Day 15: Ashaiman SHS

When we first began our work here I had asked the Headmaster if there was any way to meet with the boys and girls separately to discuss the issues that are most relevant to them. He had seemed resistant at first; I believe because he wanted to be sure all students were reached. It is obvious now that we are reaching all of the students. Yesterday the school counselor informed us that we would be leading group discussions with the boys and girls separately, of course in large assembly format. She wanted us to talk with the girls about their health and “womanly concerns.” She gave one example of a girl who was confused about why there was discharge “down there.” She is also concerned of girls who are having pressures of “sexual immorality.” I confirmed that she wanted us to talk about women’s health and sexuality. As for the boys, she wanted us to talk about drug abuse. Now, I know boys and girls face different concerns growing up, but girls do not get pregnant on their own. It takes semen AND an egg to make a baby…

We began our morning with Worship. Every Wednesday the school has worship first thing. (I have been to church more this week than I have been in nearly the past 10 years). The Worship was high energy and actually woke me up a bit. They had the school choir singing and a few students playing drums, percussion, and keyboard. One male student served as director of the choir while another lead the entire group in songs. A female student sang back up vocals and played some percussion. Teachers and students alike danced and sang and praised. I may not be religious, but it was definitely high energy. Then a Pastor said his part which focused mostly on staying focused on God and making time for Him in your studies. The Pastor told the students they must make time to study the Bible because if they do not make time for the Lord, the Lord will not have time for them. I am glad the students and community have a strong faith that helps to support them; however, I also know many of the students cannot pass their academic coursework because they do not have time to study due to work duties. One girl talked with me today and she awakes at 4AM to begin her day – she completes her morning chores, sells goods on the side of the road and then arrives to school at 7AM for classes. At the end of the day she must again sell before returning home to help cook dinner for her family. She has no time to study or to relax/play as is – is studying the Bible really the best for her right now? Maybe so if it gives her strength and determination to persevere but I struggle to see that benefit. It feels that the staff is so removed from the real needs of the students. At the end of Worship, the Pastor told them they must make contributions to Offering. He lectured them that if they do not give their bounty they will not receive from the Lord. It went as far as “If you give 1 peswa, you will receive 100,000 cedis. If you give nothing, you will receive nothing.” Again, I have had students who do not have money for breakfast or lunch and sometimes they do not have dinner. If they do have money, I would rather them eat food to nourish their brains and bodies than contribute to Offering. I question if The Lord really wants people to starve before He ‘rewards’ them. I do not believe in the necessity of suffering. The Pastor even quoted a story from the Bible about someone who was hungry or starving but they still gave their bounty. This was very emotionally charged for me. Again, my cultural humility is being tested quite a bit…

Following Worship, oddly enough, was our sex talk with the girls and boys. I worked with the girls group. I began by introducing the topic for today and told them this was going to be a safe space for them to ask any and all of the questions they might have about their menses, sex, relationships, their body changes, etc. To help get a sense of the questions they had, we gave them slips of paper to write down their questions and collected the questions. My colleagues were nervous about the topic and talking about sex in a cultural appropriate way so I began the discussion. With all due respect, Ghanaian culture, I will be giving these girls accurate health information concerning their bodies. Going into this I informed my colleagues I would be saying the words penis and vagina; I would be talking about safe sex and how to protect yourself (and the benefits of abstinence); and I would not turn away any question – no matter how complex or challenging it might be to answer. These girls (and boys and all humans) have a right to know about their bodies and sexuality. The deserve answers to their questions so that they may make informed choices about their bodies and futures.

With that, we had about 150 slips turned in with questions ranging from “what causes menses, why is it irregular, why does it hurt in my abdomen” to “what is sex, what is a virgin, if I kiss a boy am I still a virgin” to “is it OK for a man to beat his wife.” We also had questions such as “is it illegal to have a boyfriend,” “how can I control the white liquid coming out of my vagina” and “why does semen come out of my vagina if I am a virgin.” These girls range in age from 14-19 and clearly do not have even a rudimentary understanding of their bodies. I tried to answer themes of questions as best as I could. I felt very sad that they have not been provided with this education. They are so lost and confused. I wonder the affects of such strong religion in this culture which seems to prevent the children from receiving any education around sexual health. The only answer is to wait until marriage (which, by the way, proposals are commonplace. To be married does not mean you know one another or have dated or are in love. Many girls asked how to stop men from proposing to them and wondered why men were noticing them more lately. Men. Not boys.). We also had a question about sexual abuse and if you can say no to someone who wants to have sex with you. We gave a complete answer about the right to your body, to say no, to change your mind and how they do not owe anyone their body or access to it no matter what (for example, many aunties and uncles are paying for their education and the uncles want something in return). The counselor then got on the microphone to reiterate the importance of telling her if this was happening so they could be counseled. She said “If you do not tell someone you will have a horrible life, you will not get married and you will be not have children and you will not lead a happy life.” WTF?!?!?! Meanwhile, at this time, the boys were talking about how to stay in school and get into University and to avoid drugs. I have been so frustrated with the sexist ideals of responsibility and have really struggled to remain cultural humble and curious. I am doing my best to respect the cultural norms while still providing accurate information. I made myself available after our forum for individual questions. A couple girls came and asked questions about sex and pregnancy and how they might know if they are pregnant. Innocent questions. I wish I could be here longer and lead several small groups for students around sexuality and sexual health.

Later, during my individual counseling session a girl told me about being molested at the age of 6. She had never told anyone before and she wanted to know if she was still a virgin and if she would still be able to marry and have children. I wish I could do more for her. There is no one to report it to, no one to tell who can help this girl. I felt so helpless in that situation. Luckily, she is no longer in that unsafe situation, but she is feeling obvious after affects. She began talking about this because she said she feels nervous around men and boys and does not like to be alone with them or close to them. She asked if this was normal. She does not wish to talk to her mother (that was my first approach since family is the foundation of everything here) nor anyone else. She said she wants to just forget about it and move on with her life. I have to respect that that is where she is right now and it wouldn’t be safe for me to bring all of this up with her to have no follow up. I felt so incredibly inadequate and useless. At least I was there for her to have a safe space, free of judgment to share what she needed to share and get accurate health information. I hope she is able to tell someone someday and work through it.

On an upswing, during our break, a student I talked with yesterday came up to me with great news – he was able to accomplish one of his goals today (we had set two goals yesterday and he reached one this morning). He was so excited and the huge smile on his face was heart warming. He couldn’t wait to tell me how it went. He was bright, smiley, and cheery and said I had inspired him and he wished I could be with him always. I told him how incredibly proud I was of him for working on his goal today and told him I would always be with him. He will always have our conversation and the skills I helped him to learn and that he can carry those with him wherever he goes in the future. He also has my email address and said he will write. (Most all of the students ask for your address or email – I am not sure how many will actually write)

I also hung out with a group of girls in the courtyard during lunch. We took pictures and had a great time posing and laughing and being silly. They love the cameras, that’s for sure!

Today’s curriculum was a follow up to yesterday’s goal setting. Today we broke it down into more specific steps to achieving your goal(s) and identified those people who are in your support system, or your circle of support. I was quite impressed with the students’ abilities to think critically and identify steps to reach their goals. Students have big goals – to be the first female President, to be the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, to be “the biggest lawyer Ghana has ever seen,” to travel the world and write books, and to be “the next Obama.” Many students had sense of what it takes to enter a certain field – extra math/science or study social sciences. They knew they would need to have a practicum, conduct research, and seek mentors. It is so inspiring to hear the students’ goals and dreams and help them to identify ways to get there. I hope at least one student learns something from this week that they take forward with them and use in the future – whether it is goal setting, problem solving, or social skills – I hope there is something they can find that is useful.

Tomorrow I am training the youth consulate group on facilitation skills so they can become facilitators of these seminars. I have created a 20 page manual for them and am leading a 2-hour training. I am still determining the best way to integrate photo journalism into the project… I hope it all goes smoothly. This week has been so rewarding in so many ways. I know I will not want to leave come Friday – which is just right around the corner. I can’t believe I only have another 10 days left in Ghana. The time has flown by.

Day 14: Ashaiman Secondary High School

We left our hostel bright and early at 6:55AM today. I am not a morning person. At all. It takes about an hour to fight traffic to get to our school (it would only take 15-20 minutes max otherwise) so we have to leave with ample time. Grr.

Our meeting with the Headmaster this morning was full of praise for our work yesterday. He is very happy with our work here and even wants to give us an office. The Program Director from UT asked if I would be interested in coming back here for my final internship placement next January…we shall see what unfolds. At any rate, we have a plethora of support from the school. As such, we made a proposal to divide the students into smaller groups today. Instead of working with 300 students for 1 hour 20 minutes, we wanted to try 2 sessions for 40 minutes each with 150 students with the hope that they would have more opportunities for interaction.

Today’s topic was “Reaching for the stars: Goal Setting.” We began with sharing “what I want to be when I grow up.” Each facilitator shared what we wanted to be when we were in secondary school (me = psychologist) and then we asked the students to share with us what they want to be. Many students are interested in nursing, lawyer, business, and journalism/broadcasting. Other interests I heard were veterinarian, soldier, police woman, football player, actor, musician, and pastor. We then moved into an activity to help students map out their current path, the bridge to their goals, and the challenges and support they have in front of them. Taking a piece of paper folded into 3rds horizontally, they wrote “path” on the left side, “bridge” in the middle, and “goal(s)” on the right side. The path represents where they are now – they may be on a straight road, a curvy road, or there may be a fork in the road. The bridge represents what they need to cross to get to their goals on the other side, but underneath the bridge lurks sharks and other challenges. You don’t want to fall off of the bridge because these things might hurt you. These are the challenges. Most of the challenges shared by the students to reaching their goals include financial troubles, broken homes, lack of advice and guidance, unsupportive parents, academic problems, drugs, teen pregnancy/sexual misconduct, and peer pressure. Above and on the bridge are the people or things that will help carry you to the other side. What were most shared were determination, hard work, and perseverance. I thought it was interesting that the biggest challenges were structural and the biggest supports were individualistic. Our curriculum for tomorrow builds off of this seminar.

We went off to individual counseling for the last hour of the day. Today I had two clients, both dealing with friendship issues and social skills (shyness). I approached this from a solution focused, empowerment direction. I had students identify times when they did not feel shy or when it was less scary to speak up. After identifying those times and what was different in those situations we were able to identify what they might need to do in the future. With both clients we mapped out two task items for the week in working towards their goals. I reminded them they can use our goal setting workshops as tools in solving their own problems in the future. I also reminded them that they are strong and smart and capable of solving problems; they know what is best for them and have their own answers. I hope something I said is helpful. I am glad that I know something about solution focused brief therapy because that is coming in handy right about now. Social work school has taught me something.

Tonight has been spent planning and prepping, catching up on my writing, and trying to relax. I forget how draining long days are…but the work is so rewarding. I can’t even believe this is all happening right now. I feel so honored and so lucky to be a part of it. I know I am learning and growing in so many ways that I cannot even yet see, feel, or begin to process. Writing is helpful, but I really think a lot of this will not hit until I am back in the States. I am trying to just savor each moment and offer as much as I can. I am trying to have a connection with every student while I am here – even if it is a smile or a greeting, I hope to give a piece of myself to each of them. I am so inspired by their hope, dreams, dedication, and determination. I hope to take a small piece from each of them with me as well. In some ways I never, ever imagined myself here, in a place like this, doing this work; yet, in other ways it feels so perfectly natural for me to be here and this is exactly what I imagined myself doing.

Day 13: Ashaiman Secondary High School, Ashaiman

The long awaited youth empowerment program at Ashaiman Secondary High School officially is up and running and I am happy to report that day 1 was a huge success! We were so warmly received by the school’s administration and are fortunate to have their support 110%. Our day began with a meeting with the Headmaster and Asst. Headmaster to present our proposal for the week. But, first, we needed to print our proposal which proved to be quite a task in and of itself. They have one computer for all of the administration (which the secretary uses) and one small photocopier. I was humbled to see how much trouble it was to make 9 copies of the proposed plan.

We proposed leading workshops in different classrooms each period every day this week. Knowing there are 14 classrooms and 4 of us, we knew it would be a challenge, (especially since some classes have up to 70 students per period) but we were up for the challenge. The topics we proposed leading were: identity exploration, addressing your inner critic, leadership, and goal setting (two-part session). The Administration liked our ideas, but they wanted to be sure we reached ALL students. They proposed we have two daily assemblies with Form 1 (first year) and Form 2 (second year) students (Form 3 students recently completed their studies and are not present during the summer months). For clarification, I asked how many students would be in each assembly – oh, ‘just’ 300 or so. Our program quickly morphed from working with small(-er) groups to leading large scale assemblies. We adapted and made some adjustments to our curriculum for the day (Who am I? Exploring your identity). The Asst. Headmaster, upon the change of plans, quickly moved into action. He informed us they have a PA system they would set up and left the room. At 10:55AM, Form 1 students were rallied, all 300+ of them, in the assembly hall.

When we entered the hall, what was formerly an empty room was now full with 300 desks, a podium, a large moveable chalkboard, a table (with a white table cloth accented by the fake flowers in a vase in the center) and chairs. The PA system was up and running, from the help of a couple students and we were ready to go. It was amazing how quickly it all came together, especially since when we entered in the morning, about 1 ½ hours earlier this was not at all our plan. I cannot believe how well we were received and how quickly the administration adapted and responded for the students. The Asst. Headmaster is adamant that the students’ need this program and he wanted to be sure we reached each and every student. As such, the students will not be in class for two periods (one block) every day this week. This, compared to what I know from working with administration in the US, is crazy – they would not be as happy to give up their students’ classroom time for week-long assemblies on identity and development.

I was pretty nervous to lead the assemblies. I am fairly confident of my abilities in working with adolescents, especially girls, but a mixed gender group of 300 was pretty intimidating. I started out by saying “Maakye” (“Good morning” in Twi) with blank stares which I took as normal for teenagers at 11AM on a June Monday. The Asst. Headmaster apparently did not believe this was appropriate and took the mic from my hands. I was waiting for what he would say when he said “Do you realize she was speaking Twi? She just greeted you.” He handed back the mic and I again said “Maakye” and was greeted with uproarious laughter from all 300 students. I’m guessing my accent was a little off? I tried.

The activity today focused on identities and how people see us. We began with a short sharing of “something you don’t know about me…” Students were prompted to share something we might not know about them by looking at them. Most students shared their future goals or dreams (mainly career-related), such as “I want to be a nurse/football player/doctor.” A couple students shared their favorite colors or where they are from. It was fun to finally interact with the students and learn a bit about them. They are mostly so demure, so shy and quiet – and so respectful. Our next activity was drawing a mountain. From a distance when you look at a mountain you can only see the top part – you cannot see what is at the bottom of the mountain – are there people? A village? Animals? To see what is at the base of the mountain you must move closer. This is the same with people. From the outside we only see the tip of the mountain; we must get closer to people, get to know them better, ask them questions to see what is really underneath. Using this metaphor we drew a mountain and identified things on the top of the mountain for them (body shape/size, hair color, skin color, face) and those underneath (religion, personality). They then drew their own mountains highlighting what aspects of themselves were at the top of the mountain or underneath the horizon. The second activity (which we did not get to with Form 1 groups) was to based on a poem from a curriculum I work with in the States. It is called “Just Because” and is originally written by Esther Kamkar, a woman born in Iran in 1947 who now lives in the US. She often feels that people judge her by what they see on the outside, but do not really know her.

Just because I was born in Iran,
I am not a belly dancer
I am not a fortune teller
I am not a camel rider.
I am a poet.

Just because I am a woman,
I do not like diamonds
I do not love to shop
I do not worship credit cards
I love to play with clay

Just because I am a Jew,
I do not make a fortune
I do not hate Arabs
I do not believe in “an eye for an eye”
I remember and give refuge

Just because I am a mother
I am not regretful
I am not a martyr
I am not a fixer
I am a free spirit.

After sharing this poem with the students, they wrote their own Just Because poems. We had a few students volunteer to share their poems with the group and they were amazing!! One student talked about “Just because I am poor, I am not lazy, I am not unmotivated…I am a village boy” and there was an uproar of support for him. One student shared “Just because I am fat…Doesn’t mean I can’t dance…Doesn’t mean I can’t stand out…Doesn’t mean I can’t be beautiful…Doesn’t mean I can’t be respected. I am fat-tabulous and happy.” There was also great applause and cheering in support of her. I was so personally touched by her poem – because 1. As a fat girl, I can relate so much to her words. 2. I hate when teen girls have to struggle with weight concerns. It’s so stupid and mean. And 3. I hoped there was a part of the world where I could go that was protected from the fat=bad bullshit but from westernization Ghanaian women and girls are now receiving these message as well. It breaks my heart to hear, yet she inspired me so much to remember my own beauty and to be FATTABULOUS. I recorded her reading her poem for future inspiration 

Upon completion of our group assemblies we rushed off to do our individual counseling sessions. Another unforeseen need and addition to our program was the offering of individual counseling for the students. They have one school counselor for all 1000+ students. We created ¼ slip forms to hand out to interested students. They filled out their name, form (grade), program, and issue to be addressed and turned them in to us. We had no idea that over 300 students would turn in forms! After sorting through the Form 1 forms we noticed categories of concerns: financial, academic, future planning/goal setting, medical, and general (social skills, family concerns). For today we addressed the general concerns since they were the least amount. We were given a classroom for the 5 of us to counsel. We arranged the 10 desks into pairs and tried to give as much a space as possible between the paired tables. I learned a lot today about being a resourceful social worker. I saw one student who was concerned about pressure she is getting from her family to work or else she doesn’t know how to pay school fees. She fears she cannot work during the week because she must study many hours. Her mother is telling her she is lazy since she doesn’t want to work. Since I only have one 45 minute session with this student I chose to use an empowerment model and focus on how to provide her with problem solving and decision making skills. Together, we brainstormed a list of possible solutions to her situation and did pros and cons. Once she narrowed down her top choices we discussed possible challenges she may face and ways she may address those challenges. We identified first steps for her to take in moving towards her goal. I hope this was helpful for her. I am not so much a quick fix type person; I would rather get to know the client and develop a relationship with them. In this context, however, I am more solution and empowerment focused. All I can do is my best over this week…

After our long day we did some planning and prep work for the week, ate a quick dinner and I am heading to bed soon. I need a good night’s rest for tomorrow

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.