Poem It was a Wednesday,
March 29, 2006.
It was a magnificent day
In the true sense of the word
And it came to pass! Solar eclipse 2006
And it came to pass! Scientists Predicted it
And it came to pass! Philosophers foresaw it
And it came to pass! Mystics knew it in advance
And it came to pass! Oh, Divine Intelligence!
The Universal Mind!
How Omnipotent art Thou!
How Omniscient art Thou!
And how Mysterious art Thy ways! Thou art Supreme
Glory be to Thy Name
Now and evermore! by Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath
March 29,2006,Accra
When total eclipse of the sun was experienced in Ghana (Feature) The solar eclipse in Ghana was spectacular indeed!The day was extra bright. The tropical sun was dominating when the invading moon came to block its surface without question. It happened as was predicted by scientists. It was almost near to perfection. Scientists indicated it would occur between the hours of 0830 and 093 UT. However,by 7.30 hours GMT some parts of the country,especially in the Western Region about 400km west of the capital city Accra, the lunar journey across the the solar pathway had actually started in Ghana. In the Ghanaian capital itself the magical movement was spotted around 7.45 am. That was the precise time this writer noticed the event for the first time with the solar eclipse goggles, purchased for that purpose. The much-anticipated eclipse of the sun and its resultant anxiety and eagerness was no longer a speculation. It happened on 29/03/06 in Ghana where it set off as its gateway to Africa. Scores of exited,enthusiastic and over-joyed citizens viewed the phenomenon across the country. At the time Ghanaians were enjoying the sight of the celestial romance between the sun and the moon with the planet earth acting as an eye witness,some selected other African countries were experiencing the memorable event as well. Those other nations included Benin, Nigeria, Niger and Togo,all in West Africa; Egypt and Libya in North Africa and Chad in Central Africa. The event attracted scientists and tourists from all parts of the world who trooped in to Ghana to witness once- in- a -century event.It was telecast live on the National Television for the world to behold. Records show that the last time a total solar eclipse occurred in Ghana was in 1947. There was no television at the time in the country. Thus, in the next 50 years or so time,when the miracle is expected to occur again, our children's children would be privileged and likily to view what we watched today thanks to Information Communication Technology (ICT). Interestingly, virtually all hotels in six out of ten Regions in the country where the total eclipse was experienced were booked in advance. The regions included the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Volta and Western Regions. The rest of the Regions experienced what was characterised as 'partial eclipse'. Along the courntry's coast, some high grounds offered unique spots such as hill or mountain tops,in towns like Anomabo in the Central Region, McCarthy Hill in the Greater Accra,Shai Hills and Aburi Hills in the Eastern Region of the country. Tourists who came to Ghana enjoyed themselves to the blue heaven.They experienced the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality that would be engrained in their store house of memory forever and ever! ( Can someone say Amen?) In some hotels for instance,special traditional drumming and dance programme s were organised to entertain tourists while they were watching and snapping pictures of the natural phenomenon. "Oh Africa is full of natural beauty of beauties", some of them exclaimeed. Infact,some first time visitors to Africa never dreamed that apart from the usual wars and starvation scenes the foreign media always associated with the continent, there could be such magnificent natural wonders to behold in Africa. In Accra, the usual traffic-jammed streets were deserted.Workers abandoned their desks for once and rushed out of their offices to experience the romantic relationship of the two celestial bodies. And at exactly 9.10 a.m, when the moon succeeded in blocking the view of her superior astral sister, the sun, a Siren was sounded in Accra to alert the citizenry that some miracle was about to occurr and was actually occurring indeed. There were some fanatic religious elements in the country who called themselves "prophets", had the audacity to challenge the scientists that the solar eclipse would occur only over their dead bodies.But it came to pass! Multi-coloured flames of fire works decorated the skies of the city. There was an extraordinary blissful breeze from the Atlantic ocea that has been bombarding the shores of Ghana since creation manifested itself. The atmosphere instantly changed to that of autumn-like-season in Europe. It was fantastic and sublime.the mixture of day and night put together.It was indicative of the handiwork of some Divine engineering. Then a mini-night fell during broad day time! While human beings were enjoying the scene and clapping their hands in admiration for the mysterious nature of the Supreme Being, some poor birds and other creatures in the animal kingdom were thrown into some sort of semi-confusion. I saw a lone vulture on top of a nearby storey building that had no choice but to go to bed prematurely. Oh,Nature, How wonderful you are!How magnificent you are and how beautiful is your creation! That was how the March 29,2006 total eclipse of the sun came to pass in Ghana. And it came to pass. Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath
Ghanaian Journalist and Poet
Accra Ghana.
(An eye witness-account of the memorable event.It is predicted to happen again in Ghana in 37 years'time. Where shall I be then?) blog:http://www.nyansah.blogspot.com |
