Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-11-25)

Anofferofcoffeeorwarmwateris usuallyasfarasmostartists

gowhenhostingcuriousvisitorstotheircreativelair.Butwhen

I enterthehomestudioofZohraOpoku,a photographer who

lives and works in a secluded, woodsy neighborhood in the

northern part of Accra, she’s made a fresh salad and a potato

casserole in expectation of my visit.

Earlier in the day, I sauntered into the studio of painter

Godfried Donkor—who’s exhibited in Amsterdam’s Stedelijk

Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art,

and the Studio Museum in Harlem—and was handed a cup of

freshly brewed tea. We talked for an hour.

But that’s Accra for you. It sounds cliché, but for West

Africans, particularly Ghanaians, friendliness is the default.

“We’re the happiest, most welcoming people you could ever

meet,” says Nickie Cartel, a British-Ghanaian DJ, over drinks

at Skybar  25, a rooftop venue in the well-heeled Airport

Residential area of the capital. As its name implies, this posh

hood sits right next to the airport. To a Westerner, that’s per-

haps antithetical to the idea of luxury, but Accra’s rush-hour

traffic jams are legendary, so this is where the wealthy live

and play. A lot of playing happens inside Icon House, a com-

mercialcomplexthat’shome to the elegant steakhouse Urban

Grill,thecafe-stylecocktail bar Coco Lounge, and the velvet-

roped club Carbon. COURTESY LABADI BEACH HOTEL (THIS PAGE).

NII ODZENM (TOP, OPPOSITE PAGE). COURTESY ROYAL SENCHI (BOTTOM)

A new airport terminal in Ghana’s business hub is already upgrading

the experience in this fun-loving, art-filled city. By Julie Baumgardner

Accra, Now Arriving

TRAVEL Bloomberg Pursuits November 25, 2019

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Labadi Beach Hotel

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