10 annoying questions Ghanaians hate being asked abroad

Travelling is a must for anybody who wants to experience and appreciate firsthand the cultural differences. When putting “travel” on your bucket list, one thing most people don’t consider is how they would get treated.

Any Ghanaian who has travel abroad has surely encountered some pretty annoying questions. And most often, these questions are from the curious locals of the place they are visiting. These question can range from being outright dumb, hilarious to plain annoying, but here are some of the most riveting ones.

1. Are you Ghanaian?

“No, sir. I just happened to be called Kofi Owusu Mensah by mistake”. It seems this question is the first fallback for anyone. The immigration officer would check your passport, see Nationality as Ghanaian and still ask you if you’re a Ghanaian.

2. What kind of clothes do you put on?

This particular question is just an ignorant one. *rolls eyes* Some people do not believe that Africans put on clothes. They think we cover our nakedness with some kind of animal skin. It’s 21st century people!

3. Are you Nigerian?

Some people seem to think that every African abroad is from Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa. I don’t even understand how one would ask this question. Please study your geography a little extra. I AM FROM GHANA, the country formerly called Gold Coast?

4. Why is your English so good?

Trust me, my English is good. Even better than most people, but I still get asked why my English is good. Just so you know, English is taught in many African countries and is also a national language to majority of them. That’s how we speak such good English. And oh, we were a British colony so yes, we speak better English than most Americans/.

5. “Eti sen?”

This should be number two on this list, as it is almost always the immediate question that follows “Are you Ghanaian?”, when you answer “yes”. Yes, I am Ghanaian, but not every Ghanaian is Ashanti…thus not every Ghanaian speaks Twi. If you want to be culturally relevant, try knowing my culture first.

6. Are you a royal?

Not really a dumb question but also a quick follow up to question 5 above. Please, get this straight, not every African is royalty. Puhlizzz!!!

7. So, how did you get here?

I mean, there are no airports leave alone airplanes in Ghana. So how the hell did you get here? Seriously. “I swam across the Indian and Pacific oceans,” is not such a bad answer.

8. Have you seen a monkey before…face to face?

Or lions, antelopes, or whatever form of wildlife the asker’s mind can comprehend. That Africa is a hotbed of wildlife doesn’t mean that humans live with them in the same roof. The best answer to this question could be “yeah, we live together and they help with the chores.” This question could also be framed as “do your parents live in caves/trees?”

9. You mean Africa has roads and tapped water?

Who asks such a question? Africa has super highways and clean water flowing out of taps on most homesteads. Oh, we also have electricity, Wi-Fi, pay-TV (which by the way most westerners don’t have) and top-of-the-range cars, etc.

10. So there is internet in Africa, really?

When whites see an African on Skype with a person in Africa, they just cannot believe that there is fast internet in Africa. Well.

Ever been asked an irritating question while abroad? Share your question with the readers in the comment section below.