G|Uganda 2.0 in Kampala

I spent about one week working in Kampala for G|Uganda 2.0. The event was a two-day worskhop focusing on teaching developer and business professionals about Google web and mobile products as well as about how to build and grow their businesses. I had been to G|Uganda last year, and I must say G|Uganda 2.0 was significantly better (and I'm not saying that because I helped :)) While I didn't present at the workshop, I spent my two days hanging out with fellow coworkers, GTUG guys, and participants.

Unfortunately, like last time, I was so busy with G|Uganda that I did not get a chance to explore much of Kampala. Luckily, I made two friends (Daniel and Richard) who, I hope, can show me around (on boda-bodas!) the next time I'm there. :)

Daniel and I deep in conversation

Richard and me

Keynote at G|Uganda 2.0

Teshie Homowo Festival

I went to the Homowo Festival today, which is a festival about a large famine in Ghana and its end by "scaring" the famine away with loud music, singing, and shouting. It was in Teshie, a poorer town east of Accra, and thinking it would be more authentic than something in Accra, I decide to get out of my Saturday lethargy and go.

Jens, Francesca, and I grabbed a tro-tro (fixed fare mini-vans), and boy, did they fit a lot of people in the van!* When we arrived, the street was PACKED, and we were definitely the only obrunis (foreigners) there. People were dancing, playing loud music, and running around. Some people were dressed in costumes; men dressed as women; kids doing tricks on rollers blades or bikes; it was quite unique and unlike anything I had ever seen. Kind of reminded me of the crazy festivals in San Francisco. We walked around the street for a bit, people watched, and eventually sat down and had a beer and some really bad meat kebabs. I think they were made from cat. Super gross.

*Now that I come to think of it, I took a tro-tro when I was in Joburg in 2005. I had to go to a party for work, and my coworkers told me to take this van to get to the party. At the time, I remember cramming into this car with 11 other people and wondering why my coworkers  would be so cheap and not hire an extra car for transportation. I didn't realize it was public transportation...

Yes, you are reading this correctly. This is how the festival was abbreviated...

Tro-tro driver

Dance-off

Nasty cat kebabs

Men dressed in traditional women African wear 

More cross-dressing

Kids running through the streets shouting

Ashesi University College Inauguration

Today I went to the Ashesi University College Inauguration, a top class private university outside of Accra.  I went with two fellow coworkers Nana and Jeminatu.

The inauguration was for the new Ashesi campus located in Berekuso, about an hour north of Accra. The drive to Ashesi was absolutely horrible; the roads were filled with potholes and was incredibly narrow. We drove past  one village after another, and the entire time I was thinking to myself, "Where in the hell is this place?!"

After a really, really long drive we arrived at the college. The campus was gorgeous and the facilities top-notch; I think Berkeley's facilities could use an upgrade after this visit! We found our seats for the ceremony, and then we waited, and waited, and waited. After almost two hours, the vice president of Ghana finally arrived so the ceremony could begin. The chiefs from Berekuso made their way across the garden, dancing and playing drums the whole way.

The whole ceremony only lasted an hour and a half. There were a bunch of speeches from important people: a famous reverend, the top chief (he did his speech in Twi), the US ambassador (who made a very amusing speech about Americans and Ghanaians being like the ingredients of fufu), and of course, the VP of Ghana. The whole experience was great, and it was really inspiring to see the people's enthusiasm for the inauguration of a university. The turnout was crazy!

Entrance to campus

Inner courtyard

Nana

Jeminatu and me

Our seats

Some chiefs; are those staffs really gold?

More chiefs

Queen Mothers

The musical group

I don't even...

Fancy shoes!

Final part of the procession

Tail end of the procession; look at that robe!!

My camera photo of the vice president after my camera battery died

Founder of the university (in the yellow-red robes) after Berekuso leader bestowed on him chiefdom 

Papaya

I had a delicious papaya the other day. I take back every horrible thing I ever said about papaya.

My first waakye

A whole lot of people went to get waakye this morning at Aunti Muni's. Waakye (pronounced wha-che) is cooked beans with rice topped with many different things: gari (grounded cassava), spaghetti (yeah, I don't get that one), eggs, spicy sauce, meat, and plantains. It reminds me a lot of feijao and farofa that we have in Brazil. The food was really good but very filling. I still feel very lethargic although I ate over 3 hours ago.

Cooking eggs

Cooking beans

Part of the group (minus Francesca and Johnny); from left to right: Ato, Ben, Jens, me

Ben posing with his new African shirt from Ato; today is Ben's last day in Ghana

Afterwards, Jens, Francesca and I went to MaxMart to buy more food. It's impressive how expensive food is and of poor quality; I can't get over this. I spent another 90 GHS (60 USD) to buy basic staple foods without buying anything too fancy. The most expensive items are dairy products, produce, hygienic products, cereals, and meats (even seafood!).

Finally, let me include the remaining photos I took this past week.

The first wine I drank in Ghana; it was pretty good

My bedroom; I am digging the sheets

View from side window

View from desk; the ocean is barely visible on this foggy day

View of street from front balcony