If only ...

Five weeks ago, I reluctantly packed my luggage and headed for Equatorial Guinea to cover the 30th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON); I was unenthusiastic about the trip because of the same reasons that many countries had turned down the offer to host the tournament after Morocco pulled out over Ebola concerns.

However, as the end of the tournament neared, I began wishing the tournament had just begun, with many more days ahead.

Hidden Equatorial Guinea

Why wouldn't I? As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about so far as Ebola was concerned and it was one great tournament, enjoyable from start to finish.

Again, with the country’s clean environment, the first-class roads around, no traffic situation, reliable supply of clean water and more importantly, the constant supply of electricity, having had access to electricity 24 hours without worrying about ‘dumsor’ or ‘dum koraa’, I wished i didn’t have to return to Ghana. 

Unfortunately that was not the case, and after three weeks of action, moving around the beautiful country of Equatorial Guinea, including visiting the 'birthplace' of Ghana's cocoa, Fernando Po, now Bioko, it is all over and I'm back to the land of my birth, Ghana.

I was reluctant to make the trip because I had not planned to be at the action spot so I did not apply for accreditation, and that meant a tough time ahead since it would be no easy task to work as a journalist without official documents.

With no other option than to take up the scheduled as assigned, I was determined to put on a brave face and rely on my acquaintances with the media staff at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to secure late accreditation.

That was not to be as I was told that once I did not apply I could not be considered. It was the worst situation anyone could find himself of herself in, but of course, with all my experiences on the job, there was no way I would be denied the chance to work. Eventually, I found a way and stayed out of CAF trouble. Don't ask how though!

Sweet and sour

It has been as challenging as it has been exciting, dealing with all the frustrations of finding decent accommodation, dealing with stomach upsets as well as the tight camps rules in both Ghana's camp as well as the cams of the other teams, but also meeting up with old colleagues from other parts of the world.

The tournament was exciting for all the teams, people associated with the tournament as well as for businesses. But for me, my personal memories will be the massive development going on in the country, whose population is just above 2.4 million. They were almost condemned to poverty as a very small country, with very little to boost their economy, until they struck oil, the ‘black gold’, in 1995. It took a while, but the transformation in the country within the past 10 years is unimaginable!

The roads are well constructed, broad enough to accommodate traffic and constructed with the future in mind. There are no potholes within the cities or on the highways and road signs are well sited and clearly marked. It is just relaxing driving on the roads, but it could also be risky as drivers are not that careful. People are modest in the way they live, living simply and within their means.

No dumsor

Due to their wealth from the oil they have struck, people of Equatorial Guinea enjoy a good price for fuel and do not pay for utility bills! So as one can imagine, the lights are kept on till one feels like turning it off, while anytime one feels like taking a shower, it can be done without thinking of rationing water.

It is surprising to learn that cocoa, that has given life to Ghana’s economy and whose first seeds came from Fernando Po, now Bioko, through Tetteh Quarshie, is not considered as the mainstay of the country.

With all these basic necessities available and affordable, and not living in an area such as Adenta where until last month clean water was a luxury instead of a basic provision, where driving through traffic is not part of our everyday lives, and not having to worry about an unreliable timetable for the provision of electricity, I was considering asking my employers to open a bureau in either Malabo or Bata, the two strategic cities, so I could remain in Equatorial Guinea as the correspondent.

That will be a tough job though, as Equatorial Guineans are more used to television and radio than the print. One hardly comes across a newspaper, perhaps, due to the political system there.

Unfortunately, it is also one expensive country, and having been hit with the Ghana bug of converting every price to cedis to check the damage to my purse, my consideration may as well be just a wish.

There was no variety of food as their food was one way for some of us. Of course, there is a Ghana bar in Malabo where an array of Ghanaian dishes are sold, but for some of us who are particular about food, our meals could be restricted to rice, fish, chicken, fried plantain or potato chips and plantain. There is plantain and cassava in abundance, just as there  are all the basic ingredients for fufu and light soup, but preparing it by myself would be such a big task due to how often I would want to eat, unless of course Ghana Bar becomes my second kitchen.

Again, it is not easy moving around without being able to speak either Spanish or French. Nobody speaks English, unless one finds a compatriot who helps with the translation.  It is a very frustrating situation trying to communicate.

With development just picking up, telephone calls are very expensive, particularly international calls, and with my young family back in Ghana, I wonder how I will survive. Internet service which has become part of our lives in Ghana now is not easy to access and that could add to the frustration.

Finally, I can't imagine myself walking on the streets of any city in Equatorial Guinea and having to stop every now and then and being asked to produce my papers or 'documentos'. I encountered the problem thrice in Mongomo in a demeaning way which made me feel like a  criminal.

Home sweet home

No doubt, Equatorial Guinea beyond AFCON 2015 is a great country of opportunities for either work or pleasure but home sweet home, and I won't hide it: before the final was played,  my bag was all packed, waiting for the cup to be handed over to the 2015 AFCON champions, and one could only imagine my disappointment when for the second time, Cote d'Ivoire beat the Black Stars to it on penalties. 

It was a great three weeks of going through new experiences, going through some scary moments, meeting people that ordinarily I may not have encountered, but it is all over and I'm back home. Home to continue all the things that I do to keep me alive and kicking as a responsible citizen; home to my family, particularly my five-year-old boy who considered my being away from him as a 'real problem', home to the hustle and bustle of Accra and to the Graphic family where there is never a dull moment. 

If only Equatorial Guinea would be all it is but with all that I also enjoy in Ghana, I would have once again, been reluctant to return. But that is not possible, as I cannot have my cake and  eat it .  I'm back in Ghana because home sweet home and guess what, I had an expected welcome; I had no lights for 24 hours and thus denied the chance to even get my mobile phone to function!