Day 3: Accra, Ghana

Today has consisted of:
• Morning lecture from Dr. Stephen Ayidiya, Professor of Social Work at University of Accra-Legon and former member of Parliament (1993-1996), on the history of social work in Ghana
• Visit to WEB Dubois Museum
• Afternoon lecture from Dr. Michael Willams, Aya Centre, on Panafricanism
• Welcome dinner celebration at Chez Afrique

HISTORY OF SOCIAL WORK IN GHANA
I learned a ton from the morning lecture with Dr. Ayidiya!

Effects of colonization
Before the 1800s, Ghana was comprised of small entities or independent peoples through W. Africa until the British colonized the country (French colonized countries to the sides of Ghana throughout West Africa). The area now known as Ghana had been a colony for 100+ years as “The Gold Coast.” The Gold Coast colony was comprised of the Southern part (along coast, including Accra and Elmina), Ashanti (mid-range) and the Northern part (above the Volta River, historically connected with Northern Africa). The transatlantic trade of people (slaves) and material goods brought purchasable goods from the Northern region; Gold Coast residents served as brokers of this trade. The North was to be kept as workers for gold mining on the western part of present-day Ghana’s gold coast and cocoa farms. This is largely responsible for the stark inequalities (poverty, child labor, sex trade, discrimination against women, etc.) seen today in Northern Ghana. After gaining independence in 1957 (just 50 years ago!), few families and children traveled from Ghana’s North to the Southern Gold Coast for education and development. Dr. Ayidiya, for example, belongs to one of these families; he is first generation to obtain an education.

Establishing social service structure
Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah (whose name is EVERYWHERE around here), first addressed agriculture issues with cocoa and food crops which are main area of production for income and foreign exchange (and sustenance). President Nkrumah established the Community Development section of the Department of Social Welfare to create basic infrastructure for the country relating to:
- Development and establishment of schools (the physical creation and building of schools)
- Construction of roads (in 1970s) for trade routes and travel
- Public health initiatives, especially disease of cocoa and water sanitation
- Mass education campaigns – through villages night school was made available for adults who never had a chance to go to school to learn to read and write
According to Dr. Ayidiya, the city of Tema (located 10 miles outside of Accra) was the only well-planned city in Ghana.

Social work practice
Initial services were around work with youth and “the destitute.” This included work with juvenile probation and orphans (in orphanages and on the streets). What is known as “Family Services” in the States looks very different and is not very common or strong in Ghana. Here, as in many areas of the world, the nuclear family is not predominant. External family is relied on heavily even still today. Special areas of concern are for single mothers (especially widowed women) and child labor (often coming from single mother homes as a result of lacking education and stable income). Women tend to lack resources and access to education and jobs.
Most all social work training happens in the U.S. (post-grad, post-Doc).

Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Many services and issues today are addressed by international and local NGOs. While some NGOs do good work in the country, many come into various parts of the country with their own agendas rather than working with the people to empower them to find their own solutions. Many NGOs do not focus on capacity building and basically end up taking away valuable resources from the community (water, food, shelter, land).

The neocolonial practice of NGOs is convoluted because many groups are politically based and do not just provide relief or services. Many NGOs are connected to international offices in the U.S. and other parts of the world and seem to have their own agendas in their work and relations in Ghana. NGOs are influencing local and national politics and policies.

Dr. Ayidiya suggests there needs to be more Ghanaian-based NGOs. If NGOs (as they currently exist) were really working, he said, we would not see the problems and poverty that we still see today in the Northern Region. There are as many NGOs as there are families in Northern Ghana, yet this area remains the most poverty-stricken and troubled part of the country. What would really help the area is if these groups were to collaborate instead of all working independently towards the same goal (creating confusion and the duplication of services). This sounds painfully familiar to U.S. practices…
I asked Dr. Ayidiya his thoughts on the use of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) – curious of the implications of this sort of organization. Though not an NGO (in fact, PC works collaboratively with governments to offer services), I remain skeptical of the implementation and integration of PC and PCVs in communities. He believes PC is more aligned with the national values (as set by the Ghanaian Parliament) and has been “good to have,” in his opinion.

Feminist Activism and Women’s Empowerment
Of course I asked his thoughts on this area of social work. His response was not surprising as it seems to be a common criticism of feminist work in the developing world. Often, groups come in to Ghana wanting to tell women their rights (to not be abused, to be gainfully employed, etc.). Obviously, he said, they know violence is not a good thing, but removing a woman from an abusive partner is useless if she cannot survive. Many, if not most, women here still rely on their male partners for financial resources to buy food, clothing and shelter and care for children. If women’s basic needs are not met, it is futile to preach of their ‘human rights.’ The women here are “not stupid. They know their rights. They are balancing for survival.”

This brought up questions for me about our girls empowerment program. What is the most useful information for the girls? So far I have been told to focus on education and health (especially sexual health). When asked about sex education, Dr. Ayidiya said it is a mute point. He seems to believe that “you do not have sex until marriage, so if you are not married, there is nothing to talk about.” Bullshit. We know girls and boys are having premarital sex here and all across the globe and are NOT being educated about it. While not ‘forbidden’ to talk about, it is taboo (he says…). I find it curious that this is coming from a male perspective (albeit not the usual “White Male” perspective of which I am usually bitching). I am skeptical that he can truly speak to the experience of women and girls.

I am still interviewing women and girls to seek more knowledge…

W.E.B. DUBOIS MUSEUM
The Dubois museum is set in his old home where he came to live the final years of his life. Fed up with the States, he returned to Africa in his later years to work on the Panafrican movement (I think? Lots of details…it’s a bit hazy). The museum was quaint- small, by U.S. standards yet quite large by Ghanaian standards (especially within a historical context). Consisting of five+ rooms, we saw the living room, dining room, library, office, and master bedroom as part of our tour. Many of his original books remain in the library and office. The living room is full of art and photographs of notable Ghanaian leaders (with great emphasis on former President Nkrumah). The dining room had an art feature of works by high school students on the meaning of President Nkrumah’s 100 year celebration. The dining room is now used mainly as a meeting room for outside groups. His master bedroom features much of his individual artifacts, including robes from universities he attended and received honorary awards; original journals, ledgers, and degrees; and a tapestry. His bust is centered in the middle of the room. What shocked me the most was these items were not locked! While behind a glass case, you could open the case and physically touch these items. I did not get a chance to ask our guide about this practice. I am curious as to the reasoning for not having things locked, especially since the cases had locks on them.

Dubois and his wife are both buried on site. A tour was also given of a worship room outside, but it was too hot for me inside the small space so I missed pieces of that lecture. I did, however, catch a piece about the wood carvings on sitting stools. Each stool in the circular room has a different symbol and meaning, such as “I return to my God,” or “Unity.” I took pictures on a couple of the stools.

PANAFRICANISM and PANAFRICAN MOVEMENT
I am not a history buff. In fact, I mostly despise history, despite knowing its’ extreme importance and relevance in understanding how we got here today and to prevent repeating mistakes. However, I have always struggled to follow timelines and remember dates and facts. Maybe I am more of a big picture thinker?
Anyway, Professor Williams gave a brief (I do mean brief – approx. 45 minutes. We were running late, as usual. “Ghanaian time.”) lecture on Panafricanism. Since I struggled to follow along with everything, I can offer an overview of the tidbits I picked up.
Panafricanism is the movement to unite Africa and the African people. The entire basis is unity. Throughout time, Africans have been separated – through force, slavery, war, and other tragedies. The boundaries of countries were randomly decided by colonizers in strategic ways. For example, the lines of small countries such as Togo were set by French colonizers to prevent or limit trade. These arbitrary lines have created much conflict throughout Africa (Sudan, anyone?) and contributes to the systematic destruction of African peoples.
If Africa was to UNITE, it would be one hell of force! It would be a much stronger powerhouse capable of competing and thriving in today’s world. Africa is rich in materials (this continent has so many natural resources of value; think: oil and gold = $$$$$). The unity of Africa would lead to a United States of Africa (a new and improved U.S.A. perhaps?).

Benefits of African Unity (AU)
- Combination of resources and wealth (oil, gold and other metals, cocoa)
- Increased capital by pooling money and resources (“we could stop begging!”
- Market (“Why do you think China is so rich?”)
- Common currency (makes for ease of travel and exchange)
- Central planning and division of labor (development, especially)
- Settle water disputes (who owns what river/lake; clean water for all)
- Power and strength in #s (negotiation, protection against invasion/sezing)

Challenges to African Unity (AU)
- Inter- and intra- ethnic, religious, and political conflicts
- Regional borders and conflict
- Vested interest of other nations in the current system (I doubt the States want Africa to be a world leader or powerhouse)
- Lack of basic infrastructure, i.e. ROADS (inter- and intra-)
- Weak economies; low GDP/GNP

I am interested in learning much more about Panafricanism. Some suggested readings include:
Africa Must Unite by Kwame Nkrumah
King Leopold by Mark Twain
Black Livingston (author?)

I am also interested in researching the vested interest of other nations in keeping Africa separated (“You gotta keep ‘em separated!” Name that tune…). Professor Williams posed a question concerning the EU. What, exactly, does the EU export? What do they offer the world? He pointed out that they basically import everything. How might the world economy look different if Africa started demanding (and receiving) fair treatment in the world market?

CHEZ AFRIQUE CELEBRATION
After being here for three days we had our official welcome dinner today! Our Ghanaian peers joined us for our first authentic Ghanaian meal at Professor Williams’ wife’s restaurant, Chez Afrique (“She’s a freak” … she’s super freaky, now…). We all dressed up (the best travelers can – a dress and Tevas for me) for our night on the town. Chez Afrique has a beautiful outdoor seating area and features a live band on Fridays. It felt very Austin-esque to be sitting under the stars enjoying a Star beer and listening to live music. It makes me happy to have similar experiences on the other side of the globe. =)

I sat at a table with Gloria, a student at UAL studying sociology and Arabic. Not only did she help me order my dinner, but she was a great conversationalist! I loved getting to know her better – we have a lot in common. She shared with us her history growing up and experiences at University. We were able to talk about sociology and theories (so cool, I know). AND, she read the Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High as a little girl. How interesting?! (And, while I am delighted we shared similar stories growing up, I have also thought about the implication of those characters potentially serving as her role models growing up. Where were her role models? Girls who looked liked her and had similar experiences as her?)

For dinner I went with the Banku and Tilapia with Hot Pepper Sauce and a snail kebob. Banku is made from milled corn mixed with Cassava and stirred with water until it makes a round ball of paste. Two and a half hours later we still had not received my meal. After Gloria complained on our behalf (the benefits of hanging with locals), we finally got our plates. First we were served a large bowl of hot water to clean our hands in preparation for the meal Banku is traditionally eaten by hand (right hand only, because the left hand is seen as dirty). Bless my little adventurous heart, the fish came out full with the eye and tail and scales. I really struggle with eating meat off of the bone as is and I really cannot do carcass on my plate. I tried my best to be in the moment and give it a fair try. I succeeded, I think. At the least, I did not throw up. That is success to me. And, my snail kebab never did showed up, thankfully. I had enough adventure with my food for one night.

I did a little dancing on the cramped dance floor. The music was great and the people were feeling it, but I really wasn’t. Exhausted and tired as all heck, I retired early for the evening. We begin again tomorrow bright and early at 8AM and this girl needs her beauty rest.

Day 2: Accra, Ghana

My day began sharply at 8:15AM when a friend called our room to notify us that we were going to be left by the buses if we didn’t get our arses downstairs asap. It turns out neither my roommate nor I heard our alarms and we had slept through breakfast. I threw on one of my cotton dresses and out the door I went. As with many things here in Ghana, it was a hurry up and wait situation…the buses were running late. People here run on what they refer to as ‘Ghanaian time’ – which means about 30-90 minutes AFTER the originally set time. It’s nice in times like this morning when your jet lag is in full force.

Today marked the official beginning of our program! We began at The University of Accra – Legon (UAL) which is about a 5-10 minute drive from our hostel, if traffic is smooth. Upon entering the University, two signs greeted us along with several white, drab-looking buildings with red dirt roads. Our first lecture was held in a lecture hall in the School of Social Work. The School of Social Work, not surprisingly is not the nicest building on-campus. In fact, it is not its own building, per say, rather it is several annex buildings cornered together with a quad area in the middle and a small patio area to the side. The morning lectures were perfunctory welcomes from our PD, our UAL advisor, and one of our local guides. We received some general background and cultural information about Africa, Ghana, and Accra and a list of Do’s and Don’ts for our behavior (including several warnings to not get drunk, since one lady who did “got raped” and it “might not have happened had she not been drinking and been aware of her surroundings.” Ahhh, victim blaming, gotta love it! Yep, the speaker is a man). After a brief lesson in Twi (thank you, or ‘medase!’) we had an opportunity to meet with our Ghanaian peers. Each group has been matched with a student from the University who will serve as our liaison to our agencies as well as our cultural guide on this experience. Our guide is a recent graduate who is completing his mandatory year of service with the Ghanaian government. How cool! I can’t wait til the US catches on to the benefits of domestic servitude (NOT only military service). One last quick lecture and then we took a driving tour of the University.

I took many pictures of campus through my glass window. I really wish we could have gone for a walk on-campus. Again, since there are 40 of us, I guess it is not ideal? At any rate, UAL has about 28,000 students. Many students live on campus (in non air conditioned dorms. Think Houston in the summer type heat. If that is meaningless, think 90 degrees, 90% humidity. Ugh) and walk 45-40 minutes to get to their classes. There are several majors of study offered and a few of the buildings I saw included Business, Social Work, Nursing, Archeology, and African Studies. They have post-graduate programs (I assume this is similar to a Masters?) in Communication and Law and also have a Medical School. In fact, our UAL advisor told us that Ghana is one of the leading African countries in producing doctors. Many of their medical students leave Ghana and go to Europe or Asia where they can make more money. It is even to a point where European and Asian people are requesting Ghanaians to stop coming because they are allegedly stealing jobs from local medical students. I thought that was pretty cool. Go Ghana doctors! Woo! Maybe they can specialize in reproductive health or something…

We took a stop at the University bookstore where I picked up a copy of The Emancipation of Women: An African Perspective by Florence Abena Dolphyne, former Chair[person] of the Ghana National Council on Women and Development. It highlights what she believes women’s emancipation means to women in Africa, including how it relates to traditional beliefs and practices. Seems like a good read and, again, will provide some context to my work here.

Our next stop was for lunch at Monarch Hotel. A similar buffet menu was offered: fish, chicken, spaghetti and meat sauce, French fries, rice, fried plantains, cabbage salad, and some delicious local ice cream for dessert! Mmmmm, it was so creamy and delicious with just a hint of vanilla and maybe some nutmeg (?). So good.

We loaded back up on our buses to head out for our driving tour of Accra. We began in East Legon, where we are staying and passed through Airport Centre. This is where you will find upscale homes (equal to $100-200K USD) and “larger life.” At this point, I was not yet able to tell that it was a wealthier section of town – that came later. We passed a new addition in the East Legon section: HOTEL OBAMA (they sure love Obama here! I saw shirts with Obama’s face on them and several of his books for sale in the mall. Later, we saw a man passing by proudly sporting his Obama shirt).

Accra is divided by the Akon people which make up most of the population and include the Ashanit, Afani, Asanti, and Aguapimp. A small fraction of the Accra population is comprised of the Agha, the indigineous people. There are noticeable class differences between the groups – particularly the Akon and Agha.

Driving out of East Legon, we headed into downtown Accra. On the way we passed the home to the current President, John Atta Mills (our equivalent to the White House) which is a cool pointed space looking sort of building. We passed Black Square, the main town square where big rallies, speakers, and other events are held. Prior to the celebration of Ghana’s 50 years of independence a few years back, the visit by former President Bill Clinton brought in the largest crowd (Our guide said Clinton was loved and that is why so many came out to see him. Bush, however, was not greeted so kindly. Go figure.) We also passed the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, another highly trafficked space. Kwame Nkrumah was the reigning president before John Atta Mills and it seems that people LOVED him. I’ll have to ask some more questions and/or do some research to see why his crap doesn’t stink. Really, the love him.

Saw several of the political buildings (which we will be visiting and being greeted by the Assembly next week). Stopped for a potty break at a restaurant along the Atlantic Ocean which had a beautiful view…as long as you didn’t look too far to the right where the indigenous people are living and working. We ended up getting a closer look at this poverty when we passed Jamestown where many of the indigenous peoples live and work; it was intense. They live in tiny huts just big enough for sleep. Everything else, including cooking, must be done outdoors because there is such a lack of space. It is quite a sight to see and take in. The next place we went to, “Sodom & Gamur” is the most economically disadvantaged area I have ever seen. Houses were on stilts in the middle of what appeared to be the dump. Literally, piles upon piles of trash were within meters of where these people live. And, the smell was atrocious. Our guide said this is where many children end up who migrate from northern Ghana and other rural areas looking for work. The children, who are uneducated and vulnerable, often end up living here, working for less than 50 cents a day and frequently end up in sex work or slave trade. :( Sad stuff.

Finally, we drove through the Lima community which is primarily Muslim and immigrants from Niger, Senegal, and other West African countries. Interestingly enough, this, our guide said, is known as the “least safe” part of Accra with the most social struggles. Does Ghana have negative attitudes towards Islam? Do they hold similar ideals concerning immigrants as the US? (There was another time when he mentioned, “it is mostly the Nigerians” who commit crimes in Ghana.) Hmmm…

Other cool/random things I saw:
• A restaurant called McBonalds. With a ‘B”
• A sign on a wall saying “No urinating on wall” with a price listed afterwards. Do they charge to pee on the wall? Is even urinating not free anymore?!?!
• Goats meander freely all over the place…even on the side of a 4 lane road. They generally do not disrupt traffic or bother anyone, it’s just a sight to see 20 goats walking alongside your van.

While I am glad we had an opportunity to see the city (which is quite large and sprawling), I wish we were given a chance to walk around more and interact with people. I felt like I was on a driving tour through the zoo. I took several pictures even though I felt extremely awkward about it. I mean, here I am, my white privileged American self being driven around in an air-conditioned van gawking and snapping photos of these people. I have really grappled with my feelings around this experience all night. It just doesn’t seem right… I am hoping for more genuine interaction within the community.

Tomorrow we have lectures all day followed by our official Welcome Dinner Celebration at Chez Afrique restaurant and nightclub. Sound it out…what’d you come up with? ;)