First ever Ghana Summer Festival in Des Moines Iowa

Sandwiched between cornfields A and B;
A land where there are more hogs than humans
Aburoo krom (The land of corn)
Iowa ye ekurasi (Iowa is a village)
Wo ye den wo Iowa (what are you doing in Iowa?)

These are some of the few remarks people have used to describe Iowa; a state in the US with a population of 2.966million.It has a majority white population who form about 95% and it is the birthplace of the 31st US president Herbert Clark Hoover. It is a home to roughly 300 Ghanaians who are mainly students in schools like Drake University, Iowa State University and Luther College. Most families who move to Iowa do so because it is believed to be a fertile ground for raising kids and also has a good school system.

Nothing much is heard about Iowa except when it is time for US elections. As a matter of fact it is the entry port for all Democratic primaries (Iowa caucus) and it largely determines who wins the presidential slot for the Democratic Party. That is the only time you find the major media houses traversing Iowa and thus giving it some national preeminence.

So if you live in Ghana and never heard about Iowa, don’t be hard on yourself, you are not the only one! Thus it is quite interesting to know that there was a Ghanaian festival in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. A few families in Des Moines birthed this whole idea of forming a Ghanaian community with the aim of educating others about Ghana and serving as a social network for Ghanaians in the state. The chosen name is Association of Ghanaian Residents in Iowa (AGRIA). Since April of this year members have been meeting to plan activities for the association and that is when this event was decided on.

The activity itself came off on the 8th of July at the Saylorville Lake a recreational center reminiscent of Akosombo Lake in Ghana but only missing the sale of one man thousand and aboloo. Attendance was very impressive being the first of its kind. Total head count was around 80 and attendees were mainly from Des Moines and the college town of Ames. It was an opportunity for Americans who have either visited Ghana or had some form of interaction with Ghanaians to rejuvenate their positive experience. For those who have never visited Ghana it was an opportunity to bring Ghana to their doorsteps. There were typical Ghanaian mouth-watering dishes such as waakeye, banku and jollof rice blended with the American barbeque (Khebab) prepared by the typical Ghanaian mmesimaa (ideal women) of Iowa.

One could just imagine the fun and jubilation that spilled into the already charged atmosphere when Obour’s hit song konkotibaa was put out on the loud speakers. To some people this is the best fun they have ever had since coming to US. If the dance floor could speak it would have grumbled about the body rocking and feet stomping effects of old school dance styles it took from the merrymakers. It was a really fun and joyous moment and it was talk of the town for the whole week.

Organizers were impressed with the response and are earnestly planning towards more of such events in the near future. Some core members of the association include distinguished and respectable citizens in Iowa; Mr. & Mrs.Manny Acheampong (Mercy Hospital); Ahmed and Rhoderline Onwona-Agyeman (Des Moines Area Community College/Mercy Hospital) Mr. &Mrs.Godfred Manteaw (Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield); Romeo &Rose Kumedjro (State of Iowa); Emmanuel & Mona France (Merck Pharmaceuticals) Annabelle Safo (Principal Financial Group) and Martin Bediako (Drake University), Prof.Francis Owusu (Iowa State Univ.) Dr. &Mrs. Joseph Kwofie and Kwame Asiedu Frimpong (Citigroup)

For Interim Executives: Eugene Frimpong