While worldschooling in Accra, Ghana, we participated in a wonderful cultural immersion program. After that ended, we moved into different accommodations and launched out on our own. The kids and I spent our days exploring the city and surrounding areas with the most amazing tour guide that we’ve ever had. Ever.
How we explored Ghana:
Our guide’s name is Okoe Oktopi, and he’s the founder and lead guide of HIM Tours Ghana. When we arrived in Ghana, he was a stranger, but by the time we left, he was a family member. Not only did he show us around with a complete insider’s view, he also genuinely cared for us in a way that only the very closest of friends or family members would do. I honestly just can’t imagine experiencing Ghana without Okoe, and my children still talk about him all the time.
In addition to being an expert local guide, Okoe is a loving husband and father, and THAT made a huge difference for my family. Showing up in Ghana alone with four children ages 6-12 (turned 13 while we were there) required me to be brave. My husband returned to the U.S. when we left Europe, so I was fully responsible for our experiences and safety, but Okoe entered in and removed a huge portion of that responsibility.
He led and protected us so I could focus on just being mom instead of trying to make sure we didn’t venture into the wrong areas, get lost, get connected to the wrong people, get taken advantage of, etc. While doing all of that, he exhibited a superhuman level of patience.
My kids are just regular kids. They whine when they’re tired, they’re always hungry (like ALWAYS), and they complain when they’re hot. Initially, I was worried that our guide would get frustrated because the pace of our explorations had to take my kids being kids into account, but none of it phased Okoe at all.
He’s a kid-whisperer.
He would grab my little guy and carry him on his back when he was too pooped to take another step. He kept a hawk’s eye view on my girls at all times and would stick to us like glue in crowded places. He joked around with the kids and developed his own relationship with them, and they love him so much.
What we did while worldschooling in Ghana:
We had so many experiences with Okoe that it would be impossible to list everything here. Many of our most valuable moments were unplanned and unscripted, and they were only possible because we had an “insider” who could point out things that we couldn’t otherwise know or even notice.
He would introduce us to people he knew in his community as we went through our days, and those random conversations and meetings enriched our understanding of the culture and people immensely. Though I can’t describe all of the details, I’ll share some of the highlights of our weeks with him:
Ga Community Walking Tour: Our guide is from the Ga community, and that’s where we rented a home, so walking around the area was our first order of business.
Independence Square: One of the largest public squares in the world, Independence Square hosts Ghana’s annual independence celebrations and other national events, including military parades. The Black Star Gate is located in the center of the square and was commissioned by Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister and president of Ghana after gaining independence from Britain in 1957. The black star, popularized by Marcus Garvey, has became known as a symbol of Pan-Africanism and anti-colonialism.
African Ancestral Wall: American Jerry Johnson and his Ghanaian wife and children established the African Ancestral Wall on their family property to give local Ghanaian students access to some of the African history they miss in school. During our time in Ghana, we learned that, sadly, most Ghanaian children primarily learn European History in school. This was quite surprising to me, and it’s just one of the many tragic remnants of colonialism that we witnessed. Johnson and his son gave us a wonderful tour, we enjoyed lunch at their delicious rooftop restaurant and learned about their Airbnb guest house.
Ghana National Museum: The National Museum of Ghana is the largest and oldest of the six African Art museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. We had an excellent tour guide who helped bring the exhibits to life with plenty of interesting background information. She was young and had a great sense of humor which helped keep my older kids interested. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture, but I found it odd that the museum doesn’t share the impact of colonialism or the history of the transatlantic slave trade. It felt like a strangely sanitized experience that I’d love to unpack with the curators.
Accra Children’s Library: I was excited about visiting a local children’s library! I had my camera ready to take plenty of pictures of all of the amazing literature featuring stories from Ghana and other African countries. Interestingly, 95% (or more) of the books featured white characters and illustrations and were written by white authors. I’m not sure that I can accurately describe my shock and disappointment. This issue deserves more space than what I can give it here, but it was pervasive (same situation in other libraries that we visited), confusing, and heartbreaking. Check out my Amazing Africa! Heritage Pack or these children’s books about Ghana for resources on teaching children about various African countries.
Market Visits: We visited several markets during our time in Accra. I don’t remember the name of all of them, but I know for sure that we shopped at La Market Complex and Makola Market, Accra’s largest open-air market. It literally overflows with goods, people, scents and sounds, hustle and bustle, making it a great place to absorb the atmosphere of a West African market.
Bought Fabric and Visited Seamstress for Custom Clothing: After choosing our own fabrics at the market, Okoe took us to a local seamstress and tailor shop to be measured for custom clothing. We all got completely white outfits for our traditional naming ceremony (details below), and we also got other clothes to wear back at home. I was stunned by how affordable everything was, and I was happy to find out that we can also order custom clothes to be shipped if we send Okoe a photo of what we want.
Beach Visits: We had a great time at Labadi Beach, the busiest beach on Ghana’s coast. We spent the day swimming, eating, and people-watching, which was the best part for me. We also visited another local, quiet beach to look for shells and watch the sunset.
Nkyinyim Musuem & Art Workshop: I don’t even know how to describe this place. I’ve never seen anything else like it, so I have nothing to compare it to. Nkyinyim Museum (@nkyinkyim_museum) is an evolving art installation and monument created by award-winning Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo. The word “Nkyinkyim” is both an adinkra symbol and a proverb. It directly relates to the travels made by our ancestors and also their journeys from where they migrated. The sculptures are evocative and absolutely stunning; they left me speechless. Everything is outdoors, and it was extremely hot the day we were there, but we pushed through to see the entire property, and I’m thankful that we did.
Boat Ride & Crocodile Zoo: I’m laughing as I write this because I don’t even know where this boat ride took place. I wasn’t feeling well that day, and I just went wherever Okoe took us and didn’t ask any questions. We ate at a restaurant on the river before jumping into a long, narrow boat and taking a ride. We could see the ocean from the boat, and we witnessed the most beautiful sunset. On the way back to the dock, we pulled over to visit a crocodile zoo at night. The kids LOVED that.
Naming ceremony: One of the most special parts of our time in Ghana was the Ga naming ceremony that we participated in at the end of our trip. Okoe took us to his ancestral home, and the elders presented us with Ghanaian names. Many community members came to the ceremony, and the entire process was deeply moving and meaningful.
We also visited Osu Castle, and my kids toured the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the Adom Waterfalls. with my sister when she came to visit. We were supposed to be in Ghana longer, but our time was cut short, and we had to leave two weeks early. More on that in a future post, but I look forward to the day that we can return and complete the rest of our itinerary. It’s truly an incredible country with so much to see and do.
Where we stayed while worldschooling in Ghana:
During the second part of our time in Accra, we stayed at an Airbnb inside a family compound (family land behind a wall with locked gates) not too far from Labadi Beach. It was in a local neighborhood, and I appreciated that the owner’s sister lived right next door. Having her family there made me feel more secure, and my kids had built-in playmates with her children. She also ran a small convenience shop from the property, so we could easily get household items and non-perishable food staples in the evenings when her shop was open.
Want to travel to Ghana? If you’d like to set up a solo, family, or group trip to Ghana, I highly recommend that you not try to do it alone. You can certainly hit the major tourist spots on your own, but you’ll miss out on some of the most amazing parts of the culture without having a local person by your side. I just stumbled across this travel guide in my research, but now you have an actual recommendation – from me! I can say without a doubt that our time in Ghana wouldn’t have been as rich without him. Contact H.I.M. Tours
- HIM Tours Ghana (Daniel Okoe Okpoti, Founder)
- Monica Utsey, Travel Coordinator US/UK (This is who I worked with to plan everything before leaving for Ghana, and she is AMAZING.)
- Website: www.him-tours.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/himtoursgh
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/vRRkdBlAxdk
- US/What’s App +1-202-615-6310
- Ghana/What’s App +233 551 44 0277
Join me on Instagram @heritagemomblog for more pics and details from our trip, and don’t forget to check out my book, A PLACE TO BELONG, for lots of info on how and why we travel globally with our kiddos.
Thank you so much for sharing all this – I’ve really enjoyed following along vicariously on your trip! I’m so deeply sorry that you have had TWO trips cut short like this. Thank you for putting this all together!
Thank you for that. It’s been an incredibly difficult pill to swallow but a great lesson for my kids. We can make plans, but we’re not in control.
Thank you for sharing your trip. I’m so sad to hear it had to end it short again! The library state makes me very sad. I have had 3 friends from other countries just give me blank stares when I asked them about children authors from their country or favorite books from their region. They bring me back books as souvenirs but they are Disney books that have been translated or cheesy translated Bible stories. I’m sure there are many layers to the discussions but I have asked is it possible children literature is not as important in their culture and they prize others aspects of childhood more? Is it lack of opportunity for authors? Leftover ideology from colonization? Lack of funds? So many questions and probably not a straight answer but Amber I believe the work you are doing is a piece of the solution. It’s hard work but it’s good work and I am so blessed to get to support you along the way.
And so sorry for my grocery list. 🙈The comment box wasn’t letting me scroll back so I moved to writing it my notes app. I couldn’t see from the comment box that accidentally got copied too. That’s embarrassing!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Terri. It’s definitely a complex conversation, but I have to believe that colonization plays a huge role. I’d love to unpack it with someone who knows more than us someday. I’m sure that the conversation would be very revealing. And no worries about the grocery list. I fixed that for you! Lol
I found your blog in a round about way after reading Jamie Martin’s book about introverted moms and going to her blog. I’m an American with four children living in Accra for the last four years and your blog post introduced me to some places and things in Ghana I knew nothing about! Thanks for the new ideas! We are going to check out Adom waterfall tomorrow. I’m sorry your trip was cut short. I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog posts!
I forgot to add that while I was so excited to hear the Children’s Library opened after all these years, I’ve been hesitant to go for fear what I find there would make me a bit sad.
It was certainly sad. I still find it hard to believe, actually.
Oh wow, I sure wish that we could’ve met while we were there. That’s so cool that you got some new ideas! How was the waterfall?
I’m Ghanaian and my child attends a Christian Classical School. The problem with finding many books that was written by white authors is because our education system and even our educators have failed in my opinion to provide the books needed. For example my daughter brings home books about America’s founding Fathers to read but I may struggle to get good books about heroes in my country in libraries which are very few or even in bookshops. The ones that are available may be expensive to buy. That is where the problem is. Currently we are reading classic books written by white authors and it doesn’t bother me at all because a good book is a good book. But her dad bought some folk stories before she was born and I have asked him to look for them so she can start reading. We also watch read alouds on Fridays on YouTube concerning different African stories as part of our African Geography Study.
The two Ghanaian stories we watched which are all true stories were written by white authors, so again the problem is we can’t keep blaming our lack of cultural awareness (I’m talking specifically about Ghana) on people who have filled the space with their book and cultural stories. We need to do more. I’ll check your Amazon page to see if my budget can afford some of the African stories.
It may be one reason our songs, history and culture is being lost among our kids.
I appreciate and honor your perspective. I understand what you’re saying, and certainly, that can account for part of the problem. But also, I can assure you that Black authors ARE writing books and pitching stories, but they often have a more difficult time getting literary agents and publishing contracts. And when they do pitch stories, the ones that are often picked up by publishers include pervasive profanity, dysfunctional relationships, violence, abuse, etc. This issue is much bigger than just doing better.