Today I interview my good friend Abdullah, who, when he was younger, left Ghana to pursue the dream of going to Europe in search of a better life. But after the dangerous journey, he found that Europe wasn’t the paradise he thought it would be. Now he is a successful tour operator and shop owner in Tamale, Ghana.
This is his story.
To get in touch with Abdullah for his tour guide services:
Abdullah on WhatsApp: +233 240 519 181
Check out Abdullah’s Website: https://garibatours.wordpress.com
Video Transcript
Trina: Hello Everyone!
Trina: Today we are doing something a little different.
Trina: I am here at the National Cultural Center in Tamale, Ghana, and I am doing an interview with my good friend, Abdullah. He is not only an awesome tour guide for Northern Ghana, and all of Ghana, but especially Northern Ghana. He knows all the ins and outs but he has a shop here at the Cultural Center that has arts and crafts from all over Ghana. And the thing is he didn’t get here easy.
Trina: When I talk to him he has an interesting story of the roundabout way he finally came around to owning his own business here in Ghana. So this is my good friend, Abdullah.
Abdullah: Hello.
Abdullah: Greetings from Ghana. This is…my name is Abdullah Osman. I was born in Ghana, and I’m located at Tamale, Tamale Pacific. It is the northern part of Ghana, yes. I would like to tell you a little bit of history about myself. It is a story about myself, which will be a very wonderful thing for the audience to listen.
Trina: So, Abdullah, I know you were part of a large family, and you were the last born, but I also know that your childhood was rather difficult. Tell me a little more about that.
Abdullah: Oh yes, yes, of course. It was really difficult. I was around 6 years when my father passed away, and as you know, I’m from an extended family. And then through that, life was very difficult because there was no one to take care of us. So I had to find my way out, so I started to be on the street, trying to help, like cleaning shoes. At the same time, trying to help tourists to find their destination at the age from 9 to 10. That was what I was doing as life.
Trina: So you were being a tour guide even as young as 9 or 10 years old?
Abdullah: Oh yes, please, yes. The tourists were enjoying me so much because at my age, I was able to know some locations in Tamale. They were very happy anyway, enjoying me so much.
Trina: You learned things from the tourists?
Abdullah: Oh, yes, yes. They told me a lot about their countries, and then like how they have education free in their countries, and a lot of things they were enjoying in their country. So a lot of these things motivated me when I was growing up. So at the age of 16 years, yes, I was thinking that myself, like it is better I move from Ghana to locate myself in different parts of the world so that I can really have a better life.
Trina: And most of the tourists that you were interacting with and the place you dreamt of going was Europe, right?
Abdullah: Oh, yes, because I got that most of the tourists who were coming were coming from Germany, the US, and other parts of the world, you understand. So, and most of the stories I have in contact were from Germany and Holland. So they were telling me a lot, and sometimes I asked them how much do they earn in a month? And they told me that oh, they are not earning in a month, they earn in an hour. I said, Wow! Here you have to work after a month before you get a salary, and they told me then in an hour, they were taking around 10 euros per hour, and when I calculated in Ghana cedis, it was a lot of money.
Trina: Right. And so, you set off on that dangerous trip to get yourself from Ghana to Europe. Tell us a little bit about that trip.
Abdullah: Yes, you know, taking care of the tourists and then cleaning shoes, I was able to save some money, and then I decided to make a trip from Ghana to Libya. Libya was a transit point where you can cross the Mediterranean Sea to either Italy or Spain. So I started the journey from moving from Tamale to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and from there to Niger, a city called Agades, which was a transit point. They can take you to the desert, and then from Agades, I went to Libya.
Trina: And how long were you in Libya, and what was that like?
Abdullah: Well, Libya was really a difficult place because there was a lot of racism, and the job situation was very difficult. Sometimes even in Libya, I used to work, and then when you work and they might decide not to pay you. And then when you do, they said they can kill you also. So Libya was really a tough place. But since I made my mind up that I was going to Europe, so it did not discourage me at all.
Trina: So you finally saved up the money and made the arrangements and you headed to Spain, right?
Abdullah: Yes, there are some Libyans which we call a connection man. When you save money around like $1,000 or $1500 or $2,000, they will organize what we call like a small boat, and then they will train you how to use the boat. So the boat has a small engine. So when they train you, they give you a compass that will set the direction to Europe. So when you organize yourself, you can be around like 15 people or even up to 30 people, depending on the number of people interested to go.
Trina: They don’t even send you with one person who knows the route?
Abdullah: Yes, that’s what they do. You understand this.
Trina: And it’s a wooden boat with a motor on the back?
Abdullah: Yes, please, yes.
Trina: And you know in this time, they always want to take you a lot because they can make a lot of money through that. Because when you are a single person, they don’t earn a lot, but when you are about 15 up to 30, they can have a lot of money. So when they push you out, so then that’s all, so either you are safe or you die, there is no more of your business anymore.
Trina: But obviously, you survived.
Abdullah: Well, I was one of the lucky ones to survive and I was able to arrive safely in Spain.
Trina: Did your whole boat survive fine?
Abdullah: Yes, please, the whole boat survived fine. But you know from our arrival, we heard about 2 boats capsized, and about 50 people lost their lives.
Trina: I know we hear stories in the news all the time of boats capsizing.
Trina: So you get to Spain, and what happens once you get to Spain?
Abdullah: Well, it was really amazing. I was thinking I’ve arrived in paradise because I was imagining how life would be, you understand. But honestly, when I really arrived, my first day in Spain, when I saw it, it was looking different; it was looking like a paradise because it was different from Africa.
Trina: Yes, but I saw the realities when, after we have a place where you go – the Red Cross. They will receive you and give you accommodation for some time, and then they assess you. And then later, they will leave you to find your way. So that’s where I realized that no, Europe is not a paradise. Ah!
Trina: You worked in Spain for a couple of years?
Abdullah: Oh, yes, and when I arrived in Spain, I thought it was just in Africa; when you arrive, you can just go and look for a job, not knowing that you have to get Spanish documents. That will give you a legal permit to work there. So it was another journey again, you understand. Unfortunately, the Spanish government does not give political asylum to Ghanaians. They believe that Ghana is a peaceful country and we are doing well. So, in other ways, those people who are there, they have to tell you if there are ways to get the document. So they told me that I have to change my age to turn myself into an underage, which was like I was already in my 20s, and I had to turn myself into a 17-year-old. Just imagine.
Trina: So that you would be a minor, so they would take you in?
Abdullah: Well, not at all. That was not my aim. My aim was not to get to Europe and get married; that was not my aim at all. So, I found it very difficult for it to work for me.
Trina: Right. What kind of job did you get when you were in Germany, though? You did manage to get something, right?
Abdullah: Yes, I did because the alternative to get a job was to borrow documents from my fellow Ghanaian who was already there and had a resident permit and working permit. So when I got the documents to go and look for a job, the owner of the documents gave me a condition. The condition was that if your salary, for instance, your salary is a thousand euros, you have to divide your salary into three, you understand. The owner of the documents takes one-third, and then you also take one-third, and then you save one-third in case you have any problems with the document; you can take the one-third to look for a lawyer.
Trina: So no matter what you were making, you were only getting a third of it?
Abdullah: Exactly. Even if I were making like €2,000, I was getting one-third of it.
Trina: And then you see one amazing thing. Sometimes they may pay your salary, it goes to the owner of the document’s account, and when you call him that oh, they have paid your salary, they said, no, they have not yet paid, and it might take you maybe another like 10 days or even two weeks before he can take the money and give you your one-third.
Trina: So by the time you got your money and paid rent, there was not a lot left over?
Abdullah: Not at all. Sometimes you are always negative because before you pay your rent and buy food, there was never any money left for you. So you realize that you were just suffering for nothing.
Trina: So how long did you stay in Germany?
Abdullah: Actually, I stayed two years in Germany.
Trina: Now, I’m just curious. You mentioned you experienced racism in Libya. How was it in Europe? Did you experience the same level of racism?
Abdullah: Well, yes, but it was lower than in Libya in North Africa because North Africa was quite difficult, you understand. You know in Europe, you could have some access to many things, but North Africa, no. There wasn’t any way you can get enough African documents unless you come there legally.
Trina: So at some point, you decide that the life in Germany is just not for you; you’re not getting what you want from it. Yes?
Abdullah: Yes, please.
Trina: And you decide to come back to Ghana.
Abdullah: Yes, please.
Trina: And what pushed that decision? What was the final thing that made you decide to come back to Ghana?
Abdullah: Well, honestly, it looks like those who are living the life of illegal migrants, we are faking our lives because we’re pretending to live the life we’re not supposed to live, you understand? For example, like a marriage to a woman you don’t even like at all, or doing a job that you don’t like at all. You know, there were a lot of things you were doing, and you didn’t like at all, you understand. So all these things motivated me to come back to Ghana so that I can have freedom and live the life I really wanted. And I was not happy at all because I was faking my life.
Trina: How did you get back to Ghana?
Abdullah: Well, after I took the decision, I had to go to the Ghana Embassy and then I told them my decision to go back to Ghana. Well, they were very good; they were able to talk to the German government and then they prepared for me, and they gave me some aid to come back to Ghana, and that was so good for them.
Trina: And so when you got back to Ghana, what did you do? What happened?
Abdullah: Well, when I got back to Ghana, I was having a lot of bad experiences because many people, even my friends from Ghana, were expecting that I was bringing a lot of money. Because you know, whenever someone is coming from abroad, they thought like you are bringing billions of cedis or billions of dollars. Unfortunately, I came without anything. So when a couple of my friends realized that I came home without money, they started to distance themselves from me, and then they started to look at me in a negative way.
Trina: How did you turn that around? You went from having not a lot of anything on your return to Ghana, and now you are a successful business owner and tour operator. So how did you turn that around? How did you change that?
Abdullah: Well, I had to push more because in any way if not, I would have gotten frustrated. Because even some of my family members were running away from me because I didn’t come home with money, you know. So, I had to distance myself and then I had to start a new life, trying to help some people to serve their things for them at the Tamale Culture Center. Through that, I was doing that, and I was able to save money to buy a shop in the Culture Center, and then from that, I was able to produce my own stuff, and that’s how I got started growing small, small, to this level.
Trina: And you design a lot of the pieces that get sold in your shop?
Abdullah: Oh, yes, please.
Trina: And it’s all local artisans?
Abdullah: Yes, and they all look local and they all look traditional from Africa.
Trina: Do you have things that are from outside of Ghana as well, then?
Abdullah: Oh, yes, we do have some things from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger because most of our cultures are intermingling,
Trina: Because colonial borders don’t necessarily match the cultural borders here.
Abdullah: Yes, yes, it does not matter. We share something very common, you understand.
Trina: So, I do hear a lot of young Africans; they have this dream of going to Europe or the US. And since you have done it, I would like to know what your advice to them is.
Abdullah: Well, honestly, I would advise them that if they have an opportunity to go to the US or Europe for education, it is better, you understand. So they can have a better future. But if they’re just going for greener pastures, no. I’ll advise them that they should take the opportunities they have in Ghana here. Because when you think about the opportunities in Ghana, you will not underestimate them until you travel out of Ghana, and you realize that you were having better opportunities here. But in case you have an opportunity or you have a scholarship to go to Europe for school or other things, well, it is better. Yes, you can have a better education there. But if you just travel for greener pastures, it is not advisable. I will tell you that take the opportunities you have here. You can have a better life, and then maybe you can, in the future, even travel to the US or Canada or Europe for holidays and then come back.
Trina: What do you see for your future here? I know you have a wonderful family, and you have your shop, as I say, and you have your tour business. So what are you looking forward to in the future?
Abdullah: Well, my future, I plan to open a big factory, and it will just be for local products made in Ghana, and I can export them beyond Ghana, even to other European countries and even to the US, you understand. And then like I also try to tell more like a diaspora also to come home and then to do a lot at home because there are a lot of opportunities here. Even other investors who are thinking about coming to Africa, Ghana is just a gateway to Africa, and they can have a lot of opportunities here. There are a lot of opportunities here, they can believe. People can really make it if they are really focused.
Trina: Well, Abdullah, I know you well enough to know that I think you have a very bright future, and you’re gonna be doing very well, and I appreciate you taking the time today to sit down for this interview with me.
Abdullah: Yes, I also appreciate this so much for choosing Ghana and choosing Tamale as your second home. We really appreciate it, and you enjoy yourself, and then we invite more people to come. Thank you so much.
Abdullah: Greetings to everybody.
Trina: So, everyone, thank you for joining me. Let me know if you are enjoying the idea of me doing more interviews. Leave a comment if you want to see more interviews here in Ghana, and thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you next time.
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