Soccer, a follow-up and Jesus

First of all: the Champions League Final. It was a pretty good game, although I’m disappointed about the outcome and feel really bad for Jens Lehmanns. But Barcelona deserved to win. In true Ghana-style, the power went out just after Lehmanns had been red-carded (about 15 minutes into the game), so I quickly jetted over to Bon Appetit where they have a generator. As it turned out, they had power anyways. This is now the third time the power has cut out in a dramatic moment of a soccer game. Not as bad as when it cut out right before the decisive shot of a shootout in the African Cup but still annoying.

Second of all: a follow-up to the child labour post. Apparently, some of the children that have been freed by the International Organization for Migration are being rejected by their parents, who argue that is the responsibility of the IOM to care for them as they freed them. This is disgraceful and it shows that poverty isn’t the only factor in the trafficking of children: irresponsible and selfish parents are also to blame. But while we can argue about where to assign blame and who to punish, obviously it is the children who suffer the most and I reiterate what I said about my gratitude at the privilege of being born in Canada.

Finally, occasionally, I’ll get picked up by a private car while trying to catch a tro. This is always nice, as it’s free, more comfortable, and the conversation is good. But without fail, every time, I get preached too about Jesus. Ghana is such an ostentatiously Christian country. The last guy was great: as he dropped me off, he asked if I had been washed with the blood of Jesus. But his demeanour was so friendly—it almost seemed like he was preaching because there is some unwritten rule about doing it to hitchhiking obrunis.