Kumasi

The large pink building is the birthing center where my Dad was born

The nearby daycare

The exact spot my Dad`s umbilical cord was buried

My Dad outside his childhood home greeting an extended family member

The Manhyia Palace Museum

After spending the night in Kumasi, the next morning we did a bit of sightseeing before continuing our journey to Tamale. My father was born and raised in Kumasi so it was really exciting for him to show us around. He pointed out to us the very building in which he was born (a birthing center), the house he grew up in, where he went to daycare and elementary school and where he used to play with his brothers. In Ghana, back in the old days in the '50s after you were born, they would take your umbilical cord and bury it in front of your house so that no matter where you go, no matter how far you travel and no matter how long you stay away, you always know where your home is. SO Kofi and I got to see and stand at the exact spot where my father's umbilical cord was buried!! That's what I call going back to your roots! We were also able to go inside my father's childhood home, and meet extended family members still living there. It was very cool! It's nice now to think back to stories he has told us about his childhood and be able to picture his home and the streets, and whenever he discussed having to walk so many miles or blocks to school or to the market, now I can say I have seen the distance. After seeing those places we met up with the nursing students and took a tour of the Manhyia Palace Museum. The Manhyia Palace is where the former Ashanti Kings and Queen Mothers lived. The Ashantis are the largest of the tribes of Ghana and make up 50% of the population in the southern half of Ghana. The Ashanti Kingdom is widespread and when my brother asked my Dad just how much power the current Ashanti King has, my Dad said that if the Ashanti King told his people not to vote for the president, they would not vote. The musuem had statues of the former Kings and Queens mothers, old thrones, ceremonial wear, guns, medals, chinaware and lots of other interesting artefacts. It was a wonderful tour. The palace musuem was beautiful, there was so much history and as I had found with the slave castles, so much had been preserved! It was all fascinating to see! Afterwards we set off for the second half of our journey to Tamale.