Ghanaian showcases Trinidad and Tobago's culture

Ghanaian YouTuber and content creator Kobina "Wode Maya" Ackon visited Trinidad and Tobago recently as part of a tour of the Caribbean. His goal is to connect Africans across the globe, help them to know each other and to showcase the beauty of every country that has an African presence.

Over the past nine years Ackon has built a niche through engaging storytelling, collaborations and travel features across his digital platforms. His dedication to his craft has helped him build an audience of close to 1.5 million people across YouTube and Instagram alone.

His presence in Trinidad and Tobago was first brought to people's attention when the Prime Minister re-shared a Facebook post on December 9 of Wode Maya standing on the waterfront side of the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

Arriving here on December 6, his experience began with the sampling local cuisine; trying smoked herring and eggs on coconut bake at Tant's Gourmet in the new Breakfast Shed, Port of Spain waterfront, saying, "I like the smoke herring inside... taste better." Although he enjoyed the meal, he said, "This breakfast, I feel it is too big... If I eat this in the morning, I'm not gonna eat in the afternoon."

His island vibe included visits to La Vigie lookout in Paramin and the Lady Young lookout, Morvant.

Wode Maya's interest in showcasing the culture, arts and history seeps into every aspect of his travels and his trip to Trinidad and Tobago has been no different. He highlighted the country's rich heritage to the world with much love and appreciation.

He immersed himself in many different areas of culture – viewing moko jumbies, visiting the Massy All Stars panyard, Duke Street, Port of Spain, where he hosted a meet and greet for his local fans and danced to the songs being played on pan. He also attended a dance rehearsal by the Tobago Performing Arts Company (TPAC) saying, "This is really beautiful to see. Africans out of Africa still carries the culture.

"You would think they are born and raised on the continent but they are not."

His cultural immersion was not over. His last-minute trip to Tobago had him on the first standby flight on December 9. Once he arrived, he made sure to visit places like Pigeon Point beach, Buccoo Reef, Nylon Pool, even venturing to Castara.

He had this to say about the sceneries he encountered, "This is not Photoshop but the real beauty of the greatest little island on the planet." He also learned about wine making and visited the Buccoo Integrated Facility where he tried his hand at goat racing, a sport which originated in Buccoo village itself in 1925 and has since become an "Easter Tuesday" staple.

Returning to Trinidad, Ackon visited the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project (FACRP), an NGO focused on addressing environmental and social issues in the community and the watershed. He met with Kemba Jaramogi, the technical director of the project, who was very happy to have him there. She showcased what has been happening through the project, along with teaching him the value of the land and forest that her own ancestors passed on to her as a seventh-generation Merikin.

He visited the Oosa Obatala Pavillion, a space of reflection in Woodbrook for the local Orisha community, the Merikin Heritage Foundation in Moruga and the Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village Grounds, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

With his jam-packed trip complete, he headed onto Barbados on December 20 with plans to visit one more country on his agenda before the start of 2024.

To keep up with his travels, find Wode Maya on Instagram at @MrGhanaBaby or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/c/wodemaya