Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ghana - The Challenge of WRiting
The Challenge of Writing
I realize that I have trouble updating my blog for several reasons when I actually write more than I end up posting. I want the project to be academic. I wanted to apply theory to my findings and experiences. I want my blog to be a resource, but the small things that I think are too personal or not so relevant actually become “big” things. Like small conclusions I come to about cultural differences, insights as well as other realizations and conclusions. I spend allot of debating what is “post worthy” or relevant and then I end up omitting the posts. I have come to a decision that is ok for me to talk about these small things, because they are a large part of my growth on this trip. The emotional, psychological outcomes of the experiences I go through are actually quite significant to me becoming a “better me” a more complete, global, aware. I would like to share these experiences with my friends, family, readers and acquaintances I have met on the road. I think that in itself is an asset enough and is a contribution in itself to others that want to follow in similar footsteps or are considering doing similar projects. After all, it’s about relating to others and seeing commonalities in our struggles and experiences. So… I would like to explore a more dynamic approach to this documenting. So it is.
Ghana
Ghana was the first country in Africa for me to visit on my trip. It was also the first place I was alone as well as the first place I would attempt to stay with people that I had met online and not in Hostels. I left Buenos Aires on Feb 21. I was anxious, excited and scared out of my mind. Here I was going to a country I didn’t know a soul, a woman alone and I was just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I felt like I was starting on a bad note when I left the hostel in Buenos Aires with what I thought was just enough money for a taxi. After having a nice conversation in broken Spanish with the taxi driver, my nerves started to get to me and I felt like I had misplaced something. I couldn’t find my passport. I started franticly looking through my bags in the back seat until 30 minutes latter when I calmed down and realized I had it zipped up in the inner pocket of my travel purse. Then upon arriving at the airport and trying to pay for the cab, I found out the cab were 5 more pesos than the Hostel employee had told me. I had made a mistake and learned a lesson in not taking enough $ to the airport for cushion and miscalculation. The driver let me go with being a few pesos short but seemed annoyed. I felt very guilty. Then after checking in, I realized I hadn’t found out if there was airport tax. I went to the atm to take out $. I was disappointed I wasn’t more organized and prepared. This was just the beginning.
The trip from Buenos Aires was long and drawn out for a number of reasons. I had to transfer in two different airports. I flew to Sao Paolo first where I had a 3 hr delay and then after the 15-hour flight on the pimped out Emirates flight to Dubai. I had a 7 hr and change gap until my connecting flight to Accra which was another 7 hrs. All in all I was traveling for more than 36 hrs. The trip was rough, but luckily I had my books, my journal, and my laptop with me to keep me busy. I carry around my universal adapter set and plugged into the wall in Dubai Int. Airport to charge my laptop and the wireless was free! I was thrilled. I walked around and took pictures of the airport, which seemed to feel more like a mini-mall with funny glass facades for short-stay hotels for business and first class travelers. It was my first experience with seeing the wealth of the gulf countries. I saw allot of immigrants working at the airport as well. I heard just as much Hindi and English as I did Arabic.
Upon my arrival to Accra I got my luggage and started making phone calls to the two contacts I had made on Couchsurfing.com. My first option, Eva who works with FARA did not pick her cell phone up so I called Lamont, A Floridian from the states who has been in Ghana on and off for 7 years trying to hatch out a business deal. I’ll get into that latter. So Lamont who had returned from Sierra Leone that day had agreed to host me and I was thankful that I wouldn’t have to look for a hostel. I got a cab right away. I immediately asked how much? He had a chart in front of him and it had neighborhoods and he quoted 15 cedis which was the equivalent of 15$. I thought it didn’t sound too bad so I agreed. I told him that I would have to make a stop at the bank first to get cash, as I don’t carry around dollars to convert. After realizing that I had miscalculated my funds and ran out of $ when trying to extract money from the atm for the 5th time, I knew I was in deep poop. I didn’t know what to do. I told him I couldn’t get any money out so he told me he was taking me back to the airport. I quickly called my mother and told her I needed her to wire me money. Sounding worried she was quickly on it and wired me 250$ for the week. In the cab on the way back to the airport I got a call from Lamont asking me if I was ok because I was taking a long time to reach the house. I told Lamont I was in trouble and he agreed to attempt to pick me up.
So there I was, back at the airport, with my bags, no money and not knowing anyone in this country. There was a moment where I thought I was going to loose it, break down and start balling in front of all the taxi drivers. My cab driver that was hanging out in the spot where he picked me up walked by me and asked me if I had a ride coming. I assured him I did and he asked me if I wanted to sit down. I told him I was ok. I was too anxious to sit down. I thought for a second about if I had done the right thing, if I had prepared enough. It was the first moment where I questioned if I would make it. That moment was extremely uncomfortable and scary.
I hoped that Lamont would come through and something from the sound of his Florida accented voice sounded sincere, especially when he asked to speak to the driver to tell him that the fare he was going to charge me was way too much. 20-30 minutes I got a tap on my shoulder and heard a familiar accent. Lamont had come to my rescue with a taxi. Relieved but still not sure what I was getting myself into I went to Lamont’s eager to at least get a shower and a nap until I figured out the next move. Burning up in the taxi I started to feel the shock of heat and humidity. It was almost harder to breathe. Lamont started telling me about his AllTerra communications company. I tried to explain what I was doing in Ghana and we talked small talk. When I pulled up to Lamont’s property in it’s gated security protected enclosure I realized that I was in one of the nicer homes in Accra. After taking a shower, meeting Anush, Lamont’s partner, as well as everyone living in the house and settling in I felt a little better. After getting a bit settled and going through my things I realized I was missing a few things. My phone, which I know, I had had at the airport and in the taxi was missing. My point and shoot camera was also missing, but that I know I had packed in my suitcase as well as my medical bag with prescriptions and vitamins, band aids etc… was missing. I didn’t finalize that I had lost or had them stolen until days latter when I had time to go through all my bags and unpack completely and then reorganize my things. (I do this often, as it is quite difficult for me to get used to living out of bags) You constantly feel like you are misplacing things and are keeping track of your belongings hoping you didn’t forget something important somewhere. (Like a phone!)
The next few days were rough as well. Emotionally it was hard for me to adjust and take everything that had happened in. I wanted to allow myself to feel what Ghana was like and not worry about all the logistic stuff and what I had lost, had stolen etc.
My first night in Ghana, I went out to Manson, Tantra and another club. I met Lamont’s friends and got my first taste of what Ghana was like. I was shocked to see so many foreigners at the clubs. There were allot of Indians, allot of Lebanese and frankly allot more white people than I was prepared to see. I found out that there were allot of Indians in Accra that were there for business. The clubs we had gone to were owned my Indians, hence the Indian names.
I ate pretty good sushi and drank entirely too much. I heard some good music though which was nice to hear hip-hop after being in Porto Alegre and Beunos Aires that doesn’t have the hip-hop scene that Rio and Sao Paolo does. I missed it. The next day I woke up hangover and trying to recover from the day before. My third day I was eager to get out of the house. Lamont agreed to accompany me. We walked to a local Ghanaian spot that sold beer and the typical of Ghanaian food – Tilapia a large clump of Booja and some spicy red _____. I was excited to have Ghanaian food. I was eager to eat it with my hands. I ordered my local “Star” beer and was given a large bowl of water and soap. We sat outside and talked about our life and goals. We overheard an argument about Ghanaian politics, corruption and requirements for being a revolutionary by some Ghanaian military men. One wore a Kwame Nkrumah shirt. The argument escalated from a joke to something that looked potentially serious when the biggest of guys at the table picked up the plastic chair and threw it. Lamont assured me they were just playing. We walked back home and Lamont gave ma mini tour of Osu and Ridge. We stopped to get fried banana chips, a fertility necklace for me and say hello to some street kids that Lamont was friendly with. Apparently we had given them food and $ the night of our club hopping. They remembered me and I felt bad for not remembering more about them. He showed me the soccer stadium that the African cup had been at only a few days before with Ghana and Egypt battling out the top spot, among other UN buildings and Embassies that were close to his home in Ridge.
The fourth day with some help arranged for a car to take me around to a few historical spots around Ghana so I could take pictures. I visited Aburi Botanical Gardens, The Kwame Nkrumah Museum Mausoleum, Independence Arc, as well as small crafts market in Aburi.
My fifth day I stayed with Eva who works with FARA and the last two days I spent with a family in Kumasi. This leads me to my next blog.
The "Must PacK List"
Vacuum Seal Packs for Clothes
Miny Nalgene bottle set, Multi-purpose environmentally friendly soap, and Universal Adapter set
“Must Pack” List for Reference
–
Now that I know these items have been extremely helpful to have or I have wished I had.
Swiss army knife
Universal adapter set
Vacuum seal packs for clothes-
reduces size of clothing by half (also great for separating laundry)
Serong- used as beach towel, towel, sheet, dress among other uses
Medications- Malaria, Cipro, painkillers, airbourne, vitamins etcc
A small notebook to jot down thoughts and info
Expandable bags incase you pick up things on the way. ( you always accumulate )
Make a small folder- Make a copy of your documents including your passport, itinerary, contacts- INLCUDE YOUR PARENTS and FAMILY!!!. Write down emergency lists- all your emergency contacts , itinerary, places to stay in case plan A and B don’t work.
Mutli-purpose environmentally friendly soap that can be used for you to wash with, clean dishes, clothes, and even brush your teeth with.
Also buy a purse/passport carrier you can wear around you. This makes it really easy to find your ticket and passport and itinerary when your lugging around all your luggage in your hands. It dosen’t have to be a fanny pack.
One of every item of clothing (except for shirts)- No more… You really only need one of every item of clothing. One pair of shorts, one skirt, one jeans, one Capri, a few shirts and tanktops, one dress. One pair of sandals and one pair of sneakers. Ofcourse bring more than one pair of underwear and soaks and undergarments. Get used to washing these items with your hands. Plus you will always accumulate as your are traveling! Less is better. You want a lite load!
Small Nalgene bottles to fill up with left over shampoo, conditioner and other toiletrees that you are almost done with but don’t want to carry around the bottle wasting space in your luggage.
ok Pause on a deeper note...
I thought of the amazing people… and shit I was so happy to be alive. To let myself experience them. I wanted to be around someone that reminded me that it was real. That I wasn’t making it up . This it wasn’t just a dream. Someone would believe me when I would say that I had known someone a week and then cried at the thought of not seeing them again. People that had touched my life. Left a permanent imprint on it.
I was bored and I picked up a book on social intelligence. It was the first book that was acknowledging alienation in relation to inability to connect in face-to-face encounters. I knew this, but I seriously have to make more of an effort to cut out internet and increase my face to face encounters with people. You cant give someone a hug or kiss over the internet. So true. Is that what we lack in this hyper techno world of ours. Intimacy. Have we lost some feeling, some ability to relate. Right now even, at this moment, while I sit on this really nice plane with all these computers, I guess Emirates is supposed to be known for high-tek comfort, but how much did I talk to this lady next to me that spoke perfect English. Did I want to . Yes. Do we all lack the ability to implore the need to strike up a random conversation. I have to admit I was feeling a little stupid. I think I still have to work on my self consciousness at times. This is ridiculous. I spend so much time thinking about how I will perceived in the action I waste the energy in allowing myself to do the damn task. Ohh wow there is a lot of turbulance on this flight and my stomach is feeling really queezy.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Sum Up
I remember being blown away at the scale of Buenos Aires. It seems to stretch across a vaste amount of space and still feel very urban. The infrastructure of Buenos Aires is really quite well built, but it dosent lack the stratification and gentrification that big cities do. THere are plenty of slums that surround the well built neighborhoods for the rich. You can also feel the tension of inequality when you are constantly warned to be careful being alone, being a tourist and being vulnerable. I met some girls at the hostel that had had thier bags stollen on thier way into the hostel. While being distracted by two women , other counterparts to a gang walked away with thier bag that had thier camera and credit cards as well as other valuables. There are a number of issues that the poor and working class struggle with that I would like to shed light on in someway but I was not in Buenos Aires to tap into info. The demographic was much more white than I was used to seeing in Brazil. I couldn't help notice that people were also shaped different. They were lean , long and straight. There are allot of European immigrants that came to Buenos Aires post World War II. I realized after traveling to working class areas that there were alot of new immigrants as well. Asian, West African and central American immigrants give areas like "Once"(sp)? a bit more diversity. Paula said that Asian immigrants get the brunt of alot of racist sentiment amongst Argentinians.
The pictures below kind of sum up my time there. Joana, Paula and I spent 2 days walking around looking at neighborhoods, street art, eating good food, drinking wine from Mendoza , talking about politics and culture . We walked around the colorful streets of Boca which is adorned with houses and businesses painted bright colors. Paula and JOana explained that the immigrants of this area used paint colors that were used for ships because they couldnt afford the pricier mutted house paint. Boca now is one of the cliche attractions but still boasts a very intesting immigrant history that is seen in its architecture and colorful streets.
It is unortunate I wasn't able to hook up with any organizations are people working with any movements and NGO's but I hope to get some guest blogs from Paula who lives in Buenos Aires who has a friend studying Autonomous Movements in Latin AMerica as well as my friend Lauren . Paula said she had also done some research on the recooperating factories movement. Paula shared with me a brief story about the history of the community center in which she organizes out of which was originally an abondoned propertiy that was taken over by people to serve the needs of the community. I would like to get Paula to tell us a little about that story as well.
Lauren and I met durring a study abroad program organized by City College in jan 2007 to Morocco. Lauren who is taking a course in Buenos Aires said she would help contribute her findings as well.
So for now.. I leave this blog to be updated with more guest blogs in the near future.. stay tuned!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Participatory Democracy - The World Conference on Developing Cities-Autonomous Movements in Solidarity
DRAFT
While I was in Porto Alegre I was lucky to find out that there was a conference. The "World Conference on Developing Cities was and I decided to extend my time there as it was of utmost relevance to my research . The Conference covered 4 different themes that were addressed 4 days of the conference. There were large panels as well as small workshops and panels. The conference was hosted at PUCCI the large private state University of Porto Alegre. The themes
- The Right to the City-Local Policies and the Right and Responsibilities of Citizens
- Governance and Democracy in Cities-Experiences of Democratic Participation
- Local Development in Cities – Processes of Investment in Social Capital to Develop Economic, Environmental, Human, Social and Political Assets
- Sustainability and the Network-City – The Emergence of Social Networks and the Sustainable City of the Future
I was only able to attend 3 of these days. The conference itself had allot of investors- people representing banks and other organizations that were eager to network and talk about their new strategies and approaches to "development".Municipal employees from the City of Porto Alegre as well as people of academia. It is sad to admit that I saw allot of people who should have been at this conference not there. There were very little youth, students, there was very little participation at the level of workers. There were allot of people in suits and ties and quite frankly to me it felt a bit elitist and not so accessible of an event. How could it be when you have to pay $75 to attend. That is the student discount. Maybe the event was not supposed to attract the average citizens of Porto Alegre, but I was definitely aware of the lack of their presence. The major panels talked about the experience of Participatory Democracy and what kinds of changes it brought at various levels. Within the smaller workshops I attended I heard a number of discrepencies about the experience with Participatory Budgeting.
A few of the things I learned is that there is still a need to get people involved in the process. I would hear allot of adults complaining that the younger generations seem to express little interest with engaging in the process or councils.
I also learned that many people felt that there was a big gap between practice and theory of Participatory Democracy. It was felt by many that the city was also welcoming large scale corporations and companies to do business here without addressing accessibility and development of the poorer areas.
I remember one comment made by a gentlemen presenting in a panel when answering a question about lack of budgeting for programs that he was sick of hearing this question. His answer was that "we have to stop thinking like Americans." We must not always ask ourselves where the money will come from. We have to organize our communities on our own. There is so much we are able to do at the grassroots level without always getting aid. The important thing for us to do is think and be creative. We can come up with solutions to problems without having allot of money. We can use resources that are already there.
After thinking about this for awhile it occurred to me how much I saw this true of my experience with IPDAE. The organizations was able to be extremely resourceful and able to do allot with very little.
THe process of Participatory Democracy however has inspired many to take on tasks on thei own. There is a culture of civic engagement here. Though it is far from ideal. It has been able to overcome some pretty large battles and open an atmosphere of discourse and debate.
The last day of the conference I witnessed and documented a protest by a contingent of various organizations that were protesting the conference as a event which represented the lack of accessibility by the poor. The protesters asked to be let into the conference and campus. There was street theater and a number of Autonomous organizations expressing their anger at the fact that reps from the World Bank were inside talking about "development" and not addressing huge concerns by Indigenous communities and people that have felt that upheaval and pains of structural adjustment and unfair competition which has private investors yet makes it harder for the poor to survive with the increased competition.
I was happy to see the youth in the street with the people. They weren't in the conference because they were in touch with the people's concerns. I got the same vibe at the conference. Even though the conference had a number of amazing speakers and ideas were generated , debated and shared which is crucial, I still kept in mind how much of a fragment of actual change was being represented. In the next few days I hope to update this particular blog about some of the lessons learned from communities around the world applying new solutions to civic engagement and development at the local level. It was exhilarating to see that there are alternatives being explored around the world. Little miracles every day by the people proving the alternative is a reality , it is crucial and it is where we are going... collectively!
World Conference on Developing Cities Link
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Popular Insitute for Art Education- Grassroots in Action in Porto Alegre
The Popular Institute for Art Education
Grassroots Initiatives in Porto Alegre
Art Education for the People
Melissa workes as an English teacher for a program that was organized under the Popular Institute for Art Education, which I wanted to know more about during my stay in Porto Alegre. Melissa introduced me to Fatima Flores who was the director of the “Popular Institute for Art Education” in Porto Alegre. Fatima has a MA in law. She studied Community Law in a Catholic School, Pucci in Sao Paolo. I was able to ask Fatima a number of questions about how the schools she helps run were created, how they were organized, led and what impact they had on the community and the children in the schools.
In 1998 there was a theatrical performance, a play about “Gaucho” culture, which shapes many aspects of identity for people in the South of Brazil. The play was called “Negreo do Pastorea” which in translation would be “The Pastor’s little black boy”. For more than a century Gaucho culture has been distinctive of the region, which formed out of the cattle ranchers and farmers of this area. They are the cowboys that have been living here and working the land and maintaining their distinctive cultures as “Gauchos”. The turn out and participation of the community was received at the play went very well and was quite intense. After the play there was an acknowledgment by many that there was a need for an institution to serve some of the needs for artistic expression. A group of people formed by mainly teachers and people from the community were the ones that led this initiative. What was formed was a 3rd sector grassroots led initiative of an art education institute. The program currently has 14 paid staff as well as 43 volunteers. The volunteers do it for many personal rewarding reasons of their own but hey also enjoy more access to resources at the schools.
One of the impressive things I learned about the school was its resourcefulness. For example, the library for the community, which is housed in the schools, was created by mainly a collection of donations by teachers, professors, community residents as well as books that were scavenged out of the trash. The library itself is rated one of the top 5 libraries in Porto Alegre! The library is housed in 3 locations in which the institute runs out of which are all working class neighborhoods in Porto Alegre. They include Bom Jesus, Lumbo do Pinerro and (Para de Sues??) Literature is promoted as one of the key components in the schools. The library helps as a major resource for many residents in the neighborhoods because there is a lack of public resources made available to them by the state in their specific neighborhoods. “People think the poor can’t read or don’t want to read” Fatima said, as she explained the importance of literacy in these neighborhoods. People read everything from philosophy to classic literature Shakespeare, Sophocles, Etipus as well as reference books. The library has been a huge success. 1000-2000 books are borrowed every month. The process of borrowing the books is very accessible and people outside of the schools can have access to it as well.
The school explained Fatima is for the children who don’t have access to the arts. There are no music schools. There are no music bands in high schools. It is not something that is funded at the municipal level. The program has an agenda and goal to accomplish within 8 years. The goals is to encourage students to pursue their talents and passions in the Arts so they can build skills, experience resources as well as discipline so they can become professionals within their fields.
The organization is registered as a philanthropic organization so all taxes are tax-exempt. The work that went into that took a lot of time. The beauracracy and paperwork was extensive explains Fatima.
The students are extremely driven. They study outside of their normal schooling for an additional 4 hrs. Officially the program has lasted a year and a half. Some students have more experience working with the program before it was completely up and running. The qualifications for students to get into the schools are that they have to want to study. They have to want to put the time and energy into the program. The expenses that they have at the school are donated cleaning materials for the school. Soap and sponges are sufficient. These items are used to keep the schools clean. Keeping the schools clean and appealing help boost the people’s spirits in the neighborhood. I couldn’t help notice how clean, peaceful and tranquil the schools grounds were. The music school in Lumbo de Pinherio had and amazing garden. Fatima was explaining that a project to start an herbal garden as well as an education program about herbs, flowers and remedies was under way. Some other projects underway included a recycling project where people from the community are encouraged to recycle newspapers. The money received from the newspapers is used to pay the water and electricity for the school! Porto Alegre has excellent recycling programs!
Curious about how foreign volunteers come to participate I asked Fatima how they find volunteers. The Volunteers come through the program in which Melissa helps organize “Children Brazil” which is promoted on idealist.org. In the past volunteers have taught English, music and multi media. Kaya one of the volunteers in the past made a psychological map of the community doing some research on the demographic of community.
I also asked what kind of volunteers are attracted to the program and what benefits have they received from it. The schools are looking for teachers that can teach dance, English, arts, creative movement, multi-media, as well as other forms of arts, plastic arts for example. Volunteers receive an amazing opportunity to work within these dynamic schools. When they are done they can receive certification, which can be included in their resumes/C.V. Many of the volunteers that teach in the program are foreign. Many of them were from Europe as well as the U.S. Fatima said that there is an additional benefit of having cultural exchange, which allows the children to open their eyes and learn about people who live in other places in the world. It also gives them the motivation to think about living abroad or wanting to know more about other places themselves.
I wanted to get an idea of what lessons Fatima experiences during her experience working with a program which is essentially grass roots, by the people, for the people and using creative innovative ideas to solve their problems. I wanted to know what kinds of problems; obstacles and complications have been learned. The vision of the program is to create a generation of people that can contribute to society. People that come out of the program are more aware of issues in their community and feel empowered to change them. Teachers that teach in the normal schools express that they see such a huge change in students that attends the programs and those those don’t. They say they don’t see them yell as much, they are more likely to help collogues and professors as well as be more engaged in classes. They like to read and study more.
Fatima also addressed what things the children get out of the program. She has seen the unique aspects of every child and what they have to offer. Through the program children gain respect for others and nature. They learn ethical traits that change their attitude and give them a positive look at things, some things that are lacking from many of their lives.
After spending a day at both locations, I felt the creative energy and positive affects myself by seeing how warm and enriched the kids were. I followed Melissa around for a day where she teaches in the school in Bom Jesus. The students are different age groups. Melissa uses her singing ability and love of music to help them learn English by singing songs with the students. A wonderful exchange and process occurs with her and the students and as the class goes on you see their individual personalities come to full bloom. The students love it and enjoy it immensely. It helps them annunciate the words as well as give them a fun way to learn together. I wanted to stay there and spend more time with them. Each school is truly a special place. I learned a great deal from this visit to IPDAE. I would encourage people to check out the website. I will also attempt to see how the program works itself into the political and social culture of Porto Alegre. A city that has been regarded as a city of change with people-based initiatives on the forefront of the agenda. IPDAE is one example of the ways that civic engagement has been able to change the constructs of their realities.
WEBSITE: ipdae.org