Ghana must go

 

Ghana Must Go: The story of Africa's Most popular bag

There was a time when the Ghana Must Go bag was a household trend. At the time, if you did not have a bag in your house, you were not in vogue. They were typical, low-cost bags, and they came in blue and red, large and small sizes, and were all checked. 

In the early 80s, they were in high demand in Lagos markets like they’d never seen before because hundreds of Nigerian traders fought to obtain as many bags as they could to load their belongings into. And because they were large, roomy, and durable enough for long-distance travel, they became the best luggage carriers, with two handles, zips, and bright colours.

Ghana Must Go, called “Chinatown tote” in the USA and “Tuekenkoffer” in Germany, was named by Nigerians as a result of an ugly incident that happened between Nigeria and Ghana in 1983. After being given short notice to leave Nigeria in the 1980s, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, the majority of whom were Ghanaians, crammed their things into these bags. 

The bag was preferred by the desperate Ghanaians because it was easily collapsible to fit inside the pocket and had an incredible ability to provide an extra inch of space for one more thing. Since then, no one has asked for “that weaved matted bag” at the market; instead, they have requested a Ghana Must Go, a phrase that is also used in Ghana, despite the sad memories it evokes for some.

The federal government of Nigeria ordered the mass expulsion of illegal immigrants living in Nigeria in 1983, during the democratic dictatorship of President Sheu Shagari, due to the atrocities many of them were allegedly committing in the country. More than half of those deported were Ghanaians who had migrated to Nigeria in search of a better life in the 1970s when Nigeria was experiencing an oil boom while Ghana was undergoing political and economic difficulties.