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
