Ozarks Yin Yang Visit To Ghana During The World Cup

Missouri State University has a wonderful Library and the Department Head responsible for Special Collections, Dave Richards, recently visited Ghana during the World Cup. Dave is a wonderful speaker, if you ever have a chance to hear him I would highly recommend it. He also maintains a personal blog, Ozarks Yin Yang, that is travelogue regardless of whether he’s visiting Ghana, Chicago or even downtown.

He shares with us his experiences in Ghana during the World Cup and the impact the games had on the population:

I saw the match (USA vs Ghana Round of 16) at a local bar in East Legon, Ghana (near the University of Ghana) with a Ghanaian student and about 50 other Ghanaians. On the first goal, the entire bar erupted with cheers, loud music, and the blowing of about six of those South African horns (I forget what they’re called, but they are VERY loud when you’re sitting just a few feet away from them). The U.S. goal quieted the crowd but everyone was cautiously optimistic that Ghana would score in overtime. Things were pretty tense, some folks in the room were praying!

Then, when Gyan kicked that beautiful gaming winning goal, the place again roared with screams, yells, spilled drinks, jumping, horn blowing, etc. At the end of the game people poured out into the streets and celebrated well past midnight. Car horns, loud music, cars speeding down streets waving Ghanaian flags, etc. My friend, Alex, from Ghana, was stunned. About a half-dozen Ghanaians shook my hand or hugged me to offer their condolences. Alex and I went bar hopping afterwards, and people would start singing the national anthem or dance in the streets. It was quite amazing. In a sense, Ghana was playing not only for their own country, but also for all of Africa. Happy to be able to be a part of it!

Incidentally, the soccer coverage here is very impressive with in-depth analysis, frequent rebroadcasts, and broadcasts available in several languages.

I bought a Black Star jersey.

This is the video I took when I arrived at the airport in Ghana. June 13th, the match between Ghana and Serbia. Video records the reaction of the crowd with the penalty kick scored by Gyan.

Saw the heartbreaking miss by Gyan with friends in Ghana. They were absolutely stunned and I think Gyan’s miss shook them up so much that they then flubbed the penalty kicks. Unbelievable miss.

Visitors may want to read up on the history, society, and culture of the country formally known as the Gold Coast, British West Africa.