Confrontation

Having never previously travelled outside of my home country, my experiences as a foreigner are limited to my time here in Ghana. I have nothing else to compare Ghana to, so for all intents and purposes my opinions are quite biased. I’m OK with that. It is what it is.

Confrontation. Hm. I consider myself a fairly confrontational person, but not confrontational in the sense that I go looking for a fight. I use the word confrontational in the sense that I confront people that need to be confronted. I’m not passive, nor am I passive-aggressive. If someone is doing something that bothers me enough to warrant a response, a response from me is just what they will get. Just because I’m choosing to defend myself and not sit there like a punk taking some nonsense I surely would not put up with in NY does not mean that I’m angry either. [Enter "bitchy black chick" stereotypes. Whatever. Say what you will about black Americans, but rarely do you hear of us NOT standing up for what we believe in. At least we don't get walked all over like some other people. More often than not, people are afraid of how black people will respond to potentially confrontational situations so they do everything they can to avoid it. Mission accomplished?]

I stand up for myself in the manner that I feel is appropriate at that time and then I move on with my life. I don’t stay angry for the rest of the day or harp on that one incident. I also don’t allow isolated negative experiences to ruin my entire stay here or lead to overarching stereotypes about Ghana. Some situations require a firm response, not some submissive reply that further perpetuates the foreigner-native dynamic when in reality it should be a person-person dynamic. No one should be taking advantage of anyone, but this is not a perfect world and you can’t avoid someone trying you.

Clearly not everyone’s confrontation meter reads the same and of course it takes a lot more to piss some people off than others. My mother always raised us to stand up for ourselves and NEVER let someone disrespect you. Your pride and dignity are two things that should always be held dear, kept in constant consideration and never ever compromised. I understand that some people would rather “just let it go” to avoid what they consider unnecessary drama -- to make one thing clear, I don’t like drama. I like feeling like I’m being treated fairly. Being an obvious foreigner does not always get you fair treatment. I’ve learned to always second guess things here because 1) everyone assumes that Americans have a lot of money and 2) some people will try to exploit your foreignness for their personal gain.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard friends of mine in the program complain about RIDICULOUS overpricing. One kid told us he was charged 15 cedis for a can of soda. Another friend of mine gets charged for extra rice that she doesn’t order at Ashesi sometimes. I won’t even get into the Obruni Menus we get at restaurants with different food and prices. What about taxi drivers who almost always double or triple the actual fare? Bargaining and negotiating are a part of Ghanaian culture and some people like it more than others. I guess it gives them a kind of control. I wouldn’t be so adverse to this practice if I didn’t experience things with Ghanaians and see how differently they got treated. I take taxi rides with a lady from work sometimes and the most the driver will go over is 2 cedis. With me, it’s almost always double what I should be paying. C’mon now. I understand that you need to make your money, but as soon as I tell you the real price and that I travel to this destination like 4 times a week, why can’t you just realize that I clearly know where I am going and stop trying to cheat me? It’s so unnecessary. I know some people would rather just pay the extra money and move on, but to me it’s not about the money. It’s about being cheated and taken advantage of which really has no price tag. I have the money. In fact, I have they money about 10 or 20 times over in my pocket right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give it to you. I’m tired of these stupid taxi arguments we get in with jerks who try to get over. I know where I’m going. I’ve lived here for 3 months, in fact I can show you the fastest way to get there. Why are you still insisting that it costs 4 cedi to get to Osu?

You have to know where to draw the line though because it’s not always in your best interest to stand up to some douche bag. Case in point: Saturday night at Champs Sports Bar. I went out with 3 friends, 2 females and one male. Champs is a karaoke/restaurant/bar/pool place that a lot of foreigners go to. It’s overpriced and kind of corny, but what can you do? So after being there for a few hours, it was getting kind of crowded. We were having fun. The karaoke was at an all time high. People were drunk and ridiculous. No harm there. One of the girls got up to use the bathroom, while she was gone a man who had been standing near by for a while stole her chair AFTER I TOLD HIM THAT SHE WAS SITTING THERE AND WOULD BE RIGHT BACK. That was strike one. I asked him what he was doing and he kind of crossed his harms and looked away ignoring me? Umm…

Then his sweaty and equally unattractive friend was all up in my other friend’s face, having the audacity to put his pissy hands on her. Strike two. In an effort to "just let it go” and enjoy the rest of the night, my table kind of tried to ignore Thing 1 and Thing 2, but they just couldn’t let it go. They kept looking back at us talking and trying to feel up my friend. Strike three. We decided to just get up and move before the incident elevated because I (the confrontational one) went with my gut instinct which was telling me that if we did properly defend ourselves in that situation no one in the bar would back us up. None of the Ghanaian staff. None of the foreign men that were there. No one. The guy we were with tried to diffuse the situation a little, but Champs is one of his favorite spots and he just couldn’t risk not going back there again for the rest of the semester over a little sexual harassment. Douche baggery occurs all over the world. This phenomenon is not unique to Ghana. But the fact is, I’ve never felt more powerless and frustrated while I was here than I did that night. We should have been able to tell those guys off and keep them from putting their hands all over my friend. Should is the operative word in that sentence.

These men know the power that they have and they take advantage of it. I’ll be damned if I’m going to just allow someone to walk all over me. You might be able to set your pride aside and let someone take advantage of you, but I can’t. Good luck with that.

People are well aware of the foreigner factor that comes into play here. 

Because you’re not Ghanaian, you have to be nice to all Ghanaians regardless of how they treat you [enter “it’s nice to be nice” mantra]. 

If you ever have the audacity to criticize any part of Ghanaian culture, you’re a racist and you hate Africa. 

Foreign women, especially white women only come to Africa to have sex with African men so it’s perfectly fine to sexual assault them in public places. I mean, you’re in Africa. Why else would you be here? 

If you’re studying abroad and your experience isn’t brochure worthy, you’re doing it wrong. Everyone needs to be having a great time. There’s only one way to experience something. Get it right. 

I am so sick and tired of getting treated like this. What makes it worse is the people in the program who 1) criticize you as if you would rather be having a horrible time or 2) know that things like this go down, but would rather shut up and take it. Number 1 and 2 aren’t really my style. Excuse me, I Love Ghana People, no one is all over your case for having a really good time here. In fact, I’m happy that you are having a good time. I respect that maybe you just haven’t encountered the same negative experiences that others have. I get that. It’s fine. But why do you have to demonize the group of students that are critical of the experience here? Just put back on your rose colored glasses and ride out this last month. And excuse me, Too Scared To Stand Up For Yourself People, your inability to tell people off makes it hard on those of us who aren't because you make it seem like it's OK to overprice people for taxi rides or feel girls up at Champs. 

Negative incidents do not necessarily translate to having a negative experience overall. All it means is that you are honest enough with yourself to acknowledge when things aren’t perfect. Allow me to reiterate: You’re doing yourself and Ghana a serious disservice by ignoring the negative and hyping up the positive. It’s condescending and disrespectful. What are you afraid of?

I’m done with the little Twi lessons at the end of my posts. I almost never speak it anyway so… yeah. No more of that.

It's Nice To Be Nice

Today was an interesting day to say that least; certainly not uneventful. So, a group of my friends and I decided to take a trip into Osu and have lunch at a restaurant called Papaye. Papaye is fast food Ghanaian style. Grilled/fried chicken or fish with chips or fried rice or some variation of that.

We’ve been at least a dozen times since we came to Ghana. They have this garlic type of sauce/gravy that they put on their chicken that I am at least moderately addicted to. Good eats. [Background info: out of the 12 or so times we’ve frequented Papaye, at least 6 of those times we’ve been waited on by this particular woman who shall remain nameless and not because I’m trying to be discrete, but because she never actually introduced herself to us. I guess they don’t do that here] This woman is always stank to us. Always shushing us. Always has an ice grill on her face. Just stank. All the time. We’ll call her… Stanky McNasty. So Stanky waited on us today :-/ and thought she was slick mentally taking the orders for all 6 of us without writing it down. I knew there would be a problem. I called it. I said, and I quote, “Now watch she mess up our order.” Needless to say, she messed up our order. After having to call her attention to no less than three mistakes she’d made, she made the ultimate mistake of getting into an argument with Faye. SMH. You probably don’t know Faye so you probably don’t understand the extent to which this was a very bad idea. Stanky never brings Faye’s food out and meanwhile all of us are done with our meals. So Faye asks for the food in a takeaway box and Stanky tries to charge her for the box! Naturally, Faye had to tell her about herself and got the food in a different container, not before Stanky and her stank Papaye co-workers grilled us all the way out of the restaurant. Clearly, we can never go back there again. I mean, the problem mostly was in principle. Stanky didn’t even TRY to look like she cared that our orders were incomplete or that Faye never got her food. We’re used to customer service and satisfaction in the US. Normally in restaurants, people care whether you’re having a good time or not. I speculated that this may have something to do with gratuity since that’s a foreign concept here. They may not feel that they have to put that little “extra” in extraordinary service

[ The movie Waiting? Anyone get it? ]

[ No? Ok ] 

because they’re getting the same paycheck either way.

So we left Papaye and started walking down Oxford Street. If you’re not in the mood, Oxford Street is not always a good place to be. Vendors, hustlers, and eligible bachelors scope out Oxford Street and pounce on vulnerable looking prey. Some of the guys are cool and don’t really bother you. Others… not so much. We have acquired a kind of Osu survival formula that includes walking quickly, not making much eye contact, keeping outside conversations to a minimum and avoiding Black Africa. [Black Africa is another post entirely. Details will come later]

So some random guy comes up to me trying to sell paintings or something. As usual, I kindly just say, “No thank you.” And go on about my business. He insisted on trying to sell me these paintings and when I kept repeating “No thank you” he busts out with “Oooh! It is nice to be nice. Eh?” It’s nice to be nice. Hmm. If I had a shiny nickel for every time a Ghanaian shouted that at me. I proceeded to discuss this “nice to be nice” concept with him. I tried to get him to understand that you can’t measure niceness on a scale depending on someone’s willingness to buy things from you or entertain your nonsense. I’m almost certain they use that phrase to make foreigners feel guilty. It’s nice to be nice? It’s nice to be able to walk down the street and not be grabbed and shouted at. He understood where I was coming from, but still wanted me to buy his painting. Sigh. I told him that I know where he sells things. I know the things that he sells. If ever I wanted to buy one of those things I would find him and buy them. But this was not one of those times. You following me for 3 blocks is not going to suddenly make your product more desirable than it was 10 minutes ago. Also you hissing at me or making that GOD AWFUL sucking noise will also not earn you my patronage or my respect. It’s rude and annoying.

A few blocks down the street I go see Robert. Robert sells bootleg DVDs outside of Koala market. This sounds like he would be a creeper, but he’s not. Robert is a good guy and after a good amount of haggling usually lets me get DVDs for a fair price. I’ve returned a copy of Slumdog Millionare twice and am going back tomorrow for yet another copy because all of the previous ones don’t work properly. While this would usually be an issue, Robert is extremely cool about the whole thing. He just lets me exchange the DVDs no questions asked. Big ups to Robert.

So I leave Osu and return a few hours later to check out a hair salon a friend of mine tried and said was pretty good. Just walking into Lajen (I think that’s the name) I could tell it was going to be a good experience. People smiled and were friendly. I sat down and I was given magazines while I waited! The owner was there. Let me tell you about this lady. Picture… Oprah if she was Ghanaian.

She was such a boss. We’ll call her… Boss Lady. Boss Lady had this real nice wig on, a really cute, but kinda bougie outfit with her boobs hanging out JUST enough to still be classy. The whole time I was there she was busying herself around the shop looking at each chair and nail station checking on the progress and things like that. At one point she even threw on a smock and helped one girl sew in a few tracks. I love it. A black owned and operated establishment with an all black staff. It was such a nice place and it was so efficiently run. It could definitely compete with any American hair salon. They had drinks for sale for the clients and two televisions for people to watch. The woman who did my hair was great. The entire staff was very attentive. Boss Lady was really nice to me. I’m definitely going back.

Little experiences like Boss Lady’s hair shop and people like Robert keep me from wanting to make sweeping statements about Ghana. It’s nice when people are nice just for the sake of being nice. 

yebehyia (yeh-beh-shia) = see you soon

The Spectrum

I admit that I am not the best blogger. I should probably be writing more frequently and writing more profound or thought provoking posts. But I don’t. So it’s whatever. I write when I have something to say. I will admit, I envy my friends/colleagues that regularly update their blogs, livejournals or whatever people are doing nowadays. BUT I digress…

It appears that we have reached an impasse -- or a turning point (better word choice). Post-Spring Break has been very interesting to say the least. Most students here did a fair amount of travelling during our little 10 day vacation. Some went to Europe, Morocco, Togo, Burkina Faso and a lot of other very cool places. As for myself, I went to Johannesburg, South Africa. In a word: amazing. Also: necessary.

After eating a ton of fast food, candy, ice cream and other nonsense for 10 days straight, needless to say, we were a little less than excited about returning to Accra. Jo’Burg was so much fun. So much to see. So much to learn. Apartheid only ended very recently and that in itself made things interesting. We went to the Johannesburg Zoo, Eastgate Mall, Eastrand Mall, go-karting, Gold Reef City amusement park, Montecasino, the Apartheid Museum and a lot of other cool places.

I would be the first in line to advocate for an NYU in Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa. Hint, hint.

We now have an extended family in South Africa

and an amazing second home: the Siyabonga Guest House

and some new friends from Angola

the Apartheid Museum was intense. I'm so glad I went. 

I went with some questionable characters...

they go to Spelman. Which explains a lot. 

So as the dream ended, we boarded our flight back to Accra. I guess I should start by expressing my own emotions and thoughts before getting into how everyone else feels. Spring Break was much needed. I was becoming overwhelmed with boredom and annoyed with some of the Ghanaian annoyances that persist regardless of our time here. I’ve posted before about the TON of free time that we have here. It takes getting used to. The thing about it is that not everyone deals with their free time in the same ways. Some people are more adventurous or proactive about things and choose to “explore” Accra. I don’t know if that means going on random tro-tro adventures or finding people to teach you how to pound fu fu or what. [Tro-tros are like privately owned buses that people use to travel] Nonetheless, I am not adventurous. Hopping on a tro-tro and riding around Greater Accra is not my idea of a good time. I’m sorry. If that makes me anti-Ghana, so be it. Wait, actually scratch that so be it.

Where did we get this idea that the only way to properly experience a place is by indulging in things like random tro-tro adventures? If someone were to come to experience New York, I would not advise them to take a random MTA adventure. Just hope on the A and see where it takes you? No. That’s just one specific example, but the point I’m trying to make is that people have a general idea of what a real experience is like and when people choose to deviate from that, there has to be a problem? It’s the same underlying concept that comes with people claiming that NYU in Ghana isn’t real like the int’l kids who are staying at Legon and have to take bucket showers without wireless Internet and get malaria. Who gets to say what the real Africa is anyway? There are Ghanaians who don’t take bucket showers, use wireless Internet, and don’t ride the tro-tro. Are they not really Ghanaian?

This, among other things, has created a very clear divide within the group as of late. I got back from Jo’Burg and was catching up with everyone I hadn’t seen in a while and there was an overwhelming “I’m done with Ghana” feeling hanging around. So at dinner that night I addressed the entire group and asked if everyone felt like this. They didn’t. About half of the group responded with fervor “What?!? I LOVE Ghana.” “I’m sooo glad to be back.” “I feel like Accra is my home.” And other brochure-worthy comments. First of all, I think people’s responses had a lot to do with where they went for Break. People who had just been in a country whose level of development is comparable to the US or who had just visited close friends from home were not as eager to get back. Second of all, I don’t think the I Love Ghana Kids are crazy or something. And I don’t think that the I Hate Ghana Kids are crazy either. I more so subscribe to the Spectrum Theory. [I’m referencing it as if it’s a scientifically founded theory when it’s really me just finding a name for all of this] Remember those spectrum things from like middle school science class? You learned about like microwaves and ultraviolet waves and stuff...

Why can’t some people love Ghana right now and some people not love Ghana right now? I really think people’s emotions and feelings toward being here are spread out across a spectrum of sorts. From what I can gather, the people who love it are really into Ghanaian culture, music, people, food etc. The people who may not be feeling it that much are becoming frustrated with some of the uglier parts of being here. It’s all in how you take it.

Prime example. Last night we were talking about personal space and how it’s not really acknowledged sometimes here. One girl mentioned not wanting to shake the hand of a random guy in Osu the other day [Background information: people regularly urinate on the side of the road] and another girl responded, “Well, it’s not like they pee directly on their hand.” Umm, ok? That was supposed to make things better? I’m not against shaking people’s hands, but how excited would you be in NYC to shake a homeless person’s hand? [I wasn’t there, but from what I could gather from the conversation, this was the homeless man who lives in Osu and walks around barefoot and clearly in need of help. He also kind of grabs at us when we walk past him] You want to shake HIS hand? Really?

I have clearly digressed from expressing my own views toward my time here in Ghana. I think that it is very easy to get caught up in the bad and the ugly and forget about the good. Most of us are guilty of this, myself included. However, what makes the difference is what you do with these feelings.

Yes, it bothers me that I’m not 100% confident that if something like a fire broke out in my house, we would get even remotely immediate rescue response.

No, I would rather not be admitted to the local hospital.

Yes, I am tired of people shouting things like “Rasta!” and “Black America!” at me in the streets.

Yes, I would like to live in a country where people actually trust the police and bribing them didn’t come as second nature.

Yes, I wish it wasn’t sweltering all day long.

YES, I am both sick and tired of people staring at me everywhere I go.

No, I don’t like that people think I am rich just because I am an American.

No, I don’t like being overcharged or always wondering if I’m being offered Obruni prices.

No, I’m not a big fan of haggling.

No, vendors in Osu, I do not hate my black culture just because I don’t want to stop and talk to every single one of you; especially when all you really want to do is sell me things.

No, I don’t like that homosexuals are widely thought to be in the same grouping as schizophrenics and other mentally unstable members of society.

Yes, I hate that when/if a woman is sexually assaulted the first question that comes out of the police’s mouth is “What did you do wrong?”

Yes, I wish that the leaders of this country were held accountable locally and globally for blatantly corrupt and irresponsible behavior.

Yes, I wish there were sidewalks everywhere. And street lights. And running water. And a lot of other things I didn’t even notice I had until I came here and didn’t have them.

Yes, I wish HIV and AIDS weren’t so heavily stigmatized so that maybe people could get the help they need.

Yes, I wish there was more to do in Accra.

I could make a never-ended list of things I wish were different here. I could also make a list about life in Manhattan. And an even longer one for Albany. But lists and gripes and complaining never change anything.

The fact that I find myself in the midst of a passionate rant about all of the development, education, and economic problems plaguing Ghana and countries like it, adds to my own understanding of what I need to do with my life. Ghana’s problems are my problems. They are our problems. People don’t have running water. Let’s do something about that. Stigmatization. Let’s talk about it. Infrastructure. Let’s get some. I want to find solve problems, not perpetuate them. I think people sometimes don’t necessarily feel bad about the ills of the world because they don’t see themselves as direct creators of any form of evil, but by simply living in the US consuming and capitalizing [I couldn’t find a verb for capitalism] we are perpetuating the dynamic that leaves some people and some countries poor and underdeveloped. One lesson I learned from South Africa: there is no country that has all of the fantastic development that I so fervently indulged in for 10 days without the ugly story of how they got to that point. Somewhere along the line, people were oppressed or exploited or enslaved or some combination of the three just so I could eat at McDonald's.

Would I do it all again? Yes. Absolutely. Would I come back for a second semester? No. When I’m done with Ghana, I will be done with Ghana. It’s as simple as that. I'm not saying I won't come back to visit, I just won't be here for another 4 month stint anytime soon.

I have learned so much here. Not only about myself, but about the world. I’m taking a class [Globalization & The African Continent with Akosua K. Darkwah; future NYU in Ghana students will be doing themselves a disservice if they don’t take this course] that has really helped shape the way I view my time here and my place in the global community.

I have learned that most of my frustrations with Ghana are not a reflection on Ghana per say. Rather they are a reflection on the damage that colonization and neo-liberalism have caused. Proper governmental control and fiscal responsibility would literally do a world of good. It’s really a shame because countries like Ghana have a lot of potential. I’m glad I saw South Africa with my own two eyes because I was able to witness the potential that Africa has. Jo’Burg has its own personality and culture, which certainly is FAR from perfect, but at least it shows that Africa and development do not have to be mutually exclusive. The architecture and attitude was still very much Africa, but there were malls, and zoos, and museums, and highways, and restaurants, and amusement parks, and Subway! Sigh.

I can see this post easily being misconstrued as some sort of anti-Ghana rant; which ultimately, I have no control over. Take it as you will. At least I’m being honest. And in all honesty, Ghana is what you make it. It’s just not conducive to some people’s personalities or lifestyles. For others, this is paradise. I just wish we weren’t spending so much energy talking about why either attitude is right or wrong.

I certainly have not had the experience that I thought I would. I guess I thought that I would be fully immersed in Ghanaian culture? Whatever that means. As it turns out, I’m enjoying myself nonetheless. I’ve made good friends and lasting memories. Mission accomplished.

bra = come

Long Overdue

Ok so it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted. Classes, traveling, poor internet connection and just general laziness were all equally contributing factors. In any event...

Can I Live?

Long term stays in a foreign environment usually follow a typical pattern. It goes something like: Honeymoon Phase → Hostile Phase → Home Phase. I’m missing a few steps, but the general idea is that at first you fall in love with the newness and beauty of wherever it is you find yourself, but eventually you start to get frustrated with some of the cultural differences, homesickness etc. Finally, you acclimate yourself to your environment and start to feel at home. The time frame for each of these steps isn’t the same for everyone. My Honeymoon lasted about two weeks and I was almost immediately projected into the Hostility Phase and truthfully, I haven’t really exited. But my Hostility isn’t the same Hostility that others have experienced. I'm not angry or homesick at all (thank God). I just find myself repeatedly and rhetorically asking Ghana, “Can I live?”

Everywhere we go it’s like there is a huge neon sign over our heads that says OBRUNI! It doesn’t seem to matter if I’m walking down the same road I walk down every day to get to school or if I’m traveling to a different neighborhood, it’s the same foreigner-different-obruni-whatyoudoinghere?-interesting look that you get. It get’s old fast. I think that maybe my experience is especially different because (apparently) I stand out more because I have an eyebrow piercing, females don’t usually have dreads around here, and I’m very obviously not Ghanaian. Which I don’t have a problem with. Also, apparently I'm Queen Latifah. 

I beg to differ. 

I don’t mind looking American. After all, I am from America. I just don’t like being reminded of it everywhere I go. Sometimes it translates into genuine interest and conversation, but the vast majority of it is just awkward stares and looks everywhere I go. I want to make a t-shirt that says “STOP STARING AT ME!” Either that or “I AM NOT A RASTA!” That pretty much sums it up. Can I live? Can I just walk down the street? Can I just do me? One thing that I have learned to appreciate about living in NYC is the diversity. Everyone is different; so no one is different. Ghana, like anywhere in the world, has its ups and its downs. My main down is the otherness that never seems to leave me. Not now nor will I ever try to be Ghanaian. I’m not from Ghana and I’m cool with that. I don’t want to necessarily be a Ghanaian. I just wish I got more positive or even indifferent vibes about my otherness. I understand that I am different here and apparently an anomaly of some sort, but in the midst of all of this cultural exchange, I’m still getting started at everywhere I go. I just want to live my life. [cue TI f/ Rihanna ‘Live Your Life’]

The Real World: Ghana | Release Therapy

I couldn’t decide between titling this post The Real World: Ghana or Release Therapy because it’s a combination of the two. Let me explain.

I thought Release Therapy would be a good look for this post because I was feeling like I needed to find a way to cope with all these emotions, thoughts, and revelations that were coming from living in Ghana so far. I’ve learned a lot about the world and even more about myself. It’s been such a blessing being away from home and everything that is familiar to me. I was reluctant to go at first because I didn’t know anyone in the program and I would be so far away for so long, but I can see now that it was the best thing for me. 

I had put a lot of pressure on myself without even knowing it. Before I left I just knew that I would learn this and learn that. See this and see that. Feel this and feel that. It wasn’t until I just stopped and told myself to exhale. Released all of those preconceived expectations. I took the pressure off myself and just let me feel whatever I was intended to feel. Never mind what people at home expect you to be doing, seeing, or feeling. I know all of this may be kind of ambiguous if you’ve never traveled abroad for a long period of time, but it makes perfect sense to me. It wasn’t until I just relaxed and started to appreciate my feelings and experiences for what they were that I really started to enjoy my time here overall. Embrace the experiences, good and bad. Whether you’re frustrated, stressed, annoyed, bored or whatever, be honest with yourself. That is what you are feeling. Start to deal with that in itself rather than trying to make your experience into something it may not be intended to be. That was pretty much the conversation that I had with myself about a month ago and since then, things have gone a lot more smoothly.

So I’ve decided that NYU Study Abroad in Ghana needs to be renamed The Real World: Ghana. 

This is the true story... of 43 Americans... picked to move to West Africa...live together and have their lives changed... find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real...The Real World: Ghana. 

So actually there are two dorms and I’m not sure how many of us are on the trip, but it is The Real World: Ghana. Minus the camera crew.

I’ve always felt that the point of The RW was more about the people than the actual place that they were staying in. Of course The RW Las Vegas was way different than The RW Denver and the show obviously takes on the characteristics of its location, but it’s the people that make the show, not the place. Most of what I am learning and loving about Ghana comes from the people on the trip with me. Which I did not expect. We are all Americans, mostly from NYU, but from all over the country and with all different backgrounds. I have met some of the funniest, most creative, most interesting people in my life here. I’m definitely going back to NY with more than I left with.

Most of The RW shows are filmed in the house. The show is designed to almost force people to interact and conflict. There haven’t been any real brawls, drunken knife fights, or controversial hook-ups. (At least none that are blog worthy). We spend a lot of time together because I think that people are integrating themselves in Ghana at different degrees. The obruni thing in combination with it just being oppressively hot all the time kind of forces people indoors a lot. We spend a lot of time together or in our rooms, watch a lot of movies, plenty of good conversations etc. Some people have made really good friends outside the program and sometimes they come over to the houses which is cool. People have internships and community service and classes at other schools so we do actively involve ourselves in the world outside our dorms. But all in all, the program serves as more of a home base than I thought it would.  

No Place Like Home: Black to Africa

I wish I was art-sy enough to make a well put together documentary with the above title. It would basically be about what it’s like being a part of the African Diaspora and coming back to Africa. Maybe I will. If I can get my hands on a camera. And some talent. We’ll see.

bebini = black person 

Elmina

So we took a trip to Elmina Slave Castle. Forgive me if some of this is old news to some of you, but with my American education, I didn't know a lot of this and I am assuming some of you don't as well. 

So the Elmina Slave Castle is located at BEAUTIFUL Cape Coast here in Ghana. We took a 2 hour bus trip to Cape Coast 

and stayed the weekend at the Coconut Beach Resort 

while we were there, we spent a few hours at the 

Elmina Slave Castle.

 

                      

A brief history: the castle was originally built for commerical trading purposes between West Africa and Europe. The Portugese were the first to show up, calling the shore "elmina" referring to it being a gold mine, and the country the Gold Coast because of its abundance of gold dust

[Below] actual shackles and branding iron

One of the most disturbing aspects of the castle was seeing where the women were held. They would confine 100-150 women in this small, damp, poorly lit dungeon. We were there for about two hours and two people almost passed out from the heat. Standing in that room in 2009 had one of the worst smells I've ever smelled in my life. It's like you could smell it in the walls and the floors. Millions of African women forced there for months at a time, rotting in their own vomit, feces, menses, and God knows what else. And the heat. It was so HOT in there. I really can't imagine anyone surviving the combination of these things nevermind the spiritual and emotional distress they must have been under. As if all of this was not enough to blow our minds, 

the tour guide showed us this stair way. This was a link from the female slave dungeon upstairs into the governor's house. He would stand on a balcony overlooking the women and choose whomever he pleased to be raped next. The women were repeatedly raped by the other soldiers that lived and worked in the castle as well. And if they refused 

they were chained to this cannon ball outside in the center of the castle, stripped naked, and beaten into submission 

this is about 50 of us standing in the largest room of the female dungeon, and we took up about half of the space ourselves. We could barely imagine what it would feel like with 100-150 people, in the heat...

these are inside and outside photos of the Room of No Return

which led to the outside and obviously, the slave ships.

With a twist of cruel irony, Elmina is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. It's right next to the water and it has an amazing view of Cape Coast. It's like a cruel joke that so many people were tortured and killed here. 

I had an overwhelming sense of humility while standing there. I also seriously lacked I would be strong enough to endure all that these people had to endure and live to tell about it. I thought about the reality of my own freedom and opportunity that I have my ancestors to thank for. People were taken from their homes, beaten, raped, starved, tortured, murdered. It's crazy. It's one of the greatest crimes against humanity this world has ever known. I wish everyone could travel back to Africa - members of the diaspora and non-diasporic people as well - and see for yourselves. It's different than reading about it in a book or watching an adaptation of it from a movie. In America we usually glaze over the Africa part of slavery and focus on what went down when the slaves arrived in the Americas, but we're effectively cutting out a chunk of our history. Black people should feel what it feels like to stand in that castle as a free person knowing that a few hundred years ago, it wouldn't have been possible. 

Did you know that Jews were among the first to finance the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade? Yeah, neither did I. We had a guest lecturer in one of my classes who actually teaches at NYU in the History Department. He gave the entire history of Jewish involvement in the slave trade. It was fascinating. His name is Richard Hull and he's coming out with a book in a few months. We asked him why so few people talk about this subject and he said that he thinks that people become uncomfortable with inverting the traditionally historic view of Jews as victims. During the slave trade, many Jews were  victimizers not victims and lots of people are not comfortable with that. He wasn't even comfortable releasing this book at NYU until he was tenured. NYU has a heavy and active Jewish community. An interesting topic to say the least.

12-14 million Africans arrived on the shores of the Americas

[that does not include the numbers of illegally (undocumented?) imported slaves]

1/3 died in the castles, traveling, or in raids

1/3 died on the ships 

1/3 survived the entire ordeal and most of us are their descendants

 

I'm no mathematician, but that means that AT LEAST 36 million Africans were victims of the slave trade, 24 million of which lost their lives before reaching their intended destinations. 

Genocide - the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. 

Legal definition found in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

sukuu = school 

Time Well Spent

So I haven't written a post in about 2 weeks. What's sad is that the reason hasn't been because I've been really busy. Quite the contrary.

I've had almost too much time on my hands. It's like a running joke throughout the program that we all don't know what to do with all of this time we have. Americans like to make believe that our lives are so busy and overcomplicated that if we ever got a little more time, we would get sooo much done. Yeah, alright. I sometimes wonder if the 5 hour time zone difference between Ghana and NY is just God adding 5 hours to everyday here. Some of us have likened our study abroad experience thus far to being on an extended vacation. We have to attend classes every now and then and do the required work for each course, but for the most part, our time is free.

And it's not the same free time that you would get living in NY. We learned very quickly that Ghanaian time is not what we are used to. To put it a little more plainly, a Ghanaian professor told us: You all go by the clock, we go by the time. It's both funny and true.

The thing about time is that it's independent. You can't speed it up. You can't slow it down. No matter how much we may like to.

Time is humbling when you think about it. It governs our entire lives. Our sense of appropriate time delegates when you'll graduate, when you get married, when you grow up. We are completely powerless to its influence. We like to think we are in control of things. We make plans and stuff like that when really, nothing is promised. Certainly not tomorrow. When your time is up, it's up. And that's that. It doesn't matter if you haven't finished your exam, crossed the finish line, or filed your taxes. I've never been more aware of how cultural time perception is. In NY my mind was buzzing 24/7. I had trouble adjusting to the slower pace of Upstate NY whenever I'd visit home. Imagine moving to a place where people really don't consider time a priority. Life is too important to be rushing into things. Savor every moment. Or as some Ghanaians put it, "God's time is best. What's the rush? God will make it happen."

In a class discussion about development and advancement, someone asked if the African ethos is conducive for development. It's easy to say yes or no depending on your opinion, but the truth is it depends on what you consider development. Should Africa strive to be more like the US or other countries in the West? Maybe it's our definition of development that needs to change, not the African ethos.

Quote of the day: "So.. I've been spending a lot of time alone and... I found out today that... I don't like myself."

You learn a lot about yourself and the world when you just shut everything off -- no BlackBerry, no iPod, no TV, no radio, no laptop, no nothing -- and experience life. I used to find that taking a walk (without my iPod) and just letting my brain sort things out would be really therapeutic. Or even just laying in bed an hour or so before I was actually sleepy and thinking myself to sleep rather than letting an episode of Family Guy do the job.

This Sunday will be a month that I have lived in Ghana. So far, I've learned a lot of things, but right now the biggest lesson is in time. It makes you question what is necessary. NY seems like another life I used to live. I'm not saying I'm going to get back to NY and throw away my TV or start walking around wearing a dashiki. [I've actually already pre-ordered about 3 pairs of Dunks and a Crooks & Castles sweater] But I will re-think the way I spend my time. Life is too short (or too long) to be spent not living it. If that makes sense. 

eye = fine

Mo' Money Mo' Problems

Today I had my first class at Ashesi University. It was surprisingly about half international students (like myself) and half local students. We talked about Pan Africanism and its complexities. One issue that came up was the African Union. Which is an intergovernmental organization that consists of 53 states within the African continent.

Central to the organization and its goals is promoting the interests of African people, naturally. In class, we discussed the prospects of economic unity between all countries within Africa. Maybe establishing a common currency. The "eco" is the proposed name for a common currency that would exist in a union between a few West African countries. However, just as I explained in a previous blog, history doesn't have to repeat itself. Just as Ghana is cautious of its newly found oil prospects in respect to what is going on in Nigeria, they are also aware of the economic crisis in Zimbabwe. [I suggest you Google Zimbabwe economy right now if you don't know what I'm talking about]

The professor pulled out a 1 million dollar Zimbabwe bill. Yes, 1 million dollars. Guess how much it's worth?

The last time she checked, it was worth about twenty cents. Imagine that. [I don't think inflation is even the right word for something like that. There needs to be a new word in the dictionary for like crackhead inflation. I'll think of one... In the mean time, I'll take suggestions.] For anyone who is unfamiliar with inflation imagine having a lot of money, but not having any money; if that makes sense. You can have physical monetary capital and still be broke because the economic standards have been lowered such to the point that your 1 million dollar bill can't even buy your baby pampers when you need them.

That is Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe. Basically a hott mess.

Zimbabwe is currently preparing to remove 

ten zeros off the country's currency next month.

Making 10 billion dollars --> one dollar. SMH.

My professor said people sleep outside of banks because they are only allowed to withdraw half a million (ten cents) each day. You can't even get enough money to buy a loaf of bread. 

Any sort of economic unification needs to come in tandem with political protection against inflation.  The economic status of developing countries is of specific interest to me as I am contemplating possibly considering career in that field. In a perfect world I could work for the IMF or the World Bank ...if they weren't inherently evil organizations. Maybe I'll infiltrate and work the system from the inside out. You never know.

Another interesting topic of discussion in class today: Pan Africanism vs. Zionism   :-/ Now I'm not one to advocate for comparing the plight of the Jewish with that of the African diaspora. There are similarities, yes. Commonalities, maybe. But that's a fine line and should be dealt with with caution. To avoid rambling, I'll just leave it at that.

In short, money makes the world go around. I've been criticized for not necessarily wanting to pursue a career that gets me "in the trenches," so to speak. I very well could be a teacher or maybe community organizer (without any real responsibility)

but I see the power and influence that money has in this fight for right that so many of us seem to be in. We (and by we I mean some of my friends and other cool people) want to make a difference in the world. I think we've somehow become brainwashed into thinking that there is only one way to enact change. Change is as multifaceted and complex as the problems to which it is designed to address. There's more than one way to skin a cat. [I'm not sure where I got that expression from, but you know what I'm saying] I would hope that the change from above (for lack of a better term) would be welcomed in the same manner as the change from below. Are people just as happy to see Oprah open a school in South Africa as they are to see an average Black man volunteering to be a big brother?

There is this stigma in some social justice circles with having money and being "down." So the more money you make, the less effective you can be? I thought it was the other way around. I'm not saying you have to be all extravagant. Splurging on shiny suits and Rolex watches...

We are in Da Recession. We have to be frugal. But what I am saying is that there doesn't have to be a penalty for success. We have long been held back from taking high positions and earning high salaries. The time has come to reach our full potentials. Whatever they may be. If your spot in the fight is in the classroom, then make that happen. If you're supposed to be in the boardroom regulating and calling shots, more power to you. And if you happen to be called to hold the highest office in the land, well... you know how that goes. 

By the way, they are Obama FIENDS out here. Everybody loves him!

wo ho te sen? = How are you?