Tro-Tro To Your Heart


Who's Driving
Originally uploaded by Dan Kennedy.
Finishing up some posts from our Ghana trip...

The local transport in Ghana consists of a bunch of privately owned mini-vans that take people to and fro.

They are all in various states of disrepair, with banged up sides, belching smoke and other such accoutrements that you would expect in a poor country. They are also generally crammed full - with people, people and their luggage/bags/goats, and sometimes you see a tro-tro like vehicle crammed from the back to front with plantains.

We, personally, have no idea how they work as we always get around with our feet or in Chris and Julie's car.

Since Chris is on a diplomatic posting, driving their car has some advantages other than leg room and personal space - the red plates mean you don't have to pay any road tolls, or stop at any of the police checkpoints on the highway.

Anyway, this is not a blog post about a tro-tro ride experience.

Like any business, everyone needs a tag line
  • Nike - Just do it
  • EA Sports - It's in the game
  • Rogers Cable - Bend over... never mind.
So, all the tro-tro's here, and also all the taxis have something written on their back windows. Often, because Ghana is a god-fearing nation with lots and lots and lots of churches and church-goers, it has to do with God or the bible. So, you'll see a lot of God words, etc. It's probably about 70-30 in English to Twi (a local language, pronounced chwee).
  • Jesus is my Saviour
  • Our Father
  • etc

But then you also get some totally odd ones (some are more odd because you just misread them the first time)

So They Are ...

What does that mean?

You Never Know Who Is Honest

on the bus? in life? where?

Jesus is my Scorpion

admittedly, this was a misread, but I liked to think of the 80's metal band being that tro-tro's guardian angel


There's also confusing ones, especially when they tack a "still" to the beginning

Xcept God

Is this some Satanist? Apparently, Xcept is used a lot to mean 'there is only one' or something similar

Still Lucky

but for how long?

Still Ebenezer

I heard that Eb gave up his tro-tro job, oh, no wait, that's Still Ebenezer!

Still Our Father

at least until the paternity test results come back


I have a feeling that if we had such things on Taxis and buses here, it would all be hockey related...
  • Wendell = God
  • Dougie = God
  • Hogland = God.. just kidding :)


Click through on the photo for some other "car tourist" shots around Accra.

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