The US Embassy, shopping, a day of lectures, and some dancing

Thanks to all of you for responding to my blog. I had another Proverb ready, but left it in my room. I would go back and get it, but there is a long line for the two computers that are working. I didn't want to give up my spot. I'll bring some more proverbs later. I have a bit of bad news and good news about pictures. The digital camera I brought is broken as far as I know, but the good news is that the rest of the group with whom I am traveling are taking a lot of pictures, so I will eventually be able to download some of them on to the blog.



Yesterday we traveled for our visit to the US Embassy in downtown Accra. The building was like a fortress, and it cost $112 million to build. It actually looked a lot like the Dekalb County Jail, which is next to I - 285 on Memorial Drive (in Atlanta). We were visited by two men, Ben and Chris. I would give you there last names, but we were instructed to leave our backpacks in the bus, so I didn't have anything on which to write their names. Ben was Ghanaian with a PhD. in one of the sciences (I think electrical engineering) who attended Auburn University. After working for 12 years in Alabama, I guess he decided to return home. Ben's job at the US Embassy is to help Ghanaian students figure out which college would be best for them to attend, and then to help them obtain Visas if they are going to attend a college in the United States. Ben was very candid with us and told us that Ghana's educational system is becoming more and more expensive each year. Hence, Ghanaians are required to pay more and more for their children's education. Ben outlined what he believed to be the two biggest problems facing the educational system in Ghana. The first was that not enough resources are being used to further develop research. It seems that value addition is needed for their resources, and greater technology is needed to improve what they have in abundance. The three biggest exports from Ghana are gold, cacao, and timber. The second problem, as well as the first, is one that Ghana shares with many African nations. How do they stop the brain drain that is occurring. In other words, how does the nation of Ghana get students educated abroad to return home. The second person to greet us was a young American (around 30 -35, I would guess) who was a career diplomat. His last assignment was Fiji and now he is in Ghana. He gave us what seemed to be the state department spiel about Ghana, and then kind of dodged, I mean answered a few questions. All and all it was a pretty neat visit. It is the first time I have ever been to an Embassy of any kind.



On the way to the embassy, we were stuck in some major traffic. It took us approximately 45 minutes to cover about six miles from our hotel to the Embassy. It was an entertaining ride especially when Francis (one of our guides) and Seth (our bus driver) were debating whether or not corrupt politics was at play when President Kuofor's son recently was able to purchase a partially built hotel from an established businessman of fifty years (who could not obtain a loan to finish construction), and then obtain the necessary funds to finish the hotel. By the way, the hotel just so happens to be located very near the President's home. Good governance and how to rid itself of corruption is a challenge for Ghana as it is for many other nations.



We then went and exchanged some money so that we could shop for fabric to have either a dress or shirt made. Before Max would let us take any money with us, he took us to a relatively small market, where we were bombarded with sales pitches of all kinds. The little market resembled a closed in open-air market with plenty of stalls of products to buy. My favorite salesman was a man named Brown who delighted in telling me the story of the Sankofa bird as he tried to sell me a sculpted piece. The idea of Sankofa relates to the idea that one can always go back and fix mistakes of the past. The carving is that of a bird with a long beak that is pruning his own back. Brown was charming, warm and of course eager to sell me something. Our conversation ended with him saying,"you name the price, and the product and I will let you have it for that price." We were under strict orders from Max so I bade Brown farewell. If we get back to that spot, I will go and buy something from him. My least favorite seller was a young man, a hawker (a hawker is someone who aggressively tries to self you something without having a booth), who tried to lure me away to "see the beach." Our guides told me afterwards that he would have perhaps try to steal from me. There was never even one consideration of joining him (Thanks to Max). After our little splash in the market, we traveled to Makola Market where our primary goal was to find material for women's dresses, and men's shirts. I picked a material that has Ghana's commemorative fifty year celebration featured. A women named Jocelyn will be taking measurements and sewing the dresses for the women while we will have a tailor, Solomon, make the shirts for us boys. We will where these garments in Kumasi when we meet the Asantahene. Shopping was interesting, but the poverty made me quite sad. The good news is that it didn't seem to have that big of an impact on the Ghanaians walking around nor did it seem to inhibit the efforts of the sellers. One seller even said to me "Wie gehts" to me hoping that I was a German. The competition for sales is quite fierce, but the people are very good- natured about the process. It is considered a slight insult if one does not haggle for a lower price. Actually, bargaining is considered a form of socialization. I've enjoyed it so far.

Today (Wednesday), we attended two lectures at the University of Ghana. The first was by D. K. Tweretu on the political economy of Africa and the debt crisis. The second was by Ohene Konadu on traditional Ghanaian social institutions.

Professor Tweretu presented the problem that many African nations face concerning the amount of money they owe to the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund (IMF), and to individual nations. His lecture moved extraordinarily fast, and it was difficult to get down all of the details, but I think I understood the gist of what he was saying. Here is my interpretation. African nations, including Ghana, began borrowing a lot of money in the late 1950's and early 1960's when they obtained their independence from their European Colonial masters. The problem with the loans was that no one involved seemed to take into account to what extent the loans were actually needed or the ability of the borrowing nations to pay them back. This initial problem form the outset coupled with the misgoverning of many African nations only plummeted the borrowers into deeper debt. The debt has only grown to the point that statistically, each African infant born today has owes $482 at birth. Of course this number continues to grow, and despite international efforts at implementing debt relief programs, African nations, like Ghana, are slipping even further into to trouble. The problem of bringing about a resolution seems to hinge on the fact that creditors can not let go of what is owed them while African nations are struggling to implement any kind of program that can send them on a disciplined path of recovery. To me it seems like a vicious circle. Africans need to work on ways to add value to their natural resources and it seems to me that investors should quit taking advantage of the situation. I do understand that my version of events are a simplification of all that is going on, but I think my account is fairly close. African nations need to be more responsive to their won needs, while the people in positions of advantage need to have more compassion and finally help African nations to develop, not just take their resources.

The second talk of the day had to do with the institutions of family and marriage in traditional Akan society. The extended family is very real. According to an Ewe (the Ewe are a group of people who also inhabit present day Ghana) proverb, the extended family relationship is not like friendship that you can break at any time. There is a consistent support system for all members of the extended family, which includes what we would call in the US the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Only in Akan society, there are not really any aunts. My mother's sister is a mother figure who is responsible for taking over if my mother should die. My father's sister is a feminine father figure. In fact the closest thing to an aunt or an uncle would be my mother's brother, who is required (as are all adults) to be an integral part of the child's upbringing. To me the most impressive part of Ghanaian society is the concept of extended family. In the US, a challenge that our society is facing is what to we do with our elderly. The traditional Akan system addressed that because the extended family has always taken care of the elderly. In the US, we have a growing number of extended care facilities for the elderly, but in Ghana (with all its developmental challenges), this is still not a problem. Professor Konadu believes this to be one of Ghana's greatest achievements. I find it difficult to dispute.

Please forgive me for writing in such a hurry tonight. I have not taken time to write with great care. Tomorrow is our first day in which we will be visiting classrooms. I am as nervous as if it were the first day of school. Like always, I wonder if the students will be motivated by me, and I wonder what I will have to offer? I will try to let you know how it went within the next couple of days. Peace out, got nothing but love for you (that was for my friend Miles - I banged my chest twice and extended a peace sign).