"Mepawoky3w, eye ahi?", i ask. "5000 ooo", the seller responds. "Ah, 5000 cedis anaa 5000 ghana cedis", i inquire. "Sika dada no", "Fofro no dia me ho anoo", she replies. Has this scenario happened to you before? Or maybe you board a trotro and you don't know the fare to the place you are going; you ask the mate, "Mate, how much to [insert palace]"; the mate answers "3, 5". Ah, what kind of money is '3, 5'. The mate meant 35 pesewas.
The number of times this has happened to me is numerous. It has been three years since the re-denomination and yet some Ghanaians still speak about money using the old currency. It is so confusing
Why after three years are people still talking about money in terms of the old currency? Don't they understand the new currency? If they do, why the reluctance to use the new terms for the money? Are the new terms too much of a mouthful? We can always shorten the term; say 20p instead of 20pesewas and 1cedi instead of 1 ghana cedis.
Tell me your adventures with the pesewas and the ghana cedis.
1 comment:
it sounds more expensive and better.
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