In Ghana, some indigenous tribes in their local communities perform traditional ceremonies to initiate the teenage girl into adulthood. This is when the young girl first sees her menstrual period. At this stage she is considered as a grown woman and as such needs to be thought basic etiquette and values of the society. The Adangbe people in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana have over the years taken this tradition to the highest level and thus perform such rites for their girls who are teenagers. In Odumase Krobo, specifically a community known as KojoNya, puberty rite (”Dipo” as locally called) is performed to usher teenage girls into adulthood. Traditionally, the girls who partakes are required to undergo a two weeks cultural and traditional processes to learn the norms and traditions of their society. But in recent times the ceremony is performed for a few days especially over the weekends because some of the girls lives in communities distance away from the community where the ceremony is held. Again, alot of the girls are school going pupils and don’t have all the time to spend out of school. The ceremony is performed in the months of April through June from community to community in the Adangbe land. Customarily, the participating girls are mandated to be virgins during time of the ceremony. Any girl who comes to partake with sexual immorality will be exposed by the smaller ”god/deity” according to the locals. The girls are thought basic traditional norms such as ethics, manners and skills like cooking, cleaning and an economic trade. At the end of the ceremony the families of the participating girls celebrate triumphantly because they believe their daughter has brought dignity to the family.
Bofrot or Puff-Puff is a local snack found on the streets and markets of Ghana especially in the urban towns and cities. Bofrot is made up of white flour, sugar, little salt, margarine, nutmeg, yeast and water to mix. Bofrot are molded mostly in round shapes as seen in the picture after either kneading or mixing in the bread mixer. The process of making Bofrot is similar to that of making doughnut. After molding, they are dried in an airy or open space for some hours before they are fried in a vegetable oil to a light brown colour. This shows they are cooked well to serve. Bofrot taste very sweet and fills up your hunger on a sunny afternoon. Try some Bofrot or Puff-puff to enjoy the taste of Ghana.
Boti waterfalls is a seasonal waterfalls from the Pawnpawn River that flows from about 30 meter high in the rocky mountains of the Yilo Krobo District near the Huhunya township. Boti waterfalls is very famous for its natural beauty and unique twin flow known as the male and female falls. According to the locals, the male and female falls only merge when they are mating and as a result a rainbow is formed at the site. The name Boti literary means ”head of the rock” as legend says, after its discovery the locals called a renowned catholic priest in the area at the time to see the wonders they have found which the priest upon reaching the site and also seeing the beauty of nature asked the locals where it flowed from and the locals mentioned “Boti” meaning it is flowing from the head of the rock therefore becoming its name. You have to descend about 250 concrete steps from the visitor center to reach the site of the Boti twin waterfalls. Returning from the waterfalls to the visitor center may be a little challenging for some people as it requires a little energy ascending the concrete steps. Boti waterfalls became famous after President Kwame Nkrumah visited the site in the 1960’s and later proposed construction of a visitor center to receive tourists. The best time to visit Boti waterfalls is between the months of May and December.
Wli Agumatsa waterfalls is a perennial waterfalls which flows throughout the year either in the dry or rainy season. Famously known as the tallest waterfalls in Ghana and West Africa comes in two different sections. The upper falls and the lower falls. You have to be very adventurous and fit in shape to be able to visit the upper falls since you have to hike longer to the top of the rocky mountain. The upper falls is worth going if you have the energy and preparedness due to the beautiful scenery while on the mountain. The lower falls is the most visited because it is the easiest with about forty minutes walk through the semi deciduous forest crossing about nine foot bridges (some made out of metal and others concrete). The first foot bridge which is closest to the Wli village (Ghana’s border town with Togo) has it river sourcing from Togo. The trail from the visitor center is very smooth and flat but be cautious of army ants on the earth while walking. The Wli waterfalls has dozen of fruits bats hanging on the cliff where the lower falls flows and flies around in circles when they hear heavy noise. Going with a local guide is very helpful because you will get the chance to listen to history of the forest and the waterfalls while walking on the foot trails. You can swim in the pool of water flooded on the ground with guidance from the local guide with you.