokode Gborgame. There was a sign post which directed traffic to Ho which is about
fifteen minutes drive from there.
We took the right turn
and proceeded to meet our appointment with the Reverend Sister which turned out
to be a brief one …The meeting lasted only thirty minutes, below what Father
and I actually expected. As soon as the meeting was over, Father and I hit the
road again and journeyed back to Tema, and the sun was quite up. In my mind, I
wished I would see the monkeys again so that I could ask Father to slow down a
bit for a good view as we were not rushing to catch up with much at Tema.
Barely after an hour and half drive, we approached the Shai Hills area where we
met the few monkeys on the right hand side of the road earlier in the day. I
wondered aloud that with the heat of the sun, these monkeys may not be out by
the roadside at that time of the day. And Father asked why I thought that they
wouldn’t; after all, they go about their own businesses at noon just like
humans do too. Funny … I smiled. Not long after that conversation, I looked
ahead of me and noticed that there were many monkeys actually sitting on either
sides of the road. I was elated … glad to notice that wild life is actually
preserved in this part of the world, more than in the country that I have known
all my life. The monkeys numbered about fifty of various sizes and age this
time, and they actually sat in clusters as though they were families of father,
mother and children.
“Aha, I told you
they would be here” The Priest exclaimed.
“Guess what? These
monkeys actually behave like humans. I was driving past this road once and I
looked ahead and saw some monkeys actually standing just by the edge of the
road. It was obvious that they wanted to cross to the other side of the road. I
prayed that they would not venture because I was speeding a bit. Somehow, I
looked on the other side of the road and noticed that the monkeys sitting there
were raising their arms to the sky, and I wondered what that meant. I sped past
but looking at my rear mirror, I saw that the monkeys were making gestures
indicating that they should cross over to the other side. That was when I
realized that by raising their arms, they were only indicating to the other
monkeys that it wasn’t safe to cross the road. I giggled and mused over that
event for many days” He narrated excitingly.
I turned around to
view the monkeys again, but we had gone far. I never cease to be amazed by the sight
of those monkeys and the myth that surrounds them. And then, Frankadua and
Fintey … those may be the birthplaces of the Princess and the Frog in the next millennium, who knows.
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