I am currently writing this from a Bar in Amsterdam, confidently having a glass of Heineken for breakfast—I know it’s gross and unhealthy but it is also unique. This is why Amsterdam is my favourite city, Europe’s sin city.
I’ve not eaten anything this morning but I really don’t care, because if I have to rush to use the restroom, there are many available. And this little bar even has made accommodation for this.
Apart from it somewhat being compulsory for public places to have restrooms in this part of the world, there are several public toilets at regular intervals positioned by the state authorities—which come to the aid of the public when there’s an emergency.
But back home in Ghana, public restrooms are rare–and I don’t even think any decent ones exist yet. Though I have seen a little improvement at our international airport-Kotoka, it still smells badly, capable of giving you a headache.
On my first day in Ghana, I had a late night dinner at East Legon—at a popular Banku and Tilapia joint called Filipino. I wanted to pee and when I asked where I could do that, they pointed me to the back, a few yards away from where the tables were set up.
Perhaps, this ‘big man’ I saw squeezing his bum with his hand covering his backside in the usual ‘I am about to sh*t on myself’ way wouldn’t mind if there was any restroom within a reasonable proximity—even if it was foul-smelling.
I do not understand why we can’t have a good number of restrooms around busy Accra, even when people are ready to pay for their usage. And hardly do you find any of the roadside food joints making accommodation for such a facility.
I won’t wish my enemy to have a running stomach while stuck in traffic somewhere near Kaneshie or Circle. This may sound funny but we can’t continue this way as a nation.
I drove past the big gutter near the new overpass at Circle and on a quick glance, I saw about 6 men peeing straight into the gutter in broad day light with several people walking by, unconcerned.
Not far from this huge dirty gutter in which folks were peeing and perhaps take a bow at night were several food sellers—calmly going about their businesses. And then we wonder why Cholera breaks out each year in Ghana?
Right after driving through circle, towards Weija: that was when I saw the poor ‘big man’ getting out of his V8 in a stagnant traffic—carefully running in-between the stationed cars in search for a place to liberate himself.
This was a well dressed man, being driven in an expensive V8, but here he was about to publicly disgrace himself. Because, we can’t even figure out the need to have enough rest rooms in our most populated business areas of our capital…
I felt deeply sorry for this man. However, I felt I was channelling my sympathy to the wrong person—it should rather go to the many hawkers and load carriers (Kayayo) whose offices are these busy areas. Where do they take a bow when the need arises?
This ‘big man’ was a once off casualty, he may never be caught up in this again. But there are several people who work in these areas and can’t have a decent place to ease themselves.
I usually drive into any near by hotel whenever I have to use the restroom in Accra. When you are well dressed, you can do this easily without anyone looking at you twice. It works for some of us but majority of the people on our streets won’t even have the confidence to walk into Golden Tulip to use their restroom.
To these people, I ask; what do they do when there is an emergency?
We should not be having this conversation in 2015—it should be basic if we care about human comfort and hygiene.
It’s even easy in Ghana since most Ghanaians seem to be ready to pay to use restrooms. So what stops the authorities from erecting enough of these faculties all around our cities, especially the busy parts? It will bring comfort to the citizens and revenue for the country.
And let me add that, if a person is paying to use a restroom, at least pay others to clean it. I paid about 30pesewas to use a restroom at the VIP bus station in Accra—and it was disgusting.
You wouldn’t know when there will be an emergency and as such, we should all join in the call for decent restrooms around Accra. Are we waiting for the IMF to come and tell us we need these facilities?
It was that ‘big man’ the other day and it can be you soon.