Fieldwork Journal

So my trip has almost ended and the escapades of Ghana and Togo in the World Cup are over with Ghana's 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Brazilians and a rather dodgy referee. Before the game, the party was in full swing across the country. National flags were being worn in various guises, more infernal whistles and horns were being blown, dancing and singing in the streets were already taking place before the game kicked off. Hardly anyone seemed to be willing to entertain my suggestions that Ghana were going to struggle but it turned out to be another situation where I wished that I had gotten it wrong.

Yet even though they lost, there were still yet more street parties and on the whole, people were proud of Ghana's achievements in this tournament. My favourite image has to be that of the VW Beetle done in the colours of the Ghanaian flag which was done by some of the regulars at my local bar here, a picture of which can be seen on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5124120.stm although it's not one of mine.

With defeat always come the excuses, the reasons why and Ghana has certainly been no exception. Firstly, there is a huge uproar over the seeming bias of the referee and as someone who is trying to observe as a neutral, I have to agree with them. The second goal was certainly offside, the third one maybe fractionally offside but the first one was legitimate. Many see the disproportionate amount of bookings for the Black Stars as a greater bias against African teams although not as many claim racism (but that would be hard considering the racial makeup of the Brazilian team). They are particularly bitter that the referee was reportedly begging for Ronaldo's shirt after the game. Although the nation has been defeated, they do not see themselves as losers but rather victims of a conspiracy. The conspiracy stretches further as Essien was supspended for the match due to another refereeing 'mistake' and they did sorely miss him yesterday. However, it is not completely one-way traffic. There is a general level of agreement that their strikers were not good enough, so some of their own shortcomings have been admitted as well. The general mood afterwards was one of shock but it soon turned positive. They believe that they will qualify for 2010 and will be the first African team to win the World Cup and I hope they do, but only if England get knocked out!

I do not think that it will be too long until the adventures of both Ghana and Togo will be consigned to history and 'normal service' resumed. I would love to be here for another couple of months to see how quickly the World Cup will be 'forgotten' and whether this sense of patriotism and pride and be sustained. Actually, I would just like to stay out here for longer to explore. Oh well...

Finally, the 1st round of the World Cup is finally over and I can get some well deserved rest (and it is well deserved). I've left Togo for the final time and am taking a few days to explore the Volta region of Ghana although I'm trying to get back to Accra in time for the Ghana v Brazil match on Tuesday.

Ghana seems to be in a state of party at the moment. Many people are wearing their flags as scarfs or bandanas, vehicles are adorned with gold, red and green and many pesky whistles and horns are constantly being blown, much to my annoyance. I watched the Ghana v USA game in the National Conference Centre; the screen was not in Independence Square as the sunlight rendered the porjector useless. The atmosphere in there was electric!! They all went crazy when Ghana scored first and shut up when the US equalised. The penalty sent the fans into some crazed frenzy. As soon as the final whistle went, everyone started dancing (including me) and cheering, shortly spilling outside into a spontaneous procession of Ghanaians drumming singing and dancing. Managed to get a few good short vidoe clips and pictures before I was grabbed and made to join in. For the people watching, seeing a white man in the midst of all this was hysterical and many were cheering me on (or was that laughing at me?). History was certainly made on Thursday afternoon and I was fortunate enough to be there. Might even get my face on TV!

Talking of that, I reckon that my ugly mug might have made it onto the French channel Canal+ as they had cameramen where I have been watching the Togo matches and for every match, a cameraman would always get close up to me with his camera in my face. I doubt I shall ever find out. Lome was always going to be in a more subdued mood than Accra. Although they were excited about the prospect of Togo beating France and thereby knocking them out of the World Cup, the knowledge that they were not going to progress was self-evident. The processions of cars and bikes draped with national colours and crazed people was noticeably shorter. The crowd did not get that worked up during the national anthem or pictures of the Togolese starting 11. Admittedly, as time ran down with the score at 0-0, people started to get excited. From the people I had spoken to prior to the match, they really did not want the French to win. It all went rather flat when the first goal went in and some stormed off after the second. There was some appluase at the end for the efforts of the Togo players but was a bit muted. There was also some bemusement when Thierry Henry decided to swap shorts, not shirts, with Salifou (no. 7) of Togo. Within 30 mins, life on the Togo streets seemed pretty much back to normal with the usual hustle of Lome evenings.

Ghana are now the only African team left in the competition and don't they know it. With Brazil playing much better in the 2nd half against Japan, I think they'll soon realise that 2 good results do not make a good team.

Just got back from Lome after the second phase of Ghana and Togo matches and am perspiring rather badly! Just have enough time to describe the euphoria here in Ghana after the incredible win against the Czechs, or as the papers like to put it, the 'Black Stars check the Czechs". Catchy isn't it? Having rained hard that morning and with the sky still looking black, it didn't seem that it was going to be their day but the crazy Ghanaian optimism still persisted. Watch the game in a bar instead of at Independence Square for a different atmosphere and when Gyan scored in the 2nd minute, the place was mad!!! People were jumping and shouting and hugging (including me - I was wearing my silly Ghana hat in support). At the end of the match, the street just filled up with people, dancing, singing and drumming. It was incredible to be caught up in it all. I joined in with some of the partying nearby, got involved with the drumming and then they all wanted me to dance. Before I knew it, everyone was standing in a circle around me encouraging me to dance. I had no choice but to conform and duly made a complete idiot of myself, which many appreciated. These celebrations carried on into the nightime, with traffic unable to moving due to dancing, drinking (and fire-eating). I hope they beat the US. To go through the whole partying again will be great.

I was late getting to the Togo match yesterday as the border was closed for a while, while ex-President Jerry Rawlings was corssing into Togo. How inconsiderate! Did he not know that I needed to be in Lome for the football and to get a good seat?!
It was Togo's time to be dismayed this time. With all their problems over the bonuses and wages, it was perhaps not surprising that the performance against Switzerland yesterday was lacking. The fans felt it as well and many stormed out after the 2nd goal went in, blaming both the players for not trying hard enough and also the federation for not giving the players the money they'd asked for, especially as they had been given money by FIFA, so I'd been told by a couple of irate fans. There were a few calls for people to suppport Ghana as the only African team to have a chance of progressing. Must go. Have run out of time now

Its been a few days since I last wrote as I have had problems logging onto my account and took a couple of days off to travel to Cape Coast, about 3 hours west of Accra. The road was terrible with many potholes and in places becoming a dirt track rather than a road due to roadworks. That aside, it was a welcome change of pace from the city as it is a rather sleepy kind of town. Visited the old slave fort there; a hangover from the colonial era. If you weren't Ghanaian, they charged you 7 times more, which was annoying but still worth it or so I thought.

Have finally gotten past the phase of matches and witnessed both Ghana and Togo in action. Watched the Ghana v Italy match at Independence Square where there was a big screen erected for the public. Hundreds of people came down to watch but as the square is massive, it still seemed rather empty. The crowd got worked up into a frenzy just before the match, especially during the national anthem. When the result didn't go their way, they slowly trailed off quietly, muttering that they didn't have any strikers that could shoot on target and some blaming the coach for his tactical decisions (although I have only heard one person criticise him for being foreign and therefore not being able to understand the 'Ghanaian way", whatever that is). Almost everybody believes that Ghana played well and that they were unlucky as the poseesion throughout the match was equal. There is a conspiracy theory abounding that the coach didnt want to start Sammy Kuffour, the defender that made the weak backpass leading to the second goal due to pressure from GFA officials although it looks as if the coach has his way for the Czech match this afternoon. This morning, as I was walking down to the internet cafe (wearing my big Ghana hat and yellow Tiverton Town shirt - definitely a striking combination!), many people stopped to talk to me and were really touched and pleased that I would be supporting Ghana. A walk that would usually take me 10 minutes took 25!

Being in Lome for the Togo match was an experience that I will never forget, especially as I have some great video clips. There was a much bigger party atmosphere from the start, with a procession of lorries and bikes with load of people on them waving their flags and generally making lots of noise and creating traffic jams. Lome has a couple of big screens set up in the centre but the space is much smaller than that of Independence Square so that would have partly attributed to a much livelier atmosphere but even so, the crowd was going wild whenever they showed Adabayor on the screen (he really is a god there) and there were even massive cheers for their German coach Otto Pfister, even though he had just rejoined the team after walking out on them a few days earlier over the non-payment of bonuses to the players. Many people blame, and this is backed up by the independent press there, that the poor state of Togolese football is down to the FTF (Togo FA) and their poor organisation and corruption. The head of the FA is the brother of the President I believe. When Togo scored first, it was as if I was in the best place in the world at that moment in time. Flags, shirts and plastic chairs were waved and thrown in the air as people were shouting and screaming. Obviously it was a more sedate atmosphere when they finally lost but even at the end, over half the crowd stood up and applauded their team.

What was more interesting was during the France v Switzerland game when I got talking to a couple of lads not much older than me. They were talking about how they wanted England to do well but one of the reason they used to justify it was that they did not like France due to the way they decolonised. They were saying that many Togolese (and other Francophone countries) look at the former British colonies, especially Ghana as being much better off thanks to the British. I have to take this with a pinch of salt as I have seen people wearing France shirts and other shirts with French players' names on. Saying that, the people that I was watching that game with prefered the Swiss to win.

Must go and watch more football now. It doesn't seem to end although that's not a bad thing.

So the footy fest has started (and I see I've drawn Angola and Germany in the sweepstake, one has no chance and the the other I have no intention of supporting). You can just sense that World Cup fever is just about to burst out in Ghana with the biggest match of their history tonight and I shall be down at Independence Square with hopefully thousands of others in what will hopefully be a celebration of a momentous victory for the underdog.

Watching the Argentina v Cote d'Ivoire match, the mostly Ghanian crowd were very passionate in their support for the African team, the place errupting when Drogba pulled one back. Speaking to some of the crowd, I asked them why they were supporting Cote d'Ivoire and all came back with 'because they were an African team' and 'they could show the world what Africa could do.' When Drogba scored, one man turned round to me and said 'watch the black man's miracle.' He believed that Cote d'Ivoire would stage a comeback that would shock the world. The result left many disheartened and this was seen again after the Angola v Portugal match.

Many Ghanaians believe that it now on their shoulders to represent Africa and that it is their duty to win. Some have talked about God being on their side so they cannot lose and that their homeland has been blessed (see the national anthem for that). I only hope that that will be the case.

Italy 0-2 Ghana maybe?

Its been a few days since my last entry but internet access in Togo is very slow and seemingly unreliable. Has now been a week since I left Edinburgh and I think I have everything in place. Have a few venues in both Accra and Lome to watch the footy.

Togo was an experience never to forget. After passing through the border, looking at armed soldiers menacingly staring back at you, taxi drivers pounce, many trying to persuade you to get into their car. The pace of life in Lome seems more frantic than Accra, especially on the crowded streets around the Grand Marche.

Saying that, they did have the best way of getting around. Moped taxis are the transport of choice and for about CFA200 (25p ish), they'll take you to most places in the downtown area. Got some great video clips of travelling on one.

The language barrier proved very tricky. It was harder to approach people and talk to them about football and their country but with a combination of my (very) broken French couple with broken English on the part of the Togolese, I did get something out of the trip. The mindless optimism of the Ghanaians pales in comparison to the Togolese. At least Ghana convincingly won their last two warm up matches with Togo only managing to beat the mighty Liechtenstein 1-0. Most people I spoke to believed that Togo would win the World Cup, only a handful believed that they would get knocked out in the 2nd round but no-one thought that they wouldn't progress past the group stage. One man predicted a Togo-Germany final (idiot). When their belief was challenged (after all, I pointed out, Togo was the lowest ranked country in their group, they had an abysmal African Nations and a coach who hardly knew the team), I was told that in the past, African teams had surprised everyone and this year would be Togo's time. The fighting spirit of the team was strong and there was great motivation when playing France. One person told me that their colonial history meant that Togo had the opportunity to reverse the situation (as with Senegal last time).

What did surprise me was that from all the national football shirts I saw people wore yesterday, 21 were English, only 3 were French and 4 Togolese. When I approached a few of the English shirt wearers, I was told that although they weren't English, they liked/ admired the team, especially Rooney, Owen, Lampard, Beckham and Gerrard. Numerous Premiership shirts were worn as well, Chelsea with essien on the back were seemingly the most popular although there were some Arsenal shirts (I asked them why and all said because of Adebayor). Saw a Crystal Palace shirt as well as an Airdrie one!

Like Accra, there was little in the way of decoration for the World Cup and like Accra, I was told that it was down to a lack of organisation.

Everything seems set for a good 2 weeks of solid footy watching. I wish it would never end.

Have been in Accra for a couple of days now and am loving it (apart from some obnoxious bloke from Northampton who tried to start a fight with me last night!)Everyone is very friendly and I have been made to feel very welcome.

One thing that has surprised me is that there is very little visible to suggest that Ghana is going to be in the World Cup. I was imagining loads of flags and banners to be displayed everywhere and loads of Ghanaian footy shirts and colours being worn. I had thought that perhaps I was wrong and that football just wasnt that important after all. Thank God when people kept telling me that wasn't the case; it was just because the government and the GFA were just disorganised. I have been assured that it'll get crazy by the time the tournament starts. Everyone I've spoken to so far is adamant that Ghana can beat Italy and the USA and maybe even draw the Czechs, yet only two people have said that Ghana can win it. Getting as far as the 2nd round is the general consensus.

Most of the women that I've spoken to aren't as passionate about the tournament as the men. The best quote so far has to be "It's for the menfolk. We women will have to suffer for the next month or so." Yet for all this, many have also said that they will by supporting Ghana and there is definitely a level of pride there.

Numerous Premiership football shirts are worn here with Chelsea the favourite one (more so than Ghana shirts at the moment) although I did see an old Swansea City shirt. It is a little bizarre to see the South Wales Echo being advertised here!!!

Have been to see the Heart of Oak (Accra's premier fooball club) training ground, which was nothing more than a dirt pitch. Watched a game for a little while; instead of using the goals, they had to hit a big stone pot. With no goalkeepers and no discernable defenders, the emphasis was definitely on attack and individual flair and skill. If this sort of thing is the case elsewhere, it could partially account for the lack of accomplished defenders from the continent at the intternational level (although the emergence of Ivory Coast's Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue at Arsenal may have discounted this idea?).

There are many (fake) England shirts around. People have come up to me and started talking about how good the England team is and Rooney's bl***y metatarsal. It seems that I'm finally in a country that likes England (apart from England) so am wearing my England shirt to the matches! One drunk bloke at the bar last night was saying how the relationship between Ghana and the UK is much better than that between France and the Francophone countries, due in part to the Brits leaving much state infrastructure at the time of independence, unlike the French. Don't yet know if this view is widely shared or not. Maybe it will be visible when Togo play France?

Getting my visa for Togo tomorrow and hopefully going over on Wednesday for a couple of days. Off to watch Ghana v South Korea on the TV. Such is life...

Just a quick first entry. Only a few hours left before I leave for the airport and 4 weeks of fieldwork. Very nervous but also very excited about the opportunity to actually get out and do some research instead of just reading endless books and articles on football. The idea of this blog is to record my observations and thoughts throughout the next month for easy reference when it comes to writing up. Also, everyone can see how I'm getting on.

As much as I cant see it happening, fingers crossed that Ghana and Togo do well. If either or both progressed past the first round, I cant imagine what the atmosphere will be like!

England for the World Cup