THE MESEUM OF MY UNFINISHED GHANAIAN DREAMS

 

 "I’m Coming!"—The Museum of My Unfinished Ghanaian Dreams 🇬🇭

Have you ever told someone "I’m on my way" while you were still in the shower scrubbing your feet? Or maybe you’ve called a building "finished" just because the roof is on, even though the wires are hanging from the ceiling like dreadlocks?

If your life is currently a collection of "Small-Small" projects that are stuck at "Lintel Level," don't feel bad. You are not lazy; you are just a Ghanaian with a very high-capacity Inventory of Unfinished Things.

In this country, we don’t just have hobbies; we have "International Business Proposals" that are currently resting in a WhatsApp folder. Our unfinished things aren't failures—they are national heritage sites!

The Gallery of "One Day, One Day"

If we were to take a tour of your life right now, we’d probably find the classics of the genre.

First, there is The Land at Kasoa or Prampram. You’ve got four pillars, a heap of sand that has now become a playground for the neighborhood kids, and a caretaker named Mr. Mensah who calls you every month asking for "pure water money." It’s been at "foundation level" since the Year of Return, but in your mind, that’s a 5-bedroom mansion with a swimming pool.

Then, we have The Kente Project. You bought the yarns for a beautiful custom weave for your cousin’s wedding back in 2021. The wedding happened, the couple now has a toddler walking, and those yarns are currently sitting in a rubber bucket in the storehouse.

We cannot forget The "Side Hustle" Logistics Company. You already picked the name—something powerful like Jehovah Jireh Global Express. You even checked the price of motorbikes on Jiji. But the bikes are still "in the port" (spiritually speaking), and the business exists only in the "About" section of your Instagram bio.

And of course, The French Phase. After one weekend trip to Lomé, you bought a textbook at Circle. Now, the only thing you remember is "Ça va bien," which you only use to impress the waakye seller when she asks how you are doing.

Why the Projects Are "In Limbo"

In this part of the world, leaving things unfinished isn't always about laziness. It is about the Ghanaian Hustle. We are the masters of the "Multi-Track Mind."

We start a poultry farm, but then the price of feed jumps. So, we pivot. We start a YouTube channel about "Life in Accra," but then Dumsor hits right when you are about to export the video. We don't quit; we just put it on "Pause-Positive." As we say, "Man proposes, but the System disposes." We move!

Cleaning Out the Storefront

If your mental inventory is looking like a crowded shop in Makola, it is time to sort the "Vim" from the "Vexation." If it’s a building at the lintel level, don't stress. It isn't "unfinished," it is "under development." That is an investment for your children’s children. Let it stay.

But if it is that gym membership you paid for in January and haven't stepped foot in since the first week, my brother or sister, just take the loss. Let it go. If you started writing a movie script and the story isn't "sweet" anymore, don't force it. Obiara nni hɔ—nobody is watching you that closely.

The Wisdom of the Unfinished

There is a reason our elders say, "Slowly, slowly, the bird builds its nest." Sometimes the nest takes three years. Sometimes the bird decides it prefers a different tree altogether.

An unfinished thing in Ghana is a sign that you have Ambition. You tried something. You dared to dream beyond your monthly salary. Whether it is a half-painted gate or a half-written poem, it stands as a monument to the fact that you are still "cooking" something.

So, don't be ashamed of your inventory. Just make sure that among all the unfinished things, your joy isn't one of them.

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Writer: Vun Amoako