Honking

You are at a traffic light, it's red, you wait for it to turn green. It turns green, and half a second later the car behind you is honking. Sound familiar?

It's funny but, I've seen the same cars I see in Ghana in three different countries, and I can't help but wonder if these cars were made without horns. Why? I never hear anyone honking!
Granted, some motorists in Ghana are just something (for lack of a nice word to describe them, I stick with something), and they just need to be honked at, but really, do we have to honk at everything?

This morning, I'm driving to work. I'm at a traffic light that isn't working because of dumsor, and there isn't a police officer directing. Suffice to say everyone's trying to be smart. Gradually, all the cars ahead of me manage to make the turn safe for the car directly in front of me. This car just wouldn't make an attempt to move. It's getting annoying, I'm getting impatient. Do I honk? No. Obviously this person ahead of me loves their car more than their time, or they just aren't going anywhere that important. So, rather than waste my time and pollute the environment with the sound of my honking, I overtake this car, branch onto the main road, and leave this motorist to wait for all the cars to just stop on their own (like that would ever happen) before moving. Problem solved, without honking.

Fast forward a few minutes later, I am at a roundabout. All the cars ahead of me try to give way to traffic on their left and manage to go their way (without me honking at them). Now, I am the first car. There are so many cars heading towards me from my left. I wait for an opening. Suddenly, the car behind me honks like there's a tornado heading towards them. I just don't get it. Why do motorists in Ghana like love honking so much? Don't motorists in Ghana get that all that honking is annoying, and chances are they are just going to end up confusing the motorist they are honking at, causing that motorist to make a dumb move, and end up in a rather avoidable accident?

I should add that a lot of the honking is done by taxi drivers and bus (trotro) drivers.

Kwaku Doe - Inflation Hits

Yep, Kwaku will now not accept my measly Gp50.

I haven't really interacted with Kwaku Doe in a while. A couple of days ago, I was the passenger in a friend's car and when we got to his spot, I saw it as an opportunity to have a conversation with him. I looked inside the car and found some coins. I put together Gp50, dropped the rest of the coins in the car (he actually saw me do that) and handed my bait to Kwaku. Guess what? He goes like it's not enough and he can't do anything with Gp50. When I look at him open mouthed, he goes like "awwww madam, you know me and my situation. we have been talking a lot. this 50 pesewas is not enough".

My friend gives me a you-gotta-be-kidding-me look and I silently hand over the rest of the coins to Kwaku Doe. By the time all that was done, the traffic light had turned green and we had to go.

All I got to say is Kwaku needs a job. The begging can't possibly sustain him cos all I got to give him is Gp50 (even that one kwraa, it is a lot to give someone that has done absolutely no work for you).

What Does This Camera Do?

That title was totally inspired by Deedee. You remember Deedee from the cartoon Dexter's Lab? Remember how she'd creep up on Dexter and go like "what does this button do" but then she wouldn't wait for an answer but just go right ahead and press it anyways lol.

So, there's this traffic camera at the Ministries traffic light. Turns out it's been there for ages (I should explore my city more. A different route each day wouldn't be a bad idea).

This is a traffic camera right?

First time I saw it, I honestly was in awe cos I dint know we had traffic cameras in Ghana. So, as curious as Deedee always is, I asked myself, "what does this camera do?" Now, how was I gon find out? Yep, you got that right, I jumped the red light over there. This was somewhere in October last year. Why's it taken me this long to blog about it? Well, I just had to be sure nothing was gon happen (you know how finding people in Gh can be even when, especially when you got their street names and house numbers).

It's been 5 months and no cops have showed up at my front door. I guess it's safe to say I got away with that traffic offence, unless of course the camera is there for another purpose (maybe catch pick pockets or something).

Kwaku Doe: The Betrayal (New Friends)

Apparently, I'm not the only person in Gh that's interested in Kwaku Doe.
Well, I did report earlier that I wasn't too happy with him so I'd chosen not to give him money. Well, this morning, he walks up to my car, asks for money and as has been the norm lately, I shook my head and told him I didn't have any coins. He moves away seemingly unbothered and I'm wondering why, cos he should be wondering why I've chosen not to mind him.

So, he moves on and I spot him two cars behind me spending too much time chit chatting with the driver in that car. As I'm getting real curious cos he's been with that driver too long smiling plenty, I see the driver of that car handing him a note that looked so much like a GH¢5 or GH¢10 and then I see Kwaku Doe go down on his knees and I guess he was saying thank you.

Oh my! That's the second time I've seen him go down on his knees in the middle of the road. No wonder he was not bothered about me not giving him money. And no wonder he said he makes GH¢20 everyday.

Being the curious person that I am, I drove real slow when the lights turned green so that my competitor could pass by me so I could seize up my competition. Turns out my competition is a young man who drives a nicer car than I do and can obviously afford to give notes rather than coins.

Kwaku Doe - Who To Pick!

I'm really late for work today. I'm so late it's almost midday and I'm not yet in the office (I really hope my boss doesn't blog). I'm not too worried because I knew my boss was away and wouldn't show up for work (making me boss so I guess I could show up whenever, no questions asked).

I get to Kwaku Doe's spot and there's two of them. Kwaku and another gentleman. The other gentleman's physically disabled in a wheelchair. Both of them begging. Now, I really was in a giving mood today but really, who was I supposed to give to? I just had one Gp50 coin. The physically disabled guy would have been the obvious choice but then again I've got my own interest in Kwaku Doe plus I didn't want to upset him further as he seemed upset with me for some reason.

I kept my coin and drove away when the light changed.

Kwaku Doe - What'd I Do? Just Trying To Get My Story...

Lately, I've been using this traffic free route to work. I get to see Kwaku Doe all the same but I can't talk to him because I'd be on the other side of the intersection.

Yesterday, I left home a bit early so I used my former route. I get to Kwaku Doe's spot and thankfully the light turned red just as it was my turn to go. Kwaku gets to my car (I guess to do his usual begging), looks in, sees me and walks away without saying or doing anything. Through my rearview mirror, I see him move on to the next car and beg (I could see him making the begging motions with his hands plus he stood there for a while).

What did I do to him? Two things come to mind. He's either mad at me for abandoning him these last couple of weeks or he's tired of my plenty questions.

Kwaku Doe - "I Speak English"

Earlier, I drew the conclusion that Kwaku doesn't exactly understand English. Just to be sure, sometime last week I actually asked him and he clearly came out to say he speaks English. Well, I don't particularly believe he's well versed in the language but hey, if he says so, who am I to challenge that?

Last Saturday, I happened to pass by his spot and as usual, he was there. There was no traffic so we spent a good amount of time talking (from when the light turned red to when it turned green). First of all, I had to make sure he'd be interested in the conversation and stay so I got my Gp50 coin out and dangled it right where he couldn't miss.

Kwaku Doe has been begging for the past seven (7) years. On an average, he makes about GH¢20 daily begging on the streets. This last information made me reconsider giving him the Gp50 coin because that would mean he earns so much more than a lot of hard working Ghanaians. Doing the math, it appears Kwaku Doe earns GH¢560 a month (i.e. if he begs everyday of the week). Even if he begs five (5) days a week, that'll give him GH¢400 a month, which is still quite a lot.


Just to be sure he understood me and I understood him, this conversation took place first in English and then in Twi. Honestly, I was inclined to not believe him at first but really, it is very possible. Plus he always looks so decent. Always well clothed and all that. I guess he can afford it. No wonder he doesn't want to abandon this job. He obviously knows what he gets out of it.


I do have a confession though. I'm in the process of trying to get one of the cleaners at my workplace fired so I can recommend Kwaku Doe for the job. Well, don't feel sorry for the guy and think I'm mean because this guy has received a query every other day since 2007, never responds to the queries and just decides to not show up for work or either show up drunk. Why he is still working here, I have no idea. I took this up because Kwaku told me last Saturday that he would like it if I got him a job (well that was after I asked him). At least when we in the same office, I can watch him closer and then maybe determine accurately if he's all there or not.

Kwaku Doe - Conversation & Conclusions

After presenting my peace offering aka motivational coins, I got into a conversation with Kwaku Doe a couple of days ago. Thing is, I'm not quite sure he understood what I was saying or what he was saying. For some reason I chose to have the entire conversation in English. Well, I know I've heard him speak English a couple of times but I doubt if he's well versed in the Queen's language.

Me: "So where do you live?"
Kwaku: (gesticulating in no particular direction) "Around"
Me: "Around where?"
Kwaku: "Around" (still making gestures)
Me: (giving up on that line of questioning) "How far with the job search?"
Kwaku: "This is my job"
Me: "Huh?"

Now how ridiculous is that? How can begging be his job. That has led me to insist on drawing the conclusion that he did not understand what I was saying. I would have probed further in "twi" because I didn't want to believe he understood what I was asking him but the light changed so I had to move on.

Yesterday morning, I passed by him at his supposed work place but I didn't interact with him. Later in the afternoon I passed his work place again (cos I had some stuff doing that side of town) but then surprise surprise, he wasn't there. His usual spot was now overtaken by hawkers plying their wares. What I didn't get was that time of the day would have been perfect for him to make a few pennies cos there was a lot of traffic  but it was just the hawkers that were taking advantage of the traffic build up. That observation led me to draw my 2nd conclusion. Kwaku Doe has another job which he goes to during the day. Early in the morning he comes seeing how much free money he can make first before going to work.

Kwaku Doe - What the...? But it's pouring!

This guy really does mean business. It's raining, I mean it's actually pouring and he's still walking up and down his usual spot doing his usual thing. He had absolutely no protection from the rain. All he'd done was to pull his jeans high up so it wouldn't get wet and he had on a thick long sleeved shirt (I guess to protect him from the cold). That shirt would obviously have the opposite effect once it's all wet. I really do wonder who he expected to roll down their windows and get beaten by the rain in order to give him money.

Kwaku Doe - Taking a Break

So this is what he does when he's tired.

I'm getting tired of this job oooo... I need to find something more profitable

The whole time I was at that light, he didn't change his position. Seems he's growing weary of this job or he's plotting a better way to make money.

Kwaku Doe - Thought We Didn't Do Weekends!

I have always known my weekends are for rest both from regular work (which pays the bills) and not so regular work (borne mostly out of curiosity). How wrong I was.

It's Saturday, I'm heading to the hair salon and out of habit I use my Kwaku Doe route (there are like a 1001 other routes I could have used all traffic free on a weekend). Out of habit again, I look out for Kwaku Doe but he's not there (not surprising).

I'm done with my hair, I'm looking all fly and loving it (that's just by the way especially since this is all about Kwaku Doe, not me) and once again, I use my Kwaku Doe route. Surprise, surprise! There he is, gloomily staring at the like one or two cars waiting for the red light to change. What else did he expect on a weekend? Well, me, I was on the other side of the road plus I was looking way too fly to get into investigative mode. He'll just have to wait till Monday.

Now, that would have been the end of this post except, something else happened today, Sunday. I'm driving somewhere around Laterbiokorshie, not far from the Bishop Bowers school and I see this boy (actually, he looked like 19 or 20) kneeling on the ground, hands on head with a pan beside him. The pan looked like it once contained a full load of smoked fish. Now all that was left was one. The boy/man was wailing. It took tremendous effort but I ignored him. On my way back, about 30 minutes later, this boy/man was still at the same spot, in the same position and still wailing. Now I knew he was waiting for someone to ask what was wrong (especially since he was kneeling right on the road) and then he could tell his sad story of how all his fish got stolen or fell into some gutter and how his madam would beat him or how he had lost all his money, but I just wasn't interested.

The only thought that came into my head was how to get a picture of this boy/man doing what he was doing. I however decided against it and drove away. Ei! what people will do in Gh now for money! (I could do a whole show on this one. Someone please sponsor me. I could make your TV station real popular).

Kwaku Doe - All Fly!

Never seen in a white shirt before so he totally caught my eye today.

I'm fly cos I'm hot, you ain't cos you not!

Doesn't he just know how to take care of himself? Maybe he's suffering from that thing where people are so obsessed with being clean and keeping themselves clean, what's it called? heard it on Oprah once, yeah Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I'm sure being so obsessed with keeping clean can drive you crazy and leave you jobless begging on the streets. 

But he has changed my stereotype about beggars though. I used to think they were all unkempt. Bra Kwaku has raised the bar. At least I know if I'm giving him money he's putting it to good use by taking care of himself.

Kwaku Doe - At Work & Up Close

So, Kwaku Doe has been consistently showing up for work every single morning for the past couple of weeks regardless of the time I get to his spot. I am proud to say that for like 2 weeks, I too have arrived at work very early (about 7:30am) every single day. Doubt if my boss notices though. I'm sure the one day I show up late he'll so notice.

I managed to get a shot of Kwaku Doe in action (I wonder if this whole picture taking thing without permission is illegal).

Some pennies please...

If you ask me I'd say he should stay off the air conditioned cars with their windows all rolled up (they are not very giving) and stick to cars like mine with broken air conditioners or none at all.

I managed to get one of him while he was heading towards me. Again I told him I have no coins and I'd make it up to him tomorrow (huge lie). I'm just putting together my sack of coins and then we'll see what I'm able to get him to cough up.

Yeah, I see you. The generous lady with plenty questions. Why's your phone up though?

Kwaku Doe - Not Far Gone

The main reason I didn't exactly think Kwaku Doe was mentally challenged was because he doesn't act it plus he doesn't speak like he is. Well, since he says he has mental issues and I've seen him exhibit some not so there characteristics but at the same time acts quite sane then I'd say he's not far gone or he was or is getting treatment for his condition.

Just look at him with his jeans all rolled up trying to prevent it from getting wet and muddy after the rain fell.

this rain "kwraa", it's gon mess up my jeans but I got to work too

Kwaku Doe - Say Cheese? Not Ready...

I tried real hard and I managed to get a picture but it isn't that good. Took it while driving (very dangerous. My car isn't even automatic) because the light was green and I've got all these spots from the rain that fell last night on my windshield.

I will get a better one though. Hopefully soon.

Kwaku Doe - Make Over!

Did I say the case was closed? How can the case be closed when I still see him every morning and there seems to be something to say about him? Kwaku Doe's had a make-over!

This morning, I saw Kwaku Doe with a fresh hair cut and he was clean shaven as well. He's always sported this afro-like hair but it's always been neatly combed (no dreads) and his beard has always been bushy as well. I'm starting to think he's trying to impress me because he rushed over to my car (to show off his new look) by-passing three other cars in the process and asked for some coins with his usual smile. Told him I didn't have any and will probably make it up to him tomorrow.

Except for the bad teeth, he did look good. I got a picture but it's not good enough because he had his back to me. I'll do better next time.

Kwaku Doe is...

Yes, I found out Kwaku Doe's name.

Let me give you the prelude to this. I'm approaching his usual spot and I got my incentive (Gp50) ready just in case. As I approach the traffic light, I realise I'm the only car on the road at the time. All the lanes were empty. My heart sinks thinking he didn't come to work and then I spot him standing close to the light.

I make a very conscious effort to stop right next to him leaving some space in front of me. I look back and there's no car behind me. Good, at least I'd be spared the unnecessary honking. I look at him and he bends down but before he could say a word, I initiate a conversation. This is the conversation that ensued (all in Twi).

Me: "how are you doing?"
Kwaku Doe: "I'm fine" (puzzled expression on face)
Me: "I see you here everyday"
Kwaku Doe: "yes please"
Me: "what is your name?"
Kwaku Doe: "please my name is Kwabena Bonnah"
Me: "ok"

Throughout the conversation, I had the incentive in sight and at this point I hand it over to him. He thanks me and just about the same time, the light changes so I move on. Yes Kwaku Doe is Kwabena Bonnah but I have grown so used to and fond of Kwaku Doe that I will probably maintain it when referring to him.

The picture will come soon. He had a smile on his face the whole time I was talking to him. I'm going to take that as a positive sign and hopefully he'll keep that smile on when I'm taking his picture.

Kwaku Doe - Celeb?

I got a call yesterday morning from a friend and he tells me he's spotted someone he thinks is Kwaku Doe at the spot I've been describing (he's been following my Kwaku Doe series on Facebook). I tell him what Kwaku Doe was wearing when I saw him earlier in the morning and he says it's him.

Turns out my paranoia yesterday was not unfounded. He actually said he was going to talk to him so they come up with a plan to rip me off lol. Well, since he told me and since he offered to get me a picture of Kwaku Doe, I guess he was kidding. Unfortunately, the traffic light turned green before he could get the picture. Nice try though. And great to know people are starting to look out for and notice Kwaku Doe when they get to that traffic light.