Day 3: PACKED! In the morning we had a lecture with Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, a former professor of Religion and Ethics at theInstitute of African Studies at the University of Ghana. This lecture informed us extensively about a crucial part of African culture, symbols. I was consistently looking back to the notes from this lecture throughout the entire trip. Professor Opoku taught us how essential proverbs are for African communication. One of our favorites and most memorable was, "Truth is like a baobab tree, one person's arms cannot embrace it." Most proverbs were applicable to our mission in Ghana and what we were learning, however this reminded us to take in all information from different sources and know that not one person knows everything. A baobab tree has a massive trunk and a tall canopy, we saw many of those once we left Accra and drove in the coastal regions.
One symbol that Professor Opoku taught us was the 'Gye Nyame' which means accept God. We could not escape seeing this symbol once we learned about it. It was seen in clothing, on products, and in architecture throughout the African culture.
Today we drove up the Aburi Mountains to visit the Akrofi-Christaller Institute. This drive allowed us to see Accra from an entirely new perspective. We passed multiple mansions along the drive, including the home of Bob Marley's wife, Rita Marley! Not too far away we were seeing a lot of shops and homes that were not more than shed looking structures. This was an area that was still considered urban so I couldn't fathom what a rural area might look like.
Some of the most memorable parts from this trip derived from conversations we had in the bus while driving. Micaela noticed how few beggars there are, compared to New York where homeless people are sitting on the side of the street almost every block. People who are of a lower socioeconomic status are approaching your vehicle to try and sell you things such as gum, drinks, food, and cell phone minutes. Another topic of conversation was about Ghana's presidential election that will also be held in November. We noticed a lot of political advertisements, and also passed the Pedause Lodge, a home for the President to get away from the bustling downtown capital. Maxwell described this as a "Camp David" type building.
Once we reached the institute we talked to someone researching and finishing their masters on incorporating Christian religion with African culture. He briefly told us about the Odwira festival, essential to this Eastern region's culture and celebrated in Akropong (where this institute was located). It is a week long series of traditions and rituals performed to purify the town. After the lecture, we saw their library that was built just four years ago, and had many resources, especially books essential to our class.
On our way out we heard their was a school next door and saw kids running up to the window to wave to us. We asked to go inside to saw hi! This was our first encounter with African schools. The classrooms appeared colonial age with a chalkboard painted on a stone wall, wooden desks, and open doors and windows for air ventilation. The kids ran up and grabbed all of us eyes beaming with excitement. After seeing the kids, as happy as I was for saying hi, I couldn't help but also feel saddened and question why they were so excited to see us. We are different, and older, but for a culture that so strongly believes in ancestors and tradition, do these small children know about the suppression of Africans that occurred not even centuries ago? Heavy thoughts for just saying hi to a classroom of kids.
After the day in Akropong, we got ready for dinner in Osu. Osu is a part of Accra that is noted for it's nightlife. We had dinner at an American style restaurant, and saw a lot more people that appeared to be travelers or tourists as well. After dinner our guide Maxwell took us to an outdoor lounge to hang out and listen to music. I fell in love with this place and we had so much fun! It looked like a tiki bar, and if this had been a spot in New York, or anywhere in the U.S. it would be just a tourist attraction. It was so authentic, and filled with business-dressed Ghanaians all just listening to music and having fun! Saw so many different sides of Ghana today.
One symbol that Professor Opoku taught us was the 'Gye Nyame' which means accept God. We could not escape seeing this symbol once we learned about it. It was seen in clothing, on products, and in architecture throughout the African culture.
Today we drove up the Aburi Mountains to visit the Akrofi-Christaller Institute. This drive allowed us to see Accra from an entirely new perspective. We passed multiple mansions along the drive, including the home of Bob Marley's wife, Rita Marley! Not too far away we were seeing a lot of shops and homes that were not more than shed looking structures. This was an area that was still considered urban so I couldn't fathom what a rural area might look like.
Some of the most memorable parts from this trip derived from conversations we had in the bus while driving. Micaela noticed how few beggars there are, compared to New York where homeless people are sitting on the side of the street almost every block. People who are of a lower socioeconomic status are approaching your vehicle to try and sell you things such as gum, drinks, food, and cell phone minutes. Another topic of conversation was about Ghana's presidential election that will also be held in November. We noticed a lot of political advertisements, and also passed the Pedause Lodge, a home for the President to get away from the bustling downtown capital. Maxwell described this as a "Camp David" type building.
Once we reached the institute we talked to someone researching and finishing their masters on incorporating Christian religion with African culture. He briefly told us about the Odwira festival, essential to this Eastern region's culture and celebrated in Akropong (where this institute was located). It is a week long series of traditions and rituals performed to purify the town. After the lecture, we saw their library that was built just four years ago, and had many resources, especially books essential to our class.
On our way out we heard their was a school next door and saw kids running up to the window to wave to us. We asked to go inside to saw hi! This was our first encounter with African schools. The classrooms appeared colonial age with a chalkboard painted on a stone wall, wooden desks, and open doors and windows for air ventilation. The kids ran up and grabbed all of us eyes beaming with excitement. After seeing the kids, as happy as I was for saying hi, I couldn't help but also feel saddened and question why they were so excited to see us. We are different, and older, but for a culture that so strongly believes in ancestors and tradition, do these small children know about the suppression of Africans that occurred not even centuries ago? Heavy thoughts for just saying hi to a classroom of kids.
After the day in Akropong, we got ready for dinner in Osu. Osu is a part of Accra that is noted for it's nightlife. We had dinner at an American style restaurant, and saw a lot more people that appeared to be travelers or tourists as well. After dinner our guide Maxwell took us to an outdoor lounge to hang out and listen to music. I fell in love with this place and we had so much fun! It looked like a tiki bar, and if this had been a spot in New York, or anywhere in the U.S. it would be just a tourist attraction. It was so authentic, and filled with business-dressed Ghanaians all just listening to music and having fun! Saw so many different sides of Ghana today.
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