Nigerians are adventurous, Kenyans are athletic, Ivorians are great dancers, and Ghanaians are peaceful. This in a way symbolizes Africa in one sentence. However, being peaceful isn’t the only characteristic that can be attributed to Ghanaians. In more ways than one, Ghanaians are said to be happy people. Everywhere you go in Ghana, be sure to feel the spark, energy and radiance. You will seldom get bored when with a Ghanaian unless you are an introvert. Even then, be sure to get pushed out of that zone into a place of bliss and fun. But how do Ghanaians always manage to stay happy and energized. Jumia Travel, Africa’s leading online travel agency reviews a few unique ways Ghanaians avoid boredom.

Photo Credit : Creo Ghana

• Hanging out with friends – We cannot live as if we live on an island, isolated. Friends matter, people matter. In Ghana, just like in many parts of Africa, you will either find small pockets of friends hanging out or a large group of friends ‘’chilling’’ at a chosen place. Checkout the major cities and streets on a friday after work. There are many people who just couldn’t wait to get off work to have a party. The main aim is to destress but having too much fun sometimes ends up breaking us down. This is rare by the way. Saturdays are also event days. We attend weddings, funerals, and parties of friends and loved ones. Sunday is a family day or a relaxing day out at the beach with that special someone or a group of friends.

• Social Media – With so much to see and say on social media these days, there is no way you should be bored. In 2016, the estimated number of facebook users in Ghana alone was over 700,000 people while total number of online population on facebook from Ghana was 79.14%. The story on twitter, instagram, and snapchat isn’t any different whiles whatsapp is a constant on almost every smartphone in Ghana. One can never be bored with all the funny videos, memes, GIFs, and comments that trend everyday. Just go online and be sure to kill the boredom in seconds.

• Sports – Ghanaians love their sports, especially football and boxing. On any given day, you will find Ghanaians either playing football or watching live games of various football leagues around the world. The English Premiership and the Spanish La Liga are the most fancied leagues with teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona having massive following in Ghana. You will always find groups of men or sometimes a mixture of men and women, young and old grouped at various centers watching these matches and arguing about the successes of their teams. On other days, you will find fans trooping to stadiums to watch their local teams in action or on the occasion of an international match, they go all out to watch the National teams play. For boxing lovers, the story is relatively the same. Boredom has no chance in the life of a Ghanaian when there are matches or boxing bouts showing.

• Festivals and special celebrations – If there is one thing you can trust Ghanaians about, it’s attending their local festivals and celebrations. There are many festivals to choose from with almost every tribe having its own unique festival. From ‘’Homowo’’ to ‘’Aboakyire’’, from ‘’Hogbetsotso’’ to ‘’Kundum’’ there are many colourful traditional events lined up during every festival. All year round, there is someplace to travel and experience the fun and great heritage of many tribes and cultures. During festive events such as Christmas and Easter, there are always jamborees all over. There is always a full week of partying in Kwahu during easter where many people travel to have the time of their lives. Alternatively during Christmas, many workers in the big cities take advantage of the holidays to go back to their families in the village. What more fun can you have than going back to your roots and doing the things you did when you were younger?

• Involvement in groups and fellowships – Clubs, fellowships and groups are common in Ghana. Many people involve themselves in associations for various benefits and this goes a long way to avoid boredom. These associations which may vary from Old School Alumni’s, Church groups and fellowships and other fun groups have regular meetings and events which bring about togetherness through activities and interaction. Sometimes, these groups organize trips and excursions to many tourist sites and this can really be fun.

          These ways are not limited to Ghanaians because we love to share and make everyone around us happy. So if you are a foreigner in Ghana or looking to travel soon down here, just relax, you can never be bored in Ghana. Make sure you are in the right hands. There are lots to do and many interesting places to visit. In Ghana, you never run short of exciting ways to have fun. Boredom has no place in Ghana!

Credit : Bennet Otoo, Jumia Travel