Feature: African viewpoint: Weather matters

In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Ghanaian writer Elizabeth Ohene, who is on a visit to the US, gains a new respect for the seasons.

The weather is not usually a topic of conversation in the part of the world I come from.

We have sunshine and we have rainfall and that about sums up the extent of the weather we get in the tropics.

Alright, so I exaggerate to make a point.

There is the harmattan, a dry desert wind that blows south from the Sahara for several months, there is the rainy season and there is the time when some people wear cardigans, but the truth is, in my part of the world, you do not require different wardrobes for different times of the year.

I have always thought the British, for example, overdo it with their constant talk about the weather. But you only need to endure one of those London days when all four seasons are exhibited within a 24-hour period to see why.

All the same, I still thought a television channel devoted solely to the weather was a bit over the top.

But this past week as I have watched the devastation caused by tornadoes in parts of the United States, I have been forced to revise some of my views and to have proper respect for the weather.

This past month, the weather has been truly awesome.

The mighty Mississippi River has reached record heights and flooded towns and farmlands, then the tornado season kicked in with breathtaking fury.

When US President Barack Obama went to see things for himself in one of the Midwestern towns that was first hit, he proclaimed he had never seen devastation like this before, and indeed everybody agreed he was not engaging in hyperbole.

Nature kinder to Africa?

But then it seems every next tornado outstrips the previous one in its fury and the devastation is causes.

There is a tornado season that arrives regularly each year with varying degrees of severity.

When the storm strikes its leaves in its trail devastation like that seen in a war zone or the way one imagines the end of the world would be like.

This is going to be followed by the hurricane season, and then winter will arrive. The ground will be frozen for months and if it is anything like they had this past winter, there will be record snowfalls and freezing temperatures.

The extreme weather makes it imperative that you plan for tomorrow; your summer clothes will not be adequate for the winter and you cannot sleep outside for much of the year.

The planting season is specific and if you miss it, you will be hungry. If you do not have heating in your house, you will freeze to death in some parts of the US.

I had always felt nature was so much kinder to my part of the world, what with our never failing sunshine, constant warmth and impressive dramatic rainfall.

Now I am not so sure.

Can you imagine if we had two weeks of snow every year in Ghana?

The mosquitoes certainly would not survive it and our attitudes would probably change also.

Why would you think of making warm clothing if it was never cold?

I am beginning to pray that we also have the type of weather that requires constant conversation.

If you would like to comment on Elizabeth Ohene’s column, please do so below.

By Elizabeth Ohene/BBC