Watɔ printer wɔha? – An ordeal of Frustration and Unprofessionalism at the Ghana Embassy in New York

I want to share my horrific experience with the Consulate General of Ghana in New York (Ghana Embassy). My spirit will not be happy if I keep mute about this issue.

So Mimi of the Ghana Embassy in NY (oh yeah, I did my research), since you boldly told me that “nothing will happen,” here you go! Today, at approximately 2:09 pm, I got to the Ghana Consulate to pick up my brother-in-law's visa since they refused to mail it.

Upon arriving, I wrote down his name and number and was asked to take a seat, which I did. A lady came out and started calling out names for the visas. Three gentlemen were there to pick up other people (one for his daughter and the other two for a group).

She called out the names and asked who she was missing, so I politely told her my brother-in-law's name again. She asked if I had written his name down, and I said yes. She told me to wait for the next batch of names, and I obliged.

As I sat down again to wait for my turn, a young lady came in and asked if they had mentioned her mum's name because she had missed it, and she was asked to wait for the next round of names like I was told to. Five minutes later, a guy with dreadlocks came in and spoke to the young lady waiting (they seemed to know each other well). This guy proceeded to go into the office that read STAFF ONLY (DO NOT ENTER UNLESS AUTHORIZED), so I assumed he worked there when he entered. No wahala!

He came out and spoke to the same young lady again and went back in the second time. This time, he returned with a passport in his hands and handed it to the girl, and she said, “Oh, thank you, anka mɛtena ha akyɛ.” Sis got up and left. A guy who also came to meet me was called outside by this guy, and the passports he was there to pick up were handed to him as well.

So the thing gingers me, and I got up and asked why that guy was handing out passports and visas because he wasn't responsible for that.

There were four men that I saw there, and the youngest one amongst them rudely replied that the guy handling our passports doesn't work there so that even got me all the way pissed off! Because, WTH, are you allowing someone not authorized in the Ghana Embassy in NYC to hand out passports and go in and out of the office?

Then, the second man of the four who was trying to calm me down said the guy was given authorization, so I told him, y'all better have that down when I escalate this issue because this is unacceptable.

I calmly sat down and waited to be called, and finally, the short, chubby lady (the one that calls out names) called me to the window. I got up and walked there, thinking I was just picking it up like THE REST OF THE PEOPLE DID. Still, no, this lady looked me in the eye and said, and I quote, “I need an authorization letter from the person you are picking it up for and let him send it to ghanaconsulate@aol.com” I just started laughing out loud because, ma'am, please make it make sense!

Several people walked in here and picked up passports and visas on behalf of other people, but you didn't even ask for an ID! I went out and called my brother-in-law, and he wrote the letter and sent it to the email.

2 minutes later, I walked up there and told the other gentleman that the letter was sent, so if they can check and verify it, I can get out, please. That was when this short, dark lady (according to my investigation, she's called Mimi) came to the window and said, I should go and print out the letter because they don't have printers in the Embassy. She said “watɔ printer wɔha sɛ yɛmfa printi papers ɛmma wo, sɛ wokaasɛ wo nkoara na wonim mmara” That was when I lost it, so because I spoke up about something bad that I have witnessed, you are trying to frustrate me.

The ladies at the back were speaking Ga and laughing, and I know damn well they were talking shit about me, so me too. I gave it to them! She even told me it wouldn't go anywhere when I said I would file a complaint. I asked them one question, and none of them answered it. Can this be done in the US Embassy in Ghana? I bet the answer is NO!

We are our problems, Ghanaians. I have never vented on this, but respectfully, @GhanaMFA, are these the people you hired to represent you? These uncultured, mannerless, and corrupted people with no integrity and professionalism? Like the chorus of the unofficial national anthem of Ghana suggests “Ɔman no, sɛ ɛbɛyɛ yie o. Ɔman no, sɛ ɛrenyɛ yie o; Ɛyɛ nsɛnnahɔ sɛ, Ɔmanfo bra na ɛkyerɛ.”