Wednesday, June 15. I am back at work with Central Press and we spend the day in the office. We have a new volunteer, a girl from Austria. She came to work with a radio station but was so unhappy there, that she changed to the newspaper. Thursday is another day full of office work as well as Friday morning. I hear about stories they did while I was traveling and write some own articles for the tourism corner.
Friday morning, only Felix and I are at the office, when Kwamina calls. There is an event in Elmina, he is coming to pick us. Felix and I discuss, that we don’t have to go both. I can stay here. Second call, Kwamina is in a rush now. He comes with a taxi, his own car is at the workshop. The president’s brother is here, donating something to his former school. I decide to go with them. Another call. It is the President himself who is in Kissi, which is further from Cape Coast than Elmina. The driver is pressed to drive faster. We pass two policemen watching the road to Kissi, nothing else hints on the President’s presence. In the small town, we have to ask for the way to the school. We are excited. Too many people are coming towards us. I get my camera ready. Out of the car, we hurry along a muddy path, partly covered with planks, past some huts. ‘You are too late.’ somebody tells us, as we run past him. We really are. The moment we arrive at the right place, a group of big cars is driving off. Felix and I try to get to the front. I catch a glimpse of the president’s face through one of the black car’s windows and then watch his arm, waving through the open window, a Ghanaian flag in the hand. A moment later, the cars are gone and the rest of the crowd disperses. Felix and I are squeezed between pushing bodies. As the place gets clearer, Kwamina finds us. ‘Did you get a good shot?’ No. No picture of the president. I didn’t see anything and was too slow. Felix says he could have got one if not for the full memory card on Kwamina’s camera. Well, we saw the President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills. He came to the school to donate computers, desks and money. We always heard that he is touring through Ghana and will come to Cape Coast soon. Now he was here and we were late because of the short notice. At least now we don’t have to wait for him anymore. Kwamina arranges with other press people that he will get pictures and recordings from them. Then we look for a taxi to take us back. It is so much easier with a private car. Onlookers line the street that the President drove through. They are still there and cheer at us, too. A strange feeling. We are too many in the car as we also take two other media persons with us. Passing the police, we arrange our cameras and the microphone so that they have to be seen and are waved through the control without problems. Lucky me, that I didn’t stay behind on such a day after all.
