Wachu Ghana Do?

Love from Ghana

 Ghana is extremely poverty-stricken. Let me just say that right off the bat. As a third-world country, there were a lot of areas in the country where development is still absolutely needed. I saw sewage out in the open on the streets, and beggars finding shelter on the concrete of the street pavements. And yet in the midst of all this hardship, I also saw the happiest people in Ghana.

A typical view of what you will see out in the streets

During our time in the cities of Tema and Takoradi, we experienced being in a culture where the people were so happy with what little they have. Ghanaians are very friendly, always giving us smiles as warm as the Ghanaian sun.

A big part of their naturally joyful disposition is their faith. Majority of the people in Ghana follow Christianity. This is made apparent by the number of stores and advertisements I saw that were very Biblical and Christian-like! I'm not even kidding when I say I saw the following signs:

(1) God is Good Laundromat
(2) Prince of Peace Cosmetics

A few other signs are escaping my memory right now, but you get the idea! I have a few Ghanaian friends from UWC, and their personality and their faith are true testaments to how they live in Ghana. I am very glad I got to actually visit the country and see the Ghanaian culture firsthand in their own land.

Another observation I took away from my visit in Ghana was how this country has kept their cultural traditions so embedded in their daily lives--from the way they dress, the way they dance, and the way they keep family ties so closely-knit (just like Philippines families!) I believe this is another reason why the people of Ghana can offer you the most sincere smile despite the evident poverty in their country. The lack of influences from other places in the world makes Ghana a strong culture that can stand on its own, making their people value their own traditions. And when they do get a taste of Western ways, they happily welcome it, too. When a bunch of children saw me taking a photo of them, they got super excited and started posing like crazy! They got so giddy over digital cameras. It was so cute.

Ghanaian children strike a pose upon spotting a camera pointed towards them!

Dance is an integral aspect of the Ghanaian culture. They LOVE to dance, and I thought that was extremely cool! I was fortunate enough to experience a drumming and dance workshop while we were at Takoradi on our first day in Ghana. I learned how to drum certain beats on a Ghanaian drum (similar to a bonggo); the beats that accompany most traditional Ghanaian dancing. After about an hour or so, it was time for the dancing part, wuhoo! The workshop leaders had our group form a circle while they did dance steps that we were supposed to copy. I had a blast! Towards the end of the workshop, they performed for us and then pulled a couple of us in to join them, including yours truly! I had to freestyle Ghanaian style, it was awesome!! The workshop was definitely one of my favorite experiences in the entire voyage.

Where we had our workshop! This was by the beach.

The group with our drums

Little drummer girl

The dance they performed for us at the end. Notice how they dance barefoot! On rocky grounds!

The drumming and dance crew!

During my short stay in Ghana, I also attended a "Naming Ceremony" in one of the villages called Atomkwa. We paid a visit to the Chief Elders of this tribal village, where they prepared some drumming and dance performances for us before proceeding with the ceremony. In this ceremony, the elders would gave us two traditional Ghanaian names to show that they have accepted us as brothers and sisters in their village. I was baptized with the name Ekua Mansa :) The first name, Ekua, means "Wednesday"; we had to inform them of our birth dates because in Ghana, the first name given to a child depends on what day the child is born. Mansa, on the other hand, is the equivalent of "Laura" in their culture. Don't quote me on that, though. I'm not really sure about the second name, hehe.

Chief leaders about to begin the ceremony

After the naming ceremony: a photo with the Chief Elder of Atomkwa!

Cool (or hot?) performances by the villagers

Having some fun dancing after the ceremony! 

Stop FGC!

It was also in Ghana where I had my field lab for my class in Women's Health in Developing Countries. We visited a local women's health center, as well as the University of Ghana to discuss one of the deadliest (and yet still practiced in some areas) cultural practices in Africa: Female Genital Cutting (FGC). We had talked about this in class extensively, so it was such an educational experience getting to go to places where we could interact with people who have dealt with this issue firsthand. FGC continues to be a sensitive topic for a lot of people, because in specific places in Africa, FGC is still believed to be a cultural practice that is required for young women in order to give respect to their traditions. However, the prevalence rate of FGC has now (thankfully) dramatically gone down over the last few years because of medical interventions by people rallying against this horrible practice. It was field labs like this that made my SAS voyage so eye-opening.

At the University of Ghana with my Women's Health class

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When I tell people that Ghana was one of my favorite ports in the voyage, they are often surprised. I am glad I was able to break the barrier of that preconceived notion that a third-world country in Africa is too poor to offer anything good to tourists. I enjoyed my time in Ghana not necessarily because of the place itself, but because of the activities I was given the opportunity to experience. It just goes to show that even in the most undeveloped areas in the world, adventure is still out there.