Post 2: Let the Cultural Immersion Commence

A quick note before I start this post

Unfortunately, due to the lack of WiFi during most free parts of my day, I have been unable to keep up to having weekly posts thus far. Throughout my trip, this problem, along with others (such as moving places and adjusting to new routines), will pop up and will block me from keeping up to date. According to the locals here, I have to work on convincing all of you to be mindful of GMT (Ghana man time). In Ghana, if something is to start at 8 and you want people to be there for that time, you better tell attendees to arrive at 7! Culturally, people are not punctual and instead take their time to go from event to event due to running errands they consider of most important first. While I hope to try to keep to a schedule, I will make sure to make each post that much more interesting!

Let's pick up where we last left off

During the afternoon of November 5th, the time had finally come to end living the hostel life and to move into my first rental home (I say first because of my projected move to Tamale on November 21st). Owned by a German immigrant and her Ghanaian husband, this two story house hosts its residents on the first floor while hosting a small bead necklace not-for-profit business on the second (which as well has two chairs for us to enjoy an overview of the neighbourhood). The lower floor is comprised of 5 bedrooms which, depending on the variety and uniqueness of its tenants, can form into making quite a community home. Its current tenants are 3 other volunteers and I and, between the four of us, we have worked to get used to the new living environment.

View from our patio in Osu

Finding this place was a bit unexpected, especially in the neighbourhood it is within. Considered to be a low-middle to lower class neighbourhood, Osu has the charm to treat its guests in a variety of fashions.  Most nights it is impossible to go uninterrupted while sleeping. The hustle and bustle of the neighbourhood's residents consistently find new ways to surprise its visitors. While many citizens stay out late into the night, it is not uncommon to hear a choir of women singing down the partially paved roads of Osu at 4 in the morning. If you believe that would not wake you up, all the power to you; however, whether it be a 5 or 6 in the morning, no one escapes the community leader's morning prayer and song... Her use of a megaphone on particular days will unarguably make anyone's head bounce off a pillow like a 100-meter runner at the gun pop! In the early mornings and evenings, the streets are littered with Osu's families carrying out their everyday plots in unison with their fellow neighbours and friends. It is not uncommon to find dogs, chickens, cats and even goats roaming the streets without their owners. There is no need to worry,; these family pets always seem to find their way back home.
We have as well discovered how big of an event funerals are! Strange eh? Within the two weeks of living here, there has already been about 5 or 6 (more if you count other parts of the neighbourhood). If I can describe funerals here in three words it would be long, loud and festive. Long since the average funeral lasts 3 to 4 days. Festive since these days are not spent grieving (well maybe a moment or two while the casket is taken away); instead, it is a celebration of life. Lous since there is music blaring through the neighbourhood and dancing on the streets which, on the first day, literally goes on all night.  It is a quality of the Ghanaian culture I have actually come to quite respect. While it is not enjoyable to be next to the main square for funerals at certain times, the idea of celebrating the life of the deceased with all those who want to pay tribute instead of mourning the deceased brings such a unique twist to something in North America we all dread to go to. Those watching from up above can be proud looking down on the festive celebration hosted by their families in honour of the lives the deceased lived.

Hitting the road for the first time

Harbour of Cape Coast

The other volunteers and I figured, after staying two weeks in Accra, that it was time to get out of the city and see a bit more of the country. Our first trip: Cape Coast. Found 3 hours south-west of  Accra, on the Gulf of Guinea coastline, Cape Coast is a city which is as tropical as one could desire but  known for its dark history. The defining monument of the city is the Cape Coast castle. For those unfamiliar with this landmark, there was never a king once residing in this 150 palace  but instead Governors and colonizing officials within the castle and beneath it the souls of hundreds of thousands of Africans who once were forced into the property. Why the high number? This castle was known for the trade of a particular commodity: slaves.

Cape Coast Castle

Walking into the mouth of the men's dungeon was an experience I will never forget. As blindness overtook my vision and heat began to run out the dungeon, there appeared the cells where over 200 men would once be stored into at any given time. The cells were similar to small pig pens that unimaginably crammed innocent men into these spaces until they either died or were taken to the "new world". As we stood and tried to conceptualise what the reality was here centuries ago, we were told by our guide that we were literally standing on the remains of the unexcavated floor. While one floor was restored by archaeologists out of the five, the remaining four were compacted of the faeces, blood, sweat, tears and remains of those suffering Africans (as they came from many countries). Ironically, on top of these dungeons was the first Anglican Church of Ghana. How fitting that an institution which aims to bring peace to the world stood on top of so much cruelty and injustice. Yet, as those men screamed from below, those above covered silenced them.

The Door of No Return

While the rest of the tour was fascinating, there was one point that caught my attention the most: the much heard of "Door of no Return". Centuries ago, the lives of so many innocent people was stripped from them to bring labour to the new world as a means for profit. This door represented the end of the lives that thousands of men and women once knew and a life of hardship which was to begin for them. As colonizing and slave trading nations worked to rectify their mistakes in the years following the abolition of the slave trade, the Government of the United Kingdom thought of an idea in the 1990s to make "the door of return". This is found on the flip side of the door of no return and was made to commemorate those who lost their lives in this building and those who were sent to the new world. In the 90s, families were able to bring back the remains of their ancestors from the new world to Ghana through the door.

While we cannot rewrite the past, we can have monuments, like Cape Coast Castle, to painfully remember and learn from the mistakes of our past. No human should ever be considered a commodity and at all costs. No life should be considered less due to race, religion or nationality. Unfortunately slavery and atrocities like this still happen today; however, when only when the day comes that stop comparing ourselves by our differences and instead by our similarities will these senseless crimes end.

Post 1: The Beginning of Constant Learning

It was the night of Wednesday, October 28th. After having a wonderful visit with Samantha (my sister) in London, my eyes were glued to the pill-shaped window of the airplane as the seatbelt sound rang for the final time. The view I saw in front of me was the country where I am living for the next 8 months of my life. In the north, it appeared as if the land was dry, with the landscape similar to the colours one sees during a sunrise. Soon after a large lake popped into the canvas of the Ghanaian landscape and sheets of green began to overtake the sight. As the descent continued, a city began to appear, except much different than I had ever seen before. Traditionally, in a city of 4 million people, one would expect to see tall buildings in a condensed area, usually with a significant landmark that people would claim as the highlight of the city; instead, I happened to find houses upon houses becoming more and more clustered together as the plane descended further.  As each house became more distinct and details evident, a new picture arose that showed the tale of a diverse city with many different stories to be told by its citizens.

Welcome to Ghana.

Map of Ghana and where in Africa it is

For the next 8 months, I will have the privilege and pleasure of telling you the stories of not only my own adventure here but as well of the realities of the people of Ghana, in particular, those I will be working with through the EQWIP HUBs start up. My locations will vary across the country; however, I will mainly be in Tamale, Ghana. Currently, I am working the first few weeks in the capital city Accra, Ghana. This is to work on preparations to launch the EQWIP HUB up in Tamale. My goal of doing this blog is simple: I would like the chance to educate or reinforce or to even reshape what you may know about the African nation Ghana and the people within it. For some of you, Ghana may be a country that, until I mentioned it in this blog, you have never heard of. That's quite alright! I look forward to showing you a bit into what you might expect should you ever come to this country and what you should know about here even if you never plan on coming here. 

In a matter of minutes after I arrived at the hostel, the family wanted proof!

While photographs are a way one can capture moments, and I will be using them on this blog, I am a firm believer in receiving permission by those who are gracious enough to allow me to work with them . In other words, until I am welcomed by the locals to take certain photos, such as slums and particularly poor individuals, I am going to refrain from taking photos of particular environments. After all, slum houses are peoples' homes and I am a guest who is fortunate enough to be allowed in to see them. Should you like to see slums and the poorest of the poor, it's a quick Google search away.

Accra's Black Star Square- Parade Ground for Ghana's Independence Day

Week 1:

Various Ghanaian food items including fish,
 Jolof rice, red-red, plantains, chicken, and beans

This first week in Ghana has sprung forward the immediate differences between life in a developed nation and a developing nation.  Some specific differences includes the sights and sounds of the chaotic traffic of Accra rush hour, the aroma and taste of the unique cuisine Ghana has to offer, including local favourites such as fried plantains and Jolof rice, being introduced into the world of cold showers, wearing pants in humid 30+ degree weather, low internet connection, daily malaria pills and tro tros (local transportation) and being, for the first time in my life, a minority in a country heavily misinformed about the realities of Canada (which, to be fair, I 100 percent expect and accept that as an expat in this country, in both good and bad cases). While these are all changes I could go into much more detail about, I want to start my first story being about community: the driving force of everyday life here in Ghana.

There is a saying about Ghana that it hosts the "friendliest people you will meet in all of Africa". While I have not yet seen all of the world's second largest continent to state that claim, the Ghanaian people are putting up a good argument in favour of that statement. You see, from the moment I got off of the plane, the Ghanaian people have been nothing short of kind and supportive. Whether it is the sacrifice local EQWIP HUB staff have made to make sure that fellow volunteers and I have been transitioning well into Ghana or the kindness of random people on the streets making sure we as new arrivals are adjusting to the Ghanaian way of life , the community that people have for each other here is something that can't be ignored. Sure, in the local tourist traps, such as Oxford Street and Labadi beach, it is easy to find individuals who know what rewards they may reap for helping and selling to the amused tourist; however, it is outside the main blocks that one may encounter some of the culturally engraved aspects of a community.  

Beach off the Gulf of Guinea. If you can see the black dots in the water those are fishing boats. 

Upon spending our first Saturday here in the Accra, a brief meet and greet with hostel staff struck up a conversation about the common sayings in Ghana and understanding the local language (Twi). The conversation eventually led to the invitation to a local birthday party that evening. Unaware of the individual celebrating his or her birthday, we felt it was unfair for us to come; however, as locals in Ghana know it, unless specified, a celebration is opened to all who chose to come. Upon arriving at the party, we soon learned this to be the case from those hosting the party and without, knowing anyone but the individuals who brought us, our whole night, in regards to food and drinks, was covered. Those hosting the party were happy we had come and had the opportunity to meet them; meanwhile, I believe I can say this on behalf of the volunteer group, we were just happy to finally begin seeing what community living means and how it will help shape how the next 8 months will go. As I move out of the hostel tomorrow, into the neighbourhoods of Accra for the next two weeks, I cannot wait to continue to learn and see what community life is all about.