My Farewell Address

Today was the day. The day I would have to go back and face my realities of my American lifestyle and institutions after flying 20 hours to the “land of opportunity”. On the contrary, as my days in Ghana came to an end I began thinking about how I would adjust to the majority white fast paced society again? Now, if you know me well you know I have no problem with being around people who do not look like me, and I am at my best when I am moving constantly and caring for others. This is what I THOUGHT was my best before arriving in Ghana, but I can truly say that my best NOW is when I can reflect over my day, discuss it with someone or even a group of people, and see how can I make a difference in this world. So, I say I finally found it! Peace! This was the peace I was looking for in my life, the peace that God felt on his last days on the cross for me, the peace of knowing that I was selfish even when I thought I was not, the peace to know I should live life and care for ALL people. My peace is defined as being okay with my African heritage, telling my family and friends the untold stories of our African history, and the realization of who I am as a person. In my opinion, the stories untold in our American history about Africa account for some of my African American brothers and sisters struggles today. It is equivalent to the broken bondage between a mother and her children. This broken bond from the mother country caused her children to feed for their mother for centuries. Through years of colonialism, globalization, and assimilation, the African people have adopted and accepted their new white culture. I do not discredit my assimilation to the culture because I know it has made my experience as an African American challenging and rewarding at times. I realize the impact it has bestowed upon me as I continue into adulthood in a dominated white patriarchal society. In other words, the underlying feeling of being still, stuck, poor, different, and deceived by all of what a society such as this had to offer me, yet there is no more time to blame the victim anymore. It is time to stand up and speak out for African people in ALL places and remind people who believe that Africans and/or African descendants are uneducated, uncivilized, and ignorant that these stereotypes are no longer true. I must say farewell to those stereotypes and educate others about ethnocentrism, different cultures, and people around the world. This is essential for the progression of our culture and the movement of globalization around the world.

Moreover, my flight back was interestingly emotional and exciting. For example, my eyes opened during the night sky and I begin thinking about my experience in Ghana and my international service project with Ashaiman Senior High School. After reconciling my thoughts my eyes were full with tears, one tear rolled down my cheek while others followed. It was real. Ghana and its people would truly be missed and forever have pieces of my heart. The relationships obtained from Ghana were real and I did not want to let them shatter like a broken mirror on a dark wall of hopelessness. Especially since this was the same mirror that allowed me recognize my flaws, relationships with others, desires, and future endeavors. I am forever changed and blessed because of this trip. God has created a path for me now I must follow it and give back what I have learned and cherished these past four weeks. In for my followers I say Ma da’ ce (Thank you in Twi) if you have taken the time to keep up with me these last few weeks. I hope you see the difference this trip has made for me. However, I encourage to take your opportunities and learn from them for you one day will experience the joy of being with a group of people greater than yourself.

Ashaiman Senior High School Group (click link to see summary video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU4ct3hmSzU&feature=youtu.b

A Week of Good, Bad, and Reality: Knowledge is REAl Power

This week started a bit rough for me. It was probably because of the malaria pills, but I not too positive. Those pills make me feel disgusting, but I must take them if I want to continue living right? Yes, no doubt! Anyways, I did not know how Ashaiman High School students were going to be. Obedient? Respectful? Quiet? They were ALL that and more.  

There were 19 peer counselors, also known as students, and most of them were girls but I made sure I reached out to the young men in the room as well. They were very timid and pretty much agreed with everything we had to say. It bothered my classmates and I at first, however, we begin to deal with the fact that it was a cultural difference. One that was meant to be authoritative, so the elderly, adults, or teachers were considered right even though the students may disagree or have a different opinion about something. It was definitely shocking, but understanding. We continued the next two days presenting workshops on the Importance of Education, Goal Setting, the African Diaspora, Money Management, Global Learning, and Mental Health. These two days felt emotionally draining. We heard some of the students’ stories and they begin to ask questions. For instance, there were three young men at my table who expressed their dream jobs. One wanted to be a reporter, another wanted to be an investigative journalist, and the third explained he would love to write plays similar to the famous William Shakespeare. This was the good part. Just to know they had dreams and aspirations. Yet, the bad came when they expressed that some of their parents or family members did not support their educational careers. There were even a couple of them who had to take a year off of school just to pay for this school year’s fees which was paid out of their own pocket. They spent a whole year working and losing knowledge just to help and support the family. This was no longer a trip for me any more…it was reality. You see… the reality is that the children of Africa want an education, a chance to see the world, a way to give back to their country, the reality to dream and believe that their dreams will come true and their goals complete. I ask myself can I assist and guide them to making their dreams and goals become true at least while here. Yes I can! So, after hearing their dream jobs and stories I tried making their goals and dream a reality. I took my camera and filmed them making a report about why are students were late to class. This is normal even in the United States. We joined the video clips together to create a student report. This was a start, right? I thought so, but I waited and edited the report before they could look at the “live” report in class.  It was incredible to see how iMovie worked as well. And to know that I always had access to this software I never used, but it now could help bring their dreams to a reality. It felt good, but not good enough. I wondered how would they get access to this report after I leave. Email? The Internet is not dependable. Flask drive? No computer and if they did they did not have access to it anytime of the day. Once again a reality check.

Moving forward, the next day we worked with the students on developing their own workshops to present to the 1800 students at Ashaiman High School. We worked tirelessly with the students and voted on topics to present. My workshop on global learning was chosen among the six we presented. Yay global learning! It was exciting to be working with my classmate Erica and a group of students who felt it was essential to globalize their learning and go beyond their borders to educate themselves about the world. They created their own way to present their workshop with our assistance and Erica and I felt like proud parents to these children on their presentation day. However, the next day was not a TGIF (thank god its Friday) day. This was the last day to be in the same classroom with these incredible peer counselors. We rehearsed and they performed and did excellent. They became vocal and proud to be in the position they were in and I could see the faces of the other hundreds of students who wished they had that opportunity. The bad strikes again. Yet, it the day ended in excitement and joy. We gave them the toiletries we brought from the United States they were so appreciative. The next order of business was the scholarships. My classmates and I raised enough money to give seven full scholarships and twelve half scholarships towards the students school and PTA fees. The thankful spirit these students had after the announcement took ALL of the emotions out of me. Most of the students jumped and yelled with excitement. It was the best feeling of the evening. It was too much of a reality for me to know that these students were even paying for their education. They cared so much about pursuing life outside of their circumstances and educating themselves. It took so much for me to not cry in front of all the students as if they were family and all I wanted to do is make sure they succeeded in whatever they dreamt of in the future. This was a wake up call for me to take my education and spread it and let others know the endless boundaries and opportunities I have been given to further my education. Ghana has brought this reality to my attention and I am so grateful for the experience. And I will always remember that education and knowledge is REAL power, so I must pursue it at all times. 

Becoming One Fisherman

Fishermen boats

Today I became still, I became selfless, and became one with a Ghanaian community. We were tired, but keep pulling. My classmates and I stood there pulling the same rope as the Ghanaian fishermen and we all hoped there would be a net full of fresh fish to feed the community. We struggled and became tired. However, we continued to try and find our place in the rope, one after the other. After ten minutes of pulling I began to sweat and my back began to ache. This was different struggle, but I always wanted to become one with a group that had the same lineage as me as far as I know. I stepped back from the rope and noticed my hands started to blister, but I wanted to continue to help. After letting the rope loose, I thought and asked myself if I continue helping I could hurt myself. I stood watching for about a minute or two wondering how could I help them without getting dirty or doing much work. Selfish I knew, but never have I had to address my selfishness at this level. I told myself these fishermen do this everyday to provide for their families and community. So sacrifice my selfishness I did. This is when I knew it was my time to become one with my African brothers and sisters, my time to become selfless and work with them. I took off my shirt and began to wrap it around my hands to protect from the blisters, so I could continue pulling with them. Except one fishermen would not allow me to use my own shirt we urged me to use the cloth from his hands. The look in his eyes made all the difference. I felt as if he understood my eagerness to help. So we pulled and pulled for another 15 minutes before the fishermen transitioned to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Some swam out to help pull the rope in from a closer position. They continued pulling in the rope and we all ran to see how many fish they had caught this early Thursday morning. It was depressing to see that we caught many small fish, but it was interesting to see the women and children from the community show up with their buckets to fill them with fish. They were the cookers and the sellers. And I must mention my friend, Ben. 

Lawrence, Ben, Godson, and me

For the last two years, my friend full of selflessness pulled the whole time with these men. He worked tirelessly with them and I must say this was a man I respected so much. Today he became even more inspirational, encouraging, funny, and caring to me. He did not stop or complain at any point during the struggle. He was one with them as was I. We were speechless over the amount of work those Ghanaian fishermen go through on a regular basis. We even had the ability to fill the hands of one of the men. His palms were rock solid. They literally could be compared to rocks because how rough and hard they were but all due to a hard days work. Besides, his rock hard palms and hands, he was happy with the end result. He was open to us and selfless. And “this was what love meant after all: sacrifice and selflessness. It did not mean hearts and flowers and a happy ending, but the knowledge that another's well-being is more important than one's own.” (1)

(1) Cruz, M. (2011) Lost in Time. New York: Hyperion.

The group after we pulled the fish in

Identity, Art, and Fashion

There I stood looking at a person that I describe as myself. A person, who is dark in skin, wears glasses, stands 5 feet and 8 inches tall, and still feels this lost sense of awareness of his own family’s history and culture. When did my skin become called “black” when it reminded me of the brown crayon I used as a toddler? Why did I feel connected to the hundreds and thousands of people of this “unknown” place many call “uncivilized, poor, the motherland”? I can truly tell you that my experience thus far in Ghana is surprising me continuously.

As we continue speaking and talking to our Ghanaian peers about their culture, lifestyle, and the Pan African movement led by Ghana’s former president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, it becomes all too real for me. This experience is allowing me to learn about the parts of history I have been missing or never taught. It is as if it a mirror was broken from those of African descent for centuries, and never really put back together. That is how I felt as I stood in the mirror this morning, combing my thick rough wavy black hair, trying to figure out what was missing from my life. These last few days have sprouted nothing but seeds that has started the new roots of what it means to be Black in America, African, to have peace, family, sacrifice, and strength. As a result, it is fostering growth in countless ways. I am not only learning the Ghanaian and African culture, but also the untold history of African American culture.  In addition, I am absorbing how I react to working with others, dealing with time in another country, and self-reflection. 

 Secondly, I have learned that real African art and fashion exist. It is diverse, it is elegant, it is creative, it is different, and I call that true art. Sitting in the Annual African Fashion Show was no different. There were designers from all over Africa from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Angola, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, just to name a few. These fashions were beautiful and exciting. I do not think I have ever left a fashion show that excited before. However, since it was mostly traditional clothing I wondered where would I wear it and when would be the most appropriate time.  That day came a few days later after I purchased my first African linen shirt. I felt great wearing it, so I purchased another African shirt with a different pattern.

Anywho, we are now on our way to Cape Coast for the rest of the week to the slave dungeons. I am overwhelmed with excitement already, but I hope I can keep myself together as my classmates and I reflect over the history lost at sea.  

The Alarm in Africa

Dr. Nkrumah reminding Ghanaians to look forward

 Beep! Beep! Beep! The sound from my alarm clock awakes me, but like many other college students I ignore it and hit the snooze button. I sleep for another hour before realizing I will not get to eat breakfast since I decided to shower instead. Boomer. The time is now 9:30 in the morning and we began a new day of learning. Today I would like to call it Pan Africanism Day since we learned about the great Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana after gaining independence from the UK in 1957. Many Ghanaians also knew this day as traditional wear day as well. They wore their traditional African clothing with many patterns and colors and expressed the importance of this day every Friday.  We also went to go visit the Kwame Nkrumah Museum, which was beautiful and peaceful. We learned about his aspirations and dreams for Africa in the late 1950s, early 1960s, to unite and take ownership over their own natural resources so they could one day have the chance to be a powerful continent.  I can see now how this could be seen as a threat to the Great 8 (United States of America, Russia, Italy, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Canada) economic systems at that time. Meanwhile, we happen to run into some school children too. Incredible I must say. They were very timid at first, but once we showed interest in talking and interacting with them they were welcoming. My classmates and I captured many photos with the children and fell in love with them instantly. 

It reminded me of my family and the way my cousins run to me after not seeing me for months. The children’s teacher later came to the bus to thank my classmates and I for coming to Ghana and he addressed all of us as “whites”. As shocking as this may sound anyone who is not from Africa was considered to be a “bruni” or “obruni bibi”. As the day went on we continued to discuss Pan Africanism and ended up touring W.E.B. Dubois’s home he lived in while in Ghana in 1961 through 1963, which was given to him after arriving in Ghana to assist Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah believed they both had an aligned dream of African unity. Dubois researched, wrote, and created the African Encyclopedia.  It impresses me how such two men could create and embrace such a strong movement. This movement was moving positively until W.E.B. Dubois death in 1963 and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s death in 1972. Now I wonder would there be this great African continent if they continued to encourage and educate the African people about unity and liberty from other countries during the 1950s and 60s. Or is it too late because the African people of today ignore it and hit the snooze button even though they are awaken in their poverty lifestyles day after day? It is alarm that some notice, but many wake up to. Keeping true to one’s values and beliefs is hard enough especially when they are oppressed and systemized by these “great” countries to think they are right and African countries are “uncivilized” to know the difference. The time spent today made me understand that there is an alarm in Africa; we just need the African nations to wake up because if they continue to snooze they will continue to sleep in poverty.

The Wall of W.E.B Dubois and African Leaders

Understanding the Soil I Walk On

The University of Ghana

We landed and I was ready. Ready to embark upon this journey one day at a time. I dreamt it would happen, but never this early in my life. I am truly thankful to have this opportunity to travel and experience this excursion during this time of my life. Ghanaian people were said to be a people of peace. This aligns with my state in mind at the moment of wanting peace in my life. It will be interesting to see how this experience will play a role in my life from here on out and I am glad to share it with all of you.

“Thank you for flying with us today” were the last words I remember hearing before stepping foot into this new chapter in my life. I was in Ghana and there was no turning back (at least right now). It was around eight at night when we landed in Ghana. We were in Accra- the capital of Ghana. My classmates and I immediately got off the plane and into buses to be transferred to their custom services. It was interesting to see the Ghanaian workers and how they interpreted our presence in their country. We stood happily in a line that was understood to be citizens of “Other Nations,” however; we saw another line that read “ECOWAS Nations” as well. What does that mean? I was unsure, but I definitely was going to find time to research the meaning behind it. Since ECOWAS was not part of my vocabulary, I believed it had meaning. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was the answer I later found. This group of nations “is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in "all fields of
 economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters...” (1).  Furthermore, shortly after we entered the streets loaded in a 20+-passenger van. Note that you may be thinking shuttles or school buses when you read van with that many passengers, but it was the complete opposite. We were tight in space because of our luggage took up some of the seats, yet it was very efficient. I supposed Ghanaian do not like to waste space so they make it work. We soon arrived at the hotel and were given our room assignments. The rooms were spacious and clean with central air and cooling systems, which was nice because it was very humid even at 10 o’clock at night. I was not expecting the air conditioning, but I must say it was a great addition.

The next day we traveled to the University of Ghana and were introduced to our five Ghanaian peers. You could tell we were all excited to see each other, but we did not know how to act towards one another. They were different, we were different, and we all were aware of the differences we were about to encounter. They later explained the cultural and social norms with us and we became acquainted with one another. Before the orientation was over we were given names that were determined depending on the day of the week you were born. I really had no clue what day of the week I came into this world, but I said Wednesday so my name was Kwaku. It was moving to be given a name. It had meaning and history, which was something I never felt with my American name. As the day drew to a close we became more familiar with our Ghanaian peers calling them by name and asking the plenty of questions about their culture, education systems, and opinions on certain topics concerning mostly Africa’s development.

Thus, I began to realize this was only the beginning and I have so much to learn about Ghana and its people. Continue to learn and educate yourselves with me as I walk and talk with Ghanaian and African people.

(1) http://www.comm.ecowas.int/sec/index.php?id=about_a&lang=en

The IDEA

As my days to Ghana continue to get closer and closer to my departure I thought about what I think Ghana really would be like. I have to get out of this idea of poor, uncivilized, uneducated Ghanaian people. This is a very European way of viewing Africa and to know that their ways have affected my thoughts about the mother continent. Africa is a place full of resources and riches and the Europeans definitely took complete control over it. They dehumanized most African people and made them think there was no way out. I spoke on a panel a week ago about stereotypes of Black people and I concluded that the way we saw ourselves since our freedom in the mid 1800s was fascinating because it was an idea or mentality. Free African people had to realize they were human and not property after freedom was won. This idea of feeling less than continues to spring from institutionalized racism and it is not just whites that created racism, but also Blacks as well. We give ourselves names to describe the inequalities within our own race and fail to realize what we use to have. We use to be family orientated, hard working, and a collective unit, but with this Western idea pushing and encouraging us to pride ourselves in individuality we are forgetting what we can do as a whole. I am not meaning that ALL black people are like this, but in my opinion, most of us are in some way. Thus, I believe Ghana will give me this idea of family, growth, and the idea of uplifting a community. It will be interesting to see how my ideas change over the next two months. I have become more open with the idea of Africa as being a place of peace, joy, self-educated citizens, and this collective unit I have always hoped for my family and I grasp. So, I think I am ready for the adventures and experiences Ghana and Africa has to offer. This will be an experience I will love and cherish the rest of my life.

The Family with the Hook'em sign