By Abena Accra, Ghana — It’s 8:15 p.m. in a quiet suburb of Dansoman. A toddler is halfway through brushing his teeth. A university student is typing a term paper. And a tailor is midway through hemming a dress for a Sunday wedding. Then, the lights go out. “This is the third time today,” sighs 27-year-old Kobby Appiah, holding up his phone flashlight. “You never really get used to it — but you adjust.” Welcome to the unofficial time zone of Ghana: “Dumsor.” A term combining the Akan words dum (off) and sor (on), it’s more than slang — it’s a lifestyle. A routine. A national inconvenience that has come…

By Korkor Accra, Ghana — It’s 8:15 p.m. in a quiet suburb of Dansoman. A toddler is halfway through brushing his teeth. A university student is typing a term paper. And a tailor is midway through hemming a dress for a Sunday wedding. Then, the lights go out. “This is the third time today,” sighs 27-year-old Kobby Appiah, holding up his phone flashlight. “You never really get used to it — but you adjust.” Welcome to the unofficial time zone of Ghana: “Dumsor.” A term combining the Akan words dum (off) and sor (on), it’s more than slang — it’s a lifestyle. A routine. A national inconvenience that has come…