Quiz answers

Thank you for all your entries and comments! So to the answers...

1. Ghanaian fishermen are nocturnal for their entire adult lives. True (20% of people got this right).

Ghanaian fishing boats go out at 6pm, and come back at 6am with their catch. Fishermen work a 12 hour shift, all night, every night except for Tuesdays which by law is a ‘no fishing’ day. The men can often be seen slumbering on the beaches or fixing netting near their boats during the day.

2. Ghanaian women shave their heads regularly, but would not be seen outside the house without wearing a wig. False (80% of entries were correct).

Ghanaian women take their hair seriously. If they can afford it a Ghanaian women will go to the hairdressers once a week, and will come away with a completely new style, often with extensions. The manager of the cape coast office here looks different every Monday morning, it’s incredible!

A typical Ghanaian hair salon. Unfortunately the ladies are not keen on having photos taken mid-makeover, so this was taken in the early morning before opening

3. In Takoradi, our closest town, there are 2000 registered gays. True (30% correct).

“In 2009, Takoradi captured news headlines for allegedly hosting series of gay parties whilst over 2,000 registered homosexuals are said to be roaming the Twin City, according to the Western Regional Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Roland Sowah.”  Ghanaweb source

The topic of whether homosexuality is actually illegal in Ghana is fiercely discussed, with liberals pushing Western values and conservatives demanding the law be extended to criminalize those involved. No one's really sure what is actually illegal, but the practice of ‘registering’ homosexuals does seem quite dark.

4. Ghanaian children must be able to do integer multiplication before being accepted into primary school. False (70% correct).

Primary school in Ghana begins at 6, a little young for compulsory testing. The kids are incredibly disciplined and desperate to learn, everyone here knows the value of a good education. Despite their enthusiasm few will end up with anything like a western schooling. If it’s not the lack of teachers in their area or the cost of going to class, then it’s parents withdrawing them to begin working to boost the family income. It’s not an easy life, but their enthusiasm every morning is always refreshing.

5. In Ghana the feet and wings of a chicken are considered the best eating. Brown leg meat is not thought fit for human consumption and goes into making pet food. False (0% correct).

Chicken is expensive in Ghana – nothing is wasted. A lunch of rice and sauce (chilli and oil) will set you back 12 pence while a chicken leg goes for 70 pence. We treat ourselves to one to share once every couple of days. There’s no chance anyone here would be feeding it to their pets.

6. “Obruni wowu” is the name Ghanaians give to second hand Western clothing sold in their markets. It translates as “Dead white-man's clothes” because they cannot understand why we would throw away perfectly good garments. True (90% correct).

7. Our local fishing ‘village’ of Elmina is home to over a thousand fishing vessels. True (100% correct).  It’s an incredible sight:

The village was once home to Portuguese, British and Dutch colonists who built two large forts on the high ground around the village (Elimina Castle, Wikipedia). Sadly they’ve fallen into disrepair, but tourists can wonder round them for a small fee. Lyd and I have decided we’ll turn this one into a luxury hotel someday, the views are spectacular:

8. In Ghana monkeys are often seen riding on the back of goats. Scientists have never understood why but the local taxi drivers find it hilarious. False, (70% correct).

I wish this were true. Just to prove it’s false, here is a picture of some unsaddled goats.

9. A significant proportion of retail buildings in Ghana are painted in garish colours and heavily branded to advertise mobile phone networks True (90% correct).

Advertising laws out here are a corporate ‘Head-of-Marketing’s’ dream. Want to offer people money to paint their house garish colours,  no problem. Want to pump out unbelievably loud music all day to attract attention, no problem. Want to pay all the chiefs in the annual carnival to wear your T-shirts rather than their traditional dress, right this way sir, how much are you paying? It’s sad, but it does bring in money, which the beneficiaries find hard to resist.

      

10. Due to the path it takes around the Earth, Ghanaians have never seen the moon. False (100% correct).

Indeed, but I was so hoping someone would get this wrong :o)

...

So to the moment you’ve all been waiting for!

There were three entries with the highest score of 8 correct answers, so it comes down to who entered first. 

And the winner is,

    

Ben!

Congratulations, welcome to Ghana bro...

Tim & Lyd