Ojos Abiertos

Here I Am: My dad said something incredibly profound that eased my lamentation about Africa-

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:07:53 -0400

Here I Am: My dad said something incredibly profound that eased my lamentation about Africa-:

He said “son, look at British history, look how long it took them to establish a democracy, look at the bloody and gruesome civil wars they had to establish a government. Thousands of people died in order for them to come up with rigid laws and constitutions”

“Look at America, their civil war -…

Doodles from Eldoret: Karibu!

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 23:34:58 -0400

Doodles from Eldoret: Karibu!:

doodlesfromeldoret:

Jambo from Eldoret, Kenya! I will be here for the next five weeks conducting research for my master’s thesis. The Internet doesn’t always cooperate so the posts may be infrequent. I have been here for about a week and a half already, and I like everything so far. Some other thoughts from the last…

Afehyia Pa!

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:32:21 -0500

Happy New Year… or in Ghana, Afehyia Pa!

2012 is here and that means it’s almost time for me to return back to the states. Days away from going home I can’t help but feel like I’m leaving home and going back to a place that I’m only kind of living in. My trip to Ghana was everything I could have asked for and more. I learned so much about the field of global health, my culture, and myself. I came with my theme of “ojos abiertos” and I will definitely leave with a new outlook and understanding of the communities of which I am a part.

The response to Afehyia pa is “Afe nk) mm3to y3n bio” meaning may the yea go and come and meet us again or may we have many returns. Though I can’t be sure of what my future holds I know that I will certainly have many returns to my home here in Ghana.

No trip is complete to Ghana without a trip to the slave...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:11:06 -0500

No trip is complete to Ghana without a trip to the slave castles.

Elmina Slave Castle

My friend and sister came to visit and we went had a day of...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:52:00 -0500

My friend and sister came to visit and we went had a day of touristy activities. Me at Kakum National Park!

Momentum and disconnect

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:27:21 -0500

When I describe my study (a mental health study looking at the difference in prevalence of mood disorders between a patrilineal and matrilineal tribe in rural, Ghana) most people don’t understand why I would fly all the way to Ghana to go to…………….. the village.

The village is the epitome of everything that most city people rebuke with their very core. It’s also the epitome of underdevelopment and poverty. In fact, one of the greatest insults/”funniest” jokes is to say that someone is from the bush or acts like a villager. It’s pretty close to calling someone “hood” or “ghetto” in the United States. There is such an extreme disconnect amongst the city folk and villagers…it’s somewhat astounding.

Washington, DC…the nation’s capital is known for two things: the central location of the most powerful government officials and buildings…and obscenely high crime rates. The disparity that you see between SE DC and Capitol Hill is probably the closet example to the difference between the “city” and the village…just think much more extreme.

There is an enormous air of “them” and “us” here in Ghana. The city dwellers speak of bringing themselves down to “their” level when discussing ~~likely forced~~ interaction between the two subcultures. Often going out of their way to make sure that the distinction is very clear between the two. Despite this separaion…..in Ghana, we identify ourselves not only by tribe or clan but by where we “come from”. Everyone is from a village. Even if our family hasn’t lived there for generations….we are all identified by the village that our mother or father’s parents or grandparents or great-grandparents came from. Much of the well to do own land in their village and often build homes or have farms in their village. Nevertheless…they are the first to draw the very thick line of “them” and “us”.

For the most part, I lived in the city and commuted to the villages I worked in throughout my time in Ghana. There were soooo many interesting and seemingly noteworthy observations I made during my field work. Be it the school children who no matter what stopped and greeted every adult that they came across or the tremendous sense of community…it was all of great interest to me. When I told people back in the city many weren’t too surprised or said that it happened everywhere in Ghana. But as I said in my previous post the momentum and rapid change is happening faster than I think most people realize. In Accra, people aren’t bothered with saying hello and the sense of community is disappearing. They’re truly beginning to “live like Americans” (a phrase I’ve heard one too many times). They don’t know their neighbors and certainly have not built a fellowship with them like they have in the village.

Contrapositvely, there were stories I told of extreme gender roles where men dominated everything and women were the perfect example of extreme submission and the city dwellers immediately responded with “things are changing”. Even if things are changing, which they most definitely are, looking at the future and ignoring the present is not the way to go about social change.

We tend to see these kind of situations in our own lives where perceived negatives aren’t really present anymore and perceived positives are ever present without an end in sight. This disconnect, however, in regards to development and health are probably one of the greatest barriers in closing the disparity.

With greats like Kwame Nkrumah in cultural archives many people have a natural affinity for looking back at his visionary leadership for guidance on what to do now. As a result there many other who reject those dwelling in the past and feel strongly that we need to look forward and progress. In both of these schools of thought…the present is missing. Few people are interested in the cross-sectional approach of looking at exactly what is going on now in Ghana. More importantly, it seems that some aren’t willing to put forth the work in the present to work towards a greater future. For those people, it’s just much easier to complain about the situation. We alllllllll know these kinds of people, no matter where we are in the world.

Out of over 230 people that I interviewed, less than 10 people were able to sign their names, although the vast majority of them had gone through at least junior high school. When I came and told graduate ghanaian students at the University of Ghana….the majority of them were shocked. At least 4 of the villages that I went to were less than an hour away and there are several villages much closer to the school. I write all of this to say that many of the future leaders are the graduate and undergraduate students of today. Yet despite access to relatively important communities of interest…few have true understanding of the confines of the reality that the villagers live within.

I dare not say that after a few days in a village I have deeper and and more broad understanding of a nation that citizens grew up in……but I am boldly saying that there is an obvious and serious disconnect between “them” and “us” and the momentum of the city and [seemingly] stagnation of the village. It is my sincere hope that Ghanaians, especially the younger ones (in Ghana and abroad), take time to gain a better understanding of the state of the nation in it’s entirety. Not focusing solely on the village or the city…the south or the north but rather one cohesive Ghana..for it is us who will inherit the land, policy, and consequences of the leaders’ action [or lack thereof] today…and us who will build upon previous generations’ work for the generations that come.

In the name of progress

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:24:21 -0500

There is no such thing as conversation in global health without discussion of development. Ghana is no different. According to the World Bank last year, it’s the most rapidly developing nation in Sub-Saharan Africa….and it was “upgraded” from low income to middle income. The best way to describe the state of Ghana right now through the use of the ever present physics term: momentum.

Ghana is on the brink of brilliance…or a beautiful disaster. Time will tell which way it goes though, I strongly suspect it’s the former. There’s an energy hear that most Ghanaians don’t appreciate but most foreigners pick up within a day or two. Things are changing…and changing fast. The change isn’t only in building of highways or 21 story buildings…but rather where all change begins…in the mindsets, attitudes, and belief systems of the people here. There are in many instances of blind adoptions of western cultural ideologies and even more instances of abandonment of cultural rituals and traditions in the name of “progress”. Be it the shock of americans wearing african print items in the USA or people wearing winter skull caps and timberland boots in blistering 93 F degree weather….there is no doubt that almost ubiquitous access to internet and rapid globalization has influenced the popular culture both here and in the west.

However, without the traditional evolution of thought, the microwave access to foreign ideas and customs has noticeably skipped important details that may have been included before. For example, apply to university here, you must apply and use ~~an unnecessarily~~ confusing program on the internet. This may seem reasonable to most westerners but in a country where many of the middle/upper class does not have internet access at home…it’s a bit absurd. Not to mention the lower class citizens who certainly don’t have access to computers. When questioned about this policy university and government officials suggest internet cafes. Ridiculous amounts of traffic that are a result of poor roads, faulty rules, and corrupt police don’t always make it easy to travel to places like internet cafes and it certainly isn’t cheap. Nevertheless…the idea is that “Ghana is moving forward” and like the west, it’s citizens must adapt and learn the new technological ways. Sounds great in theory…but therein the details lie the problems. We say that basic education is a basic human right…but we must seriously look at access and the confines of each culture before broad policy is made.

Momentum is absolutely necessary in this age of globalization where if changes aren’t made you get left behind…but it is my sincere hope that as movement is being made in the name of “progress” important details aren’t ignored and that citizens here in Ghana aren’t left behind.

gorgeous fruit tree

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:57:09 -0500

gorgeous fruit tree

Cocoa Farm, Ghana

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:52:46 -0500

Cocoa Farm, Ghana

Akuapim, Kumasi, Ghana

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:48:44 -0500

Akuapim, Kumasi, Ghana

This man begged me to take his picture in Akuapim, Atwima,...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:45:14 -0500

This man begged me to take his picture in Akuapim, Atwima, Ghana

I’ll call this tree a wisdom tree and I believe as an elder in the community it’s appropriate that he’s sitting on it.

Interview in Atwima

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:38:28 -0500

Interview in Atwima

DONE

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:34:41 -0500

This journey of working in Ghana, can easily be described as one of the most frustrating experiences in my academic career only topped by that of a wretched physics course. It is also easily described as my most gratifying experience. After a loooooonngg and extensive series of pounding, I am happy to say that I have completed my data collection. We were able to complete over 250 interviews in about 2 months in the Dangbe West and Atwima Nwbiagya districts. The women were so incredibly eager and welcoming. Despite not getting any money or obvious benefit they were more than happy to answer the questions, and we often administered additional questionnaires because they requested it.

Many of the women were shocked we were asking questions about their emotions, given they had never been asked about such things before. In a country of exaggerated gender roles (as compared to the US) I was surprised that many men asked why they also were not included in the study, because they too “had problems”. In the 14 villages I went to, only 2 women refused to answer the questions. I left every day inspired and motivated to do more. In some villages they gave us soda or plantains to thank us for the work we were doing. I was truly humbled every time this happened because it was I who was indebted to them for the time I took away from their days.

The fieldwork component of our thesis is absolutely necessary because it reminds us of how important global health is, teaches us the reality of the communities that we study, and places our own world into context. I know that I cannot go back to the States looking at the world and development issues the same. This indispensable experience has helped me to solidify my career plan in the field. My grandmother told me after my first day in the field in Kumasi, after seeing me off at 5 am and welcoming me back at 5 pm, that the work I was doing was far from easy but I must love it or else I wouldn’t do it with a smile. She was absolutely right. I am passionate about research, global health, and mental health. Though the days were exhausting in the field and the days leading to the field left me in frustrated web of emotion…I know without a shadow of doubt that it was worth it. If the only thing the women in my study ever get is relief from talking about how they’ve been feeling then I know they will be content. However, I also know that, this is just the beginning and hopefully I will be able to do more for the communities here in Ghana. I will leave Ghana in a month and a half committed, dedicated, and evermore inspired to do more.

The pear tree

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:33:07 -0500

My grandmother has a pear tree in her front yard. It’s been around for almost all of my dad’s life and no longer remains within their fenced compound. It’s branches spread past the fence and it isn’t uncommon for the pears to either fall off of the tree outside or for outsiders to pick pears off for a quick snack. This past week in Kumasi, my grandmother told me about the newest edition to our family. A boy found one of the pears outside of the gate and waited around for my grandmother to ask her if he could have it. Shocked by this overt sense of respect my grandmother told him he could have it and gave him the two that were in her hand. She then begun to ask him what he was doing in the city during school hours. He explained that his father had recently lost his job and he, the son, had left his village and stopped school in hopes of bringing money home to his family. My grandmother, looking at this 13 year old boy couldn’t help but be touched by his kind spirit and offered to allow him to come to her house as a house boy, In exchange, she would pay for his school fees and other basic necessities, only if his family approved. She gave him transport fare to bring his mother to Kumasi so that they could further discuss this arrangement. A full day hadn’t passed and he returned with both his mother and aunt who came with humble hearts and an enormous amount of gratitude. They thanked my grandmother and left the boy, Kojo, in the house. Two weeks later, they received news that Kojo’s father “went to his village” (which is how many Akans describe an individual passing away). Kojo remains in the house taking care of my 91 year old grandmother who is more than happy to take him on as one of her own.

Kojo isn’t the first child who has been adopted in my grandmother’s home and his story is not uncommon in Ghana. Often the house boys and girls are from the extended family or sometimes strangers who need a place to stay. Despite growing crime rates and rapid urbanization, Ghanaians have held on to this tradition of trust and caring for their neighbors…I hope that as Ghana continues to develop some of this tradition remains. There is no such thing as free education (for the most part) in Ghana and the amount of orphans far outweighs the number of foster homes and orphanages. With a government that is not always trustworthy or reliable, Ghanaians have managed to lean on one another and that is what keeps the nation moving forward.

My grandmother was particularly touched by Kojo asking for the pear that had fallen outside of her gate because she decided long ago that anything that fell outside of her gate would be for the people outside. She would not chase anyone for taking one of her pairs. I couldn’t help but see a bit of symbolism in the story. Within the gates of my grandmother’s house, numerous future politicians, physicians, pastors, husbands, wives, community caretakers, and so many more have been nurtured and groomed. Even though their roots will always remain within the gate the fruit of her labor is enjoyed by countless people as they share their gifts with the world. And just like Kojo came to ask and thank her for the pear many come home to grandma’s to see where the roots of all of these beautiful people reside. Like the tree, my grandmother has been around for quite some time, overlooking Kumasi. She has witnessed the transition from colonial powers to independent sovereign ghana, the shift from a small community to a buzzing urban hub, and the growth of 6+ little infants to full functioning and successful adults. Despite the evolution of her beloved city and country, she remains the same: grounded, loving, and giving, sharing her own fruits with the rest of the world.

My Grandmother’s village again Central Region Ghana

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:19:19 -0400

My Grandmother’s village again

Central Region Ghana

Photo

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:14:25 -0400

My grandmother’s village in the Central Region of Ghana

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:10:45 -0400

My grandmother’s village in the Central Region of Ghana

One of the villages I worked in. Dangbe West

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:04:56 -0400

One of the villages I worked in.

Dangbe West

My last day in Dangbe West!

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:00:00 -0400

My last day in Dangbe West!

English made in Ghana

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:56:06 -0400

Though english is the official language of Ghana…there are a few english words with different meanings than you would find in the states. Here are a few so that you don’t get lost in translation…

Chilling (USA): the act of hanging out with friends or relaxing often doing nothing

Chilling (Ghana): the act of partying, drinking alcohol, spending time with friends at a particular function

Learning (USA): acquiring new information about a particular topic

Learning (Ghana): studying for an exam

Writing an exam (USA): creating an exam from scratch

Writing an exam (Ghana): taking an final exam for a particular course

Slurring (USA): speech that is somewhat incoherent and not articulated properly

Slurring (Ghana): speaking with an american accent despite having been born and raised in Ghana

Other words/phrases::

LAFA: locally acquired foreign accent, spoken by people who probably watch a bit too much television and have created what they believe is (most often) a british or american accent despite never actually having been exposed to these cultures «< —- personal favorite of mine

Chale: probably the most common Ghanaian word meaning friend or comrade

Kubolor: somewhat of rebel…and often always in some kind of trouble or causing trouble

Wahala: unnecessary hassle and worry. very very very important word when working in Ghana ; )

Borga: someone who goes abroad and comes back very self-important; or sometimes just a foreigner who might be a bit flashy…similar to the spanish word: gringo

Agyei: an onomatopoeia that is similar to ow or ouch but is also used after maybe laughing to hard or hearing crazy news/gossip; according to Akans, you are calling for protection from your father’s spirit (Agya means father in Akan and Akans believe your spirit is inherited from your father)

These are just some of the most common words used in Ghana that I’ve experienced thus far. As I’ve already shared, I absolutely love words and find the nuances in english made in Ghana to be quite interesting.