Winter in ‘Kumerica’

On my last visit to Kumasi a couple of weeks ago, I hailed a taxi home after a hard evening of partying, pretending not to notice my audibly creaky, ageing joints.

It was a sweet, rather damp night just after a downpour of rain and the streets deserted.

Somehow, our idle chatter eventually slid into politics and when he kept addressing me as ‘Chairman’ or ‘Honourable’ (perhaps inspired by the sight of my rather considerable belly) I remembered I was back home in ‘Kumerica’.

Apparently, taxi drivers across the world have their fingers on the pulse of public opinion, because their passengers come in all sorts.

I did pick up a lot from him that night, especially as I did more listening than speaking. Hairdressers’ salons and barbering shops too do have rich pickings, I gather. 

Surprise apparel

Beyond the driver’s depth of political knowledge and analytical skills, I noticed something else. He was wearing a padded leather jacket with furry trimmings. Perhaps he was making a fashion statement.

I was mildly surprised for two main reasons. First, these are the sort of clothing one sees on the streets of northern Europe and North America in the winter months. So, to see it in full use in this country seemed quite odd.

Secondly, I did not feel it was sufficiently cold, even at that late hour, to merit this apparel. When I put this to him, he gave me an incredulous look, as if surprised I did not think it was cold.

Then he pulled his jacket around him a bit closer, as if to emphasise just how cold it was. At that moment, I expected to see vapour billowing out of his mouth as happens on the winter streets in cold climes.

I reminded him that like almost every young person I know, he would one day want to emigrate to Europe or North America.

He shifted in his seat, gave me a bright smile and replied, “New York or Toronto, Chairman!” I smiled at the delicious irony of his cities of choice and told him with an almost triumphant smile: “Well, in New York and Toronto, the weather is many times colder than the inside of a deep freezer during winter!”

His face fell momentarily, then he perked up and reminded me that he would cope because, after all, he would be earning American ‘dallers’.

We eventually parted ways and I literally hobbled to my front door after wishing him the very best of his dreams. 

Reality check

Truth be told, it has been quite rainy in Kumasi for some time, and there seems to be an almost permanent chill in the air, almost akin to what one experiences on the Akuapem or Kwahu ridge.  

Prior to my visit home to Kumasi, friends and family kept mentioning this to me in our conversations.

One of my friends who swears about leaving his bedroom air conditioner on through the night told me he had not switched it on in a while.

After my encounter with my taxi driver friend, I made it a point to keep an eye out for winter clothing in Kumasi, particularly in the evenings, and I noticed quite a trend for an extra layer of external clothing, ranging from blazers to woollen sweaters to full winter jackets.

In a subsequent conversation with a friend on the subject, I intoned that this was plainly ridiculous and reflected an unnecessary desire to ape Western practices and styles even when clear factors do not make it sensible to do so. I did not think it was sufficiently cold to merit these, and that it was unnecessary and over-the-top.

My friend smiled and managed to interject my rant to remind me that in certain high-altitude places of habitation, it could be quite cold, especially at night, and, therefore, there was a legitimate demand for these kinds of clothing.  

Apparently, Kumasi was experiencing something a little close to that kind of weather, hence the appearance of these clothing on the market.

His lecture also emphasised the statement value of these jackets, to remind onlookers that indeed, the wearer had relatives abroad who had sent them home or had left them behind when they last visited Ghana.

Finally, he declared that many young men and women who are fortunate to secure visas to travel to colder countries usually quickly make a beeline for the second-hand clothing markets, seeking winter clothing ahead of their maiden flights. Some upmarket shops have them too.  

On August 20, 2024, graphic.com.gh carried a feature story attributing a huge jump in the demand for, and consequently the price of gloves, woollen hats and winter jackets at Kantamanto Market by would-be emigrants, with jacket prices going as high up as GH¢500.00.

That is quite an interesting market dynamic. 

Repentance

I have reflected and I have repented. I have decided that the next time I meet a fellow citizen in full winter apparel on our streets, I will not burst out in risible laughter, even if the streets are baking and the sun is burning fiercely.

It could well be the case that he or she has secured a visa to Finland, Canada or Russia and is simply practising how to navigate the treacherous outdoors in those countries on arrival there in late November.

Also, I strongly suspect that neither of our two main political parties will bother with a policy proposal to make second-hand winter clothing cheaper.

What is the point, when most of the patrons of these items could be clambering out of the country soon anyway, along with their precious electoral thumbs? 

The writer, Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng, is Head, Communications & Public Affairs Unit, Ministry of Energy.

E-mail: rodboat@yahoo.com