Fowl play

Lead story, Front page of Ghana's most reputable daily newspaper, The Daily Graphic. Let me just repeat that: LEAD story, FRONT page: The centre of Accra, Ghana's bustling and metropolitan capital city, was brought to a standstill yesterday as hundreds of people flocked to the central marketplace. Spilling out into the streets, they stopped traffic and overwhelmed police efforts at crowd control. Gridlock. The reason for this impromptu congregation? Apparently a rumour had spread that a local 'Kayayoo' (kids who carry people's groceries and luggage in return for tips) had been turned into a chicken. ! . The paper's scientific expert revealed that this had happened by 'some kind of magic'. You couldn't make it up.

Nothing's Ghana stop us now

You know when you walk out of a bank carrying a supermarket shopping bag stuffed to bursting with paper money? No? Well, come to Ghana and take out one week's expenses and that's exactly what you'll get - easily enough volume of cash to fill a couple of briefcases. In fact, had the bags not been a flimsy plastic affair, I would have had it handcuffed to my wrist. Sadly, the highest denomination note here is worth about £1.25 (20,000 Cedis). Work has taken over again - 8am to 11pm is about standard - but we're looking forward to a relaxing weekend. P.S. In the street a couple of days ago, I encountered a troupe of kids who were putting on a gymnastic display by the side of the road, and collecting donations. They were remarkable. Here's a photo. Drop me an e-mail if you get a chance, or leave a 'Comment' for posterity. 'Mehung echri' ('see you later') x