To try to understand Africa

Market
Kumasi
Ashanti Museum- Ashanti King

Kumasi


Last day in Kumasi

Ante Victoria and I
Making Banku






Girls school for Peace where Sister Constance Works


After a few days in Ghana with Lamont and friends , I stayed with Eva. Eva whom I met on Couchsurfing let me stay with her. Eva works for FARA which is the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa. Eva works at administrative level for FARA. She explained that FARA is an umbrella organization bringing different organizations working with a variety of issues on agricultural issues including sustainable development.

Please Check out the website: http://www.fara-africa.org

Staying with Eva, even though it was only for 1 night was very humbling to say the least. Ghana like many developing countries in the world is having a water crisis. About half of the country is without running water. I heard this statistic on the radio in Ghana.
When you are walking around, a very common scene you will see is people transporting water from whatever water pump to various houses, on-top of their heads, usually in plastic oil containers that are probably a few gallons. This water is used for everything, cooking, washing dishes, bathing- everything you need water for. So people just remember, your direct access to water is not the given you think it is. For many people it is a luxary to have hot running water at disposable. I will touch on this latter at some point. There are many reasons that have factored into this lack of water issue. Privitization, drought caused by climate change, lack of developlent infrastructure due to curruption and greedy incentives by corporations. THE WATER CRISIS IS JUST BEGINNING!

Eva happily shared her water with me and for that I am so greatful to you Eva. Thank you so much if you ever read this. Talking to Eva I found out her interests in international relations as well and her desire to travel. I understand that for so many people to move to travel is a luxary and allot harder for those that have to go through leaps and bounds to get documents, funding, accommodations etc. Being in Ghana I realized how difficult it was for people to get sponsored. Us in the West have no idea how hard it is. We want to travel, we get a passport and a visa if need and that’s it. It is not that simple for those in developing countries. They have to prove that they have enough money and wealth to the point that the government where they want to go to does not think they will try to immigrate illegally.

After one night at Eva’s I stayed with a family in Kumasi. I took a 5 hour STA bus for 10$ 5 hours away to Kumasi which is the home of the Ashanti kingdom and tribe. Matt , whom I met on myspace who has done a similar “Round the World Trip” writes on issues of participatory democracy. Please check out his blog at

http://www.democracybythepeople.blogspot.com/

Matt had a friend Odenke who’s family lived in Kumasi. I am so thankful to have met Odenke’s family and Ante Victoria, All of Odenke’s siblings and nephews and nieces really made me feel at home. Kumasi is smaller than Accra. While I was there I saw a handful of tourists all of whom where traveling in groups. I never saw one traveling alone. There was a point I was on the bus looking around on the way to meet this family where I was a bit nervous that it would all work out. I seemed to attract allot of attention. Even more so in Kumasi. It reminds you of who you are and what your purpose is in a place. To most people I am the strange one. I would constantly see little kids pointing at me. At first they seemed curious about my presence and after awhile, they would try to speak to me in English to practice their English skills but shy when I answered them. Odenke’s Mother works at a fabric workshop and makes traditional Ashanti clothing for Ashanti funerals. They took me to their lovely home, gave me my own room, my own key and told me to make myself at home.

Ghanain hospitality reminds me allot of Indian hospitality. There is allot of respect for elders but they love to talk to you as well. There was a moment where I had been in the house for a few hours and it started to rain very heavily. I sat outside on their large porch watching the rain beat down on the dry Ghanian soil. The house was quiet and I could hear the occasional chatter of someone inside. I was releaved to be in a big family setting. They made me feel like I was a part of the family and that I had every right to be there, even though I had never met them and only been in Kumasi for a few hours. I felt an extremely powerful wave of emotion come over me and it felt really right to be there. The next two days Kwame and Joe took me to a number of key places I wanted to visit to learn more about Ashanti culture. I went to the cultural museum, the market, and schools where I got the opportunity to learn allot about Ghanain history and culture. To anyone going to Ghana I would highly recommend a visit to Kumasi. Thank you again to Matt and Odeke for making my stay in Kumasi and Ghana life changing.

I was so touched by the experience. I felt like even though it was difficult at times, it was definitely the most life changing. It is sooo important for us in the West to understand some of the key issues of sub-saharan African development. I am so sick of people looking at Africa as only needing charity. It comes from a racist sentiment where people doubt the efforts of people of color to transform their own lives. They are quit aware of what their needs are and I am sick of hearing people say they want to work for some charity in Africa and help poor people. The intentions might be good. Africans can help themselves. What we need to do is be in solidarity with what their needs are and not dictate to them what we think they should do like we have it all figured out when most people are lacking the basic knowledge of African history and the post-colonial experience of many countries is very different. Maybe I was attracted to Kwame’s legacy. His idea of Pan-Africanism and creating a unified Africa that could oppose Western Neo-Colonialism. Never-the-less I am sooo happy I went to Ghana. I met so many ignorant tourists that would always ask me why Ghana? WHY NOT????! Most travelers go to South Africa because it is easy, maybe Tanzania for some nice beaches, but how many consider other places that have more cultural heritage?

Before I left Ghana, the boy that works as a driver whos name is not coming back to me kidnapped me for awhile. He wanted me to take pictures of his friends and him. He explained to me how he wanted to marry an American and get of Ghana. At first he was shy to the camera but latter he was walking around showing me and my camera off to all of his friends that worked in this car lot repairing different things. It seemed to be at times it was the first time they where thinking of themselves as someone to be acknowledged in the world. Here I was, with a camera and they wanted me to click away, asked me if I was married a few times and I thought to myself what was my role here. If anything I am the guest, the stranger, have an open mind. You cannot be in a place like Kumasi and judge. It is not your right to impose your own cultural values on someone else in a different country that has a verrrry different life and history than you. At the same time it is essential that we see our similarities as people. We all want the same things for our future. Strong communities, education for our children, governments that are responsive to our needs, running water, sustainable development, clean air, uncontaminated food.

In Ghana I also learned to smile more… that is something anyone can understand in any language. To all those that opened their hearts and homes to me in Ghana. MIDASI!! You are in my heart =)