AFENHYIA PA (Happy New Year!)

Sue and I, along with around 20,000 Ghanaians, spent New Year’s Eve at a gospel concert/sanctified service at Independence Square in Accra. The evening, which ran from 7 pm to 2 am (we only stayed 4 ½ hours ;-)), consisted of about 10 different musical groups performing “Gospel” (religious) music, though the music actually encompassed a wide range of styles including reggae, calypso, high life, and South African-flavored (Johnny Clegg-style) and other “Afro-pop” styles, interspersed with some very fiery preaching by different ministers. At midnight, the head pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC, the sponsor of the event) gave the headliner sermon, which, like the evening itself, focused on “crossing over” into the new year and “breaking through” to higher ground. Unfortunately, this was about the time we left. I made a short video of the event that you can find at http://www.vimeo.com/8637884
and http://www.vimeo.com/8648069.

The crowd was totally charged by the program, dancing and singing continuously, and everyone but us seemed to know the words to every song. At one point, the two young boys of a family we were sitting with got separated from their mother (who carried a baby on her back the whole night, even while dancing), and I had to take them out into the crowd to try and find the mom; it was a crazy scene.

The next evening, we stumbled across a club event in our neighborhood (Osu) where the entry tickets were going for 100 Cedis ($70). This is a staggering amont of money to many Ghanaians, but there was no shortage of “elites” who could easily pay the fee and partake of the all-you-could-eat-and-drink arrangement. The former president was among those in attendance, and several major Ghanaian pop musical artists performed.

We continue to be struck by the vast class continuum in Ghanaian society, which extends from extremely poor to very (but not, at least from what I can gather, fabulously) wealthy. We had a lengthy chat with a Ghanaian business professor, now living and working in the UK, about questions of efficiency and productivity and he said, quite without irony, “But you know, Ghana is the most disorganized society on the planet” (his field is human resources and personnel management). There are many people who spend the entire day sitting by the side of the road or selling small baggies of water to motorists stopped at traffic lights. And everyone in the administrative offices on our campus has a computer sitting alongside Kafkaesque mounds of paper documents, many of which spill out onto the floor. It seems that nothing is computerized – database programs are non-existent, even at the bank – and the country appears to operate on a cash-only, face-to-face, later-is-as-good-as-now, basis. The concepts of frustration, impatience and aggravation have left our vocabulary (and were never found here in the first place). “Take it as it comes” is the way to proceed.

Of course, once you leave your “hurry” at the door, you realize that the face-to-face delivery of services also allows a social interaction you might not otherwise have. When you first enter any office or shop, you stop to say hello, how are you, happy new year and how is the family. When I went back to a busy store in Kumasi that Sue and I had been to a few days before, I was met with greetings of “where is your wife,” and “how is your wife? (I wonder how she recognized me ;-))” Everyone we have had any interaction with, however small, has been completely welcoming and friendly – never seen anything like it.

Our days have been filled with preparing to move into our three-bedroom bungalow, which needed, above all, air conditioning and better security (the temperature averages mid-90s, with 99% humidity). We have been told that minor theft is not uncommon on campus, but our place is in pretty good shape. I had a whale of a good time trying out motorscooters at a scooter market in Kumasi, and I’m moving ever closer to finding a placement for my day time activities, helped immensely by my new best buddy, Rev. Martin Adi-Dako. Martin runs the Cultural Center on campus and wants to do similar volunteer work to that which I’m hoping to do; we may both volunteer at a local orphanage run by a former faculty member. He is also extremely committed to maintaining Ghanaian cultural heritage and I hope to assist him on a documentary on drum making that he is producing. We may also find some opportunities to publish and market samples (digital recordings) of the vast number of drums the Center owns, many of which were made by students in his drum-making class (I’m signed up for this semester).

Sue and I took our first-ever solo trip into Kumasi today – the city was hugely less crowded (but still very hectic) than we have seen it previously because many people, we were told, were home with their kids (it’s Saturday). We stayed on the outskirts of Kejetia market (the largest – over 10,000 stalls - in West Africa), which is in the town center and had no trouble maneuvering along the side streets/alleys/stalls that form every block. There’s good cab service to and from town right from campus (I don’t plan to ride my scooter off campus) and we’ve managed to find reliable suppliers of many essentials, such as hand sanitizer and mosquito repellent. As always, people are tickled when we speak Twi to them – I totally impressed a bunch of seedy types by telling them, in Twi, that we were not tourists and that we live here. Sad to say, but there are some areas very close to town that give off an apocalyptical haze from burning garbage – it is very disheartening to see kids playing in these same areas. We have been told that major cleanups are in store, and would have been completed except for the recent change in government (a lot of projects were reassessed by the new administration).

Sue has been at work the whole week – each day starts with a one hour sit-down/tea with the entire Biology faculty. Academic concerns, news of the day, movies, international affairs, crystal formation and methods for electron microscopy, among other topics, are discussed; enthusiastic, loud and passionate at times. The Dean of Science and Biology Department chair preside over bread and tea, chocolate (Milo), milk, or coffee. Work recommences at 11 until 1, when everyone leaves for lunch for one hour. Sue’s office is centrally located, air conditioned with fast internet and more than adequate, and she is very fond of her colleagues.

So much more I could report – every day has been jammed with new sensations, sights, sounds, challenges, amusements, intellectual provocations, epiphanies, and more, but I’ll let it go for now.

Me ba ochina! (I’ll be back tomorrow)
-DHM