Are There Cars in Africa???

        This week, I planned on bringing you yet another interesting item from Nigeria. However, minds changed. Actually, I remembered something that happened a few months back. About five months about five months ago, a friend of mine who was fascinated by my accent and about the fact that I am a Ghanaian, told me that she had a lot of questions to ask me. Well, when she said that my mind went blank about the kind of questions she would ask me, but when she asked me the first question, I just closed my eyes, shook my head, and gave a faint giggle. 

        Her question was this: "Patience, are there cars where you come from?" "Well yes there are." I answered. "Oh really? My mom says you guys walk everywhere." She continued in disbelief. Like I said, I closed my eyes, shook my head and slightly giggled. I giggled not because of her ignorance but because of how serious she was when she asked. I explained to her gently, that indeed just as people in the United States get around here in buses,cars, and trucks, we do same in Africa. Ride in buses, mini vans, cars, trucks, motor cycles, canoes, and many other means of transportation. We do walk, but not to everywhere. 

        I understood why someone would think that because Africans walk a lot, there are no cars in African countries. In Africa, our general way of life require us to do a lot of walking. In Ghana for instance, people who are farmers, walk to their farms. These farms are usually located miles away from their homes or the main village, on paths that are not capable of accommodating any type of vehicle but human less. 

        Also, because roads in some villages are not always tared, many vehicles do not like to ply them. This makes the amount of vehicle that come to those particular places very limited. With that in mind, the people use the option of walking to their destination if it is within a walking distance of about 45 minutes to many be an hour; at most two or three hours of walking distance. The thing is, if ones body is used to doing something, doing it at a time when is it extremely necessary is not at all a problem. Even in the city, where cars, mini vans and buses literally beg you to use their services, my friend and I sometimes chose to walk about an hour to her house from school, and then I would continue to walk an extra thirty minutes to my house. We loved it. 

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