It’s been a rough few weeks in the utilities domain. The power has gone off multiple times every day – last Saturday it was out for over 12 hours. We lose both the fan in the living room and the A/C in the bedroom when that happens. Not a major problem unless it happens at night – it’s impossible to sleep in the heat, especially if there is also no water for a shower or two. The combo of no power and no water hits us regularly. I lost an entire class period this week when the power went off right before my morning class. I improvised for about an hour using the white board (in near total darkness with the temperature rising) to a packed room of students but couldn’t show any of the animations that were the real point of the class meeting. We’ve also lost our Internet connection several times– as I write, a major cable break in the Accra Region has left us without a connection for 36 hours and counting. (We just got service back after four days.)
We have regular visits in the house from lizards, roaches, centipedes, ants, moths, beetles, flies, and spiders, none of which I mind (though I’m getting rather tired of the lizards dropping on my head when I open our front door). But I saw a rather bad-ass looking scorpion (or close relation) crawl across the area where I keep my wallet and keys yesterday and that gave me a bit of a start.
Lover’s Day
On Lover’s Day (Feb. 14), we went to a dinner/dance at one of the local hotels that we enjoyed immensely. The ads had said the event would begin at 4, but when we called to confirm that we did not need advance tickets, we were told that it actually started at 5. We arrived at 5 to a very quiet, covered outdoor patio with a few couples distributed sparsely around the area. At about 5:30, it was announced that the show would start at 6.
About 6:30, the MC (a local radio personality) started working the crowd with communal games such as Know Your Partner. Couples were chosen at random to play by guessing their partner’s bra and/or (no kidding) male organ size. Everyone (including Sue) was invited to give testimonials about how they met, what love meant to them, and other suitable topics, and the entire feeling was one of a large family reunion. Several preachers spoke – one at great length (he was also a radio person) – about the divine power of love and related issues, and every 15 minutes we were assured that “the food (was) just about ready.”
A five-piece band played during the breaks from the games and preaching, but the music wasn’t very good. The musicians were in great need of feedback as to the virtues of playing in the same key, adjusting their volume relative to the other band members (especially the singer), performing in a unified (read: single) musical style, and more. But the crowd seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
Around 9 pm, we were lead, table by table, to the buffet line, and our plates were piled high with kelewele (fried plantains), fried chicken, fried rice, fried fish, and fried potatoes (shades of New Orleans!). A new band (or maybe it was the same guys, but this time they sounded much more polished) started up and the radio preacher came up to our table and invited Sue to have the first dance with him. We were sitting with two young couples, one of whom had been married only weeks before, and with a third couple who had two young kids. Their approx. 3-year old daughter had huge beautiful eyes that she kept, unblinking and fixed, on Sue the whole night. At 10:30 we, along with many of the then hundreds of people, left the show, even though the headliners, The Daughters of Purity, were just getting into high gear. We were offered a ride home by several people we had not even met, but we’d arranged for a taxi to bring us back.
Common Customs
We love the Ghanaian uses of the English language. My driver comes everyday to “pick me” for our ride out to the orphanage and told me a story about someone he drove around “yesternight.” The kids all ask me to “snap” their pictures when I bring my camera and any acquaintances we meet younger than we are call us “Mommy” and “Daddy.” The national newspaper reported that Vodafone, the largest Internet provider in the country, had “… delivered to its customers a disconnection (sic) service.” It said that according to a spokesman, “The service (sic!!) will last until the problem can be fixed.” Sue told me that a student in her department had officially withdrawn from the University; the cause listed on her form was “medical reasons due to the effect of witches.”
No one says “goodbye” when departing. Instead, we say “Ye bashia” – “we will meet again,” to which the common answer is (translated) “If G-d wills it.” When meeting someone, either for the first time or even a good friend, you never get right down to business. A slew of greetings – how are you, how is your wife, how is the family – is expected. Everyone is always “networking,” and when there is no more paper in the copier nor baked chicken at our favorite chop shop, we are told that the paper (or chicken) “is finished.”
We had read that there is no Twi word for privacy, and that has definitely been our experience. We are awoken most every morning by something; one day it is loud drumming starting at 6 am, another day it is a chorus of voices praying in unison, and today at daybreak, a large group of boys came shuffling/jogging down the street in front of our house carrying a banner and singing in call and response fashion. Nature herself also alerts us to the cycles of the day by way of a rooster, howling dogs, calling birds, or (and sometimes in combination with the others) grunts and groans of unknown origin (bull frogs, maybe??). The crack-of-dawn-timed changing of our security guard is also an occasion for much laughter and cajoling.
In the News
The big story in Ghana continues to be the rift between the NDC, the current party in power, and the NPP, which ran the country for 14 years prior to 2008. Jerry Rawlings, twice the country’s leader by way of coups and twice freely elected, is with the NDC and in some opinions is the power behind the throne (not to be confused with the real throne, which is the seat of power of the Asantahene, the most-high [King] of all Ashante Chiefs). Rawlings’ home burned down this week, and an NPP member and radio personality suggested that Rawlings himself was responsible because he wanted a new house. The NPP man was arrested for making the comment, which lead to a boycott of the government by some NPP parliament members. The NPP man was then ordered released by NDC authorities; the “scandal” and the limits of democracy itself are at the center of every TV and radio show and all the papers. What strikes me is that this discussion is even going on – it is amazing to see a “young” country experience democratic principles and allow opinions and counter opinions to be expressed in public. I think there is some embarrassment about the initial arrest itself, but the fallout has been a remarkable display of freedom of speech, which I find tremendously encouraging.
The Nigerian parliament has finally decided that their president’s (Yar A’dou) mysterious absence from the country for three months is no longer acceptable, and they voted to transfer power to the Veep, a move that received the approval of the Nigerian Supreme Court. The VP has the great name of “Goodluck Johnny” and wears an ultra-cool Monk-style black hat (circa 1950.)
On Campus
The head of one of the largest administrative departments in the university surprised us recently when answering his office phone, a blazing red, spiked high heel shoe. We had been trying for about three weeks to get the remainder of Sue’s salary for January – a large chunk was mistakenly deducted for Ghanaian retirement. On another day I went to the post office to send a small package to a film festival. There were four women sitting behind bank-teller style windows. One window had a line of about 25 students, while there was absolutely no one at the other three; the three unoccupied women sat quite still and seemed content to have nothing do. I also stopped at a small office to buy some credits for my mobile phone. The office consisted of a single standard-sized desk at which two men sat. I asked for the coupons that contain the proper numbers I needed and handed my money to the guy on the left. He gave me a receipt and told me to give it to the guy on the right, who then handed me the coupons. (Kafka again.) I think there are some lessons in efficiency that would be useful here, but then again, I guess it’s better that two guys are getting a salary instead of just one.
Sue relayed a story of how after it was discovered during the daily tea break (10 – 11 am) that she had no faculty mailbox, several of her colleagues immediately went to work with paper, pen, scissors and glue to fashion her one. She said this was the strongest indication yet that she was truly part of the Biology “family.” Her Department chair gave an eloquent and impassioned speech to the Bio students at a recent “town hall”-style meeting in which he exhorted them to stay focused, do their best, and make the “Biology family” proud. Sue was very impressed.
Sue’s class (Chordate Development and Evolution) did a Darwin-style collection and classification project this week, and I went to the lab session to photograph the lizards the students had caught.
Sue gave a prize to the group that caught the biggest critter (32 cm!) and the kids were all very proud of their efforts. (The lizards were released unharmed, though they were knocked out for a few hours while being measured and snapped.)
My students have stepped up their efforts and preparation following some strong words from their respective HoDs (Heads of Department). It’s been a challenge to provide them with all the demo software, articles and files I need them to use, but I’ve now got a system of distribution that involves having the “class captain” make copies of and distribute a DVD containing the materials. I’ve given up on the idea of a multi-user computer lab where students would be scheduled to work. Between the power outages, rampant viruses on the computers I was allotted for the purpose, and limited access to the intended facility, I found that the plan was not going to work; they all use their own laptops at this point.
My classes (Drumming and Performing Arts Traditions of Africa) continue to go well, but videos and other A/V materials are not often used. My profs must also assume the power will go out while they’re showing a film. After a couple weeks of lectures, we’ve started to work on the drums in drumming class, and I had no idea that you can produce so many tones on a single drum. All the traditions we are studying consist of a fixed number of rhythmic patterns that are played in combination or alternation by the members of the drum ensemble. We use adowa drums, which are tensioned using pegs that extrude from the sides.
All the drums used by the class (of 25) were made by students in the drumming program on campus.
At the home
Things at the children’s home are going well, though there is not much change in the routine. The kids prepared some group dances for me to video tape and also did a round of individualized “crazy” dances that were lots of fun (I made and brought them a DVD, which they loved). A few of the boys borrowed some drums from the local church (woman do not play drums) for accompaniment and all the performances were actually quite good. (I’ll post some video if they don’t mind.)
Last Saturday we took the kids on a field trip to Bonwire, the weaving capital of Ghana. One of the older girls brought a small purse that she proudly wore over her shoulder the entire trip. It occurred to me that this was probably her only earthly possession and that many of the kids had nothing at all to call their own; sort of heart-breaking, when you think about it. I’m considering buying them all something substantial on our return trip.
-DHM
Dennis- sounds like an experience of a lifetime!!
ReplyDeletehey- a friend of mine is looking for someone who has experience doing live music visualization from specrum data...and leads?
Let me know...oz