View out of Ghana: Poverty

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The meaning of that concept is that we all have different glasses though which we see the world. In this post, as in all others I have ever written, I intend to write about the world I see. Here are my thoughts on poverty (spurred on by Blog Action Day).

With my sheltered and sometimes outright naive Swedish background, coming to live in Ghana has in many ways been being confronted with stories about poverty. I have come to understand the depressing effects of poverty: that there are people who are so poor they buy food and spices for today's meal only, hoping that tomorrow they will afford rice and pepper again. There are men so poor they can't afford the transport fare to go look for a job, women so poor they cannot afford to go to church (offerings and sunday clothing requires money) and families so poor they cannot afford contraceptives or an abortion even when their resources are not enough to feed the kids already at their feet.

Then again, Ghana is a relatively well off country in the region, see for instance gapminder for figures. And the person buying pepper for today, at least is buying something. The man not able to find a new job will be fed by his wife who is a successful trader in the local market. And interestingly, the poorest families rarely see children as anything else than a resource and a joy.

Poverty is in the eye of the beholder. I argue, so is glamour.

Pic taken in the Makola Market area, downtown Accra, Ghana.

Desperate Housewives in Accra

Just to make it very clear from the outset, this post does not allude to the fact that I have recently purchased season 3 of the California TV series "Desperate Housewives" from a guy outside Koala Supermarket, but rather it is pointing to difficulties of relationships.

As a newlywed twentysomething expat, I have started to see disturbing trends among my friends in similar life situations here in Accra. Wasn't this time - after long years in the University library, impossible loves and zero money, but before kids and a daily routines so boring and wellknown we could also do them backwards - wasn't it supposed to be the time of our lives?

Obviously not. When two minds come to live under the same roof there seems to be more than a little adjustment to be done.

Some replay the same fights over and over again with their spouses (money, you-said-I-said, cleaning and laundry etc.). Some like to spend at least one night a week by themselves while I at times recent my husband for often coming home late from work. Others again can't seem to unite about how to furnish their home or if to watch Champions' League or Strictly Come Dancing (or instead make an early night).

Then we have all the cultural shocks: husbands who want their clothes ironed, you to attend funerals of people you have never met, or eat a bowl of fufu for dinner - every day! They are matched with wives who want to pay half the bill, feel odd about having to instruct a housegirl instead of starting a laundry cycle in the machine or spend a average Ghanaian monthly wage on foreign groceries each week!

Additionally, it can be noted that Ghanaian men seem to have little interest in taking out any parental leave (ok, there is no parental leave for men in Ghana, but at least my Swedish side feels that this somehow should be at the very least a priority for timing of the yearly leave). They also seem to be weary about parttaking in the birthing of a child with half their genes.

Some of us young spouses talk vividly about how important it is to work, not predominantly to make money, but to aviod becoming just a housewife - implying that our identities could be gone in no time. However, I don't think that is the problem. Our personalities, I think, are going nowhere. The problem is rather to be able to hold your tounge the hundredeth time you make a small sacrifice for the person you love knowing he is doing the same.

Obama Mania in Ghana

"Have you seen the debate?"

In Ghana, the campaign is on. I heard from a friend you can't buy billboard space in this country until after elections. But what election are we talking about again?

The debate in question was not between Akufo-Addo and Mills but instead between McCain and Obama. Discussions on the upcoming American presidential election is as vibrant here as the domestic. Of course the American election affects the entire world and I am positive that Obama with his Kenyan heritage is creating a buzz in all of Africa, therefore also in Ghana. Another explanation is that Ghana has it's eye to the world to a much larger extent than other nation states, say France or the US. We learn about all news from the outside world. And debate it too.

But back to the elections. I have seen street vendors selling a (pirated?) copy of Obama's biography, at a function last week a young man was sporting a T-shirt with this text "Obama is my homeboy" and yesterday when going to work, this driver showed her support for Obama (see pic).

What election are we talking about again?

Pop'Africana is Pan'Africana?

Stumbled upon (whilst out walking on facebook) the new initiative Pop'Africana, an art/style mag created by some creative minds, amongst others the Editor Oroma who's blog you can read here.

It seems like this is the time for patriotic initiatives and pan-africaism. Here in Ghana we see a lot of similar initiatives that I have written about before with magazine Canoe, T-shirt companies quoting Africans, websites with African names and content as well as flags everywhere, Ghanaian, Nigerian...Is this a trend or am I imagining it?

The interesting pic stolen from above mentioned mag.

Kajsa at Work

So these days, I do go to work. My friends have asked me what it is I really do. Well, mostly I sit in front of a computer screen, but when I don't it looks like this.  
 
 
 

Pictures from this past weekend's WAPI festival in Accra.

Photo: Razak Mardorgyz Abubakar

Fetish Priest Online

I met someone the other day who said that it seemed Ghanaians don't really use the Internet. Of course a lot of people don't have access to the net, but at the same time a surprisingly large body of people regularly frequent Internet cafes, was my feeling. However, I think I have found the perfect example of that Internet IS being used by Ghanaians. So proudly presenting a very exciting and well made website for the Fetish Priest Kwaku Bonsam.

The site has pictures, contact information and writings about Kwaku himself. In the long list of services Kwaku offers you can find treatment against proverty, barrenness and to obtain Visas to go abroad (!).

In an interview for a newspaper he was asked how he received his powers. Kwaku tells the story of how he helps a sick man he found lying on the street to the hospital. As a thank you the man gave Kwaku his address and asked him to come visit.

I followed the address and it took me to the North, way after Navrongo.

I finally got to him at a village and after a brief stay, he gave me something and said what he was giving me would send my name very far and no one can bring me to shame in my entire lifetime and that my children would inherit the blessings of what he was giving me.

At that time I did not know what it was and I was a little disappointed because I thought he was going to give me some money for the help I gave him; rather he gave me a deity.

The next day I threw it away but it came back to me and that made me a little scared. I then threw it in a manhole but the manhole exploded and it came back to me again.

Then there was this time I went to witness a fetish dance and I got possessed and started to perform wonders for the first time.

Every week here in Ghana, I hear references to this spiritual world with its spiritual solutions to real problems. I find it really interesting that this traditional world has here taken the leap into the World Wide Web.

Some might say it is just business as usual, a healer who "perform wonders" for money, just with a new type of marketing. Yeah, maybe. Still, I couldn't resist the temptation of signing up for the traditional fetish mailing list. Can you?

Blogs in Ghana THE FULL LIST

Since some time back I have had a mission to draw together bloggers in Ghana. Reasons for this being a mix of sheer curiosity of the people behind the words and a vague feel of that we could maybe work together in some way.

So far my accomplice and myself have found 13 bloggers blogging out of Ghana. We have set up two fruitful meetings and the next one is planned for beginning of October. At the first bloggers meet-up, we decided to make it easier for you readers to find us, hence we now present the feeds collection Ghanablogging.com. Here you can find the most recent posts from all our blogs thanks to David.

Are you a Ghana blogger not included? Please send me an email!

Election Fever in Ghana

They are all the same!

The esteem for politicians is not all that high in Ghana. Some of the sentiments, I can relate to, maybe it is the universal gossip about the boss, but what is different here is the accusation of everyday corruption. My fellow Ghanaians blame their politicians for “chopping money” – meaning eating it as in buying big cars and offices for themselves, or giving contracts to relatives who know little about building roads/hospitals/etc. or simply spending more time outside Ghana talking than in Ghana making change.

The elections are coming up in December and the frontrunners are Nana Akufo-Addo and Professor John Atta Mills. Akufo-Addu is the flag bearer of the ruling NPP and Mills is currently in opposition with NDC.

I am planning to write one post each week about the election fever until we know who is the new president of Ghana.

Thankful in Traffic

In the quite chaotic Ghanaian traffic there are a number of things that brighten my day. These days we tend to mostly complain about the many car crashes, the traffic jams, people failing to adhere to traffic rules and regulations or the regulators of the traffic flows being outright silly.

As a counter balancing act I here will list my favorite elements of the Ghanaian traffic, you are welcome to add to it!

1. People are friendly and will let you in to any queue, no matter how slowly it moves, if you give a sign like twitching your headlights or raising your eyebrows.
2. Funny vehicles like the pearly white Mercedes with the Registration "JESUS 1" (Oh Lord, won't you buy me...), the itsy-bitsy small truck that is loaded with chocolate (Think Ompa-Lompas) or the hot pink pick-up (Barbie's car!).
3. If you make a mistake, there is room for it, because mistakes happen all the time...
4. When reversing out from a tight spot there is always someone there to direct you.
3. FAVORITE The random messages displayed in the back windows of the public transport Tro-tro's, like the one in the picture above, "THEY ACT AS LOVERS".

What do you make of that?

Im clueless. Is it an accusation? A biblical message? A warning to the public? A general statement being true in different situations?

Thinking about this I have a happier and even a bit thankful drive to work.

Important Vacation

In three short weeks I had time to meet up with a bunch of friends and family members, eat "sill" and "kräftor", take walks on the beach and talk, talk, talk in Swedish. It is extremely important to reconnect with your base as an expatriate. This I've learned from among other aliens Agneta Nilsson, founder of the SWEA. She is able to live in two worlds (LA and Sweden) by sustaining her contacts in Sweden even though she lives in the US since many years.

I feel better grounded now somehow, I know my friends still care for me even though I moved away and a further reassurance was the gut feeling that came to me already when I walked to the gate for the Accra flight last Sunday - it is clear that Ghana is my home now.

My lovely vacation is hereby over and there are a lot of things to sink my teeth into back in Ghana. Among others a slow launch of the website aponkye.com, a new go at my migration research proposal and a Ghana bloggers meet up on Thursday.

Swedish Silence

I am leaving Ghana for my native Sweden for a few weeks on Saturday. I so much need the chilly wind of Sweden, refueling of Swedish foods, singing in Swedish, sleeping in silent Swedish nights and spending time with family and friends over there.

The past week and the current is busy with work and even though I started some ambitious posts they now lay dormant awaiting an end/a crucial link/a perfect picture (the Ghana bloggers will know what I mean).

So, I think I will chose to stay silent until I return from my trip. Hopefully I will be back relaxed, slightly less tanned with many stories and a renewed ability to finish posts.

Friendly Faces

Stumbled across the blog The Face of Afrika (FA) and liked their approach, to "report various constructive initiatives by African people". The blog does that, and much more like linking to a bunch of interesting African websites. However, who is behind this initiative? Are you writing from Africa or elsewhere? The faces of the four writers of the blog remain invisible. On the right hand bar of the blog the writers names mysteriously link to other African web pages without explanation.

Still, whoever you are I especially liked the FA vision, a webpage that is almost like a collage, filled with inspirational quotes and friendly, highly visible, African faces. Ayekoo! (Well done!)

Just as Toke, I also ran into Chioma who has the blog Celebrate Africa. I acctually read about her blog one day on Toke's blog and was introduced to her by a friend the same evening! A small world, to say the least. From an 'on the ground' perspective Chioma explores a very similar topic by traveling around this fascinating continent. Right now, she should be in Burkina Faso is she still on schedule. Loved what she wrote on Accra, "Africa's melting pot?" and the link she gave to the intresting essential oil producer here in Ghana.

I get really happy when I get to know about things like these as I am myself trying to write about the positive aspects of life in Africa and Ghana. But maybe one should ask oneself - is there inflation in the subject?

I'd say no, we are not there yet. To balance out all the singlehandedly negative reports from this lush and vivid continent, even a lot more accounts written here and now are needed.

What do you think?

In the pic some friendly faces from an unrelated event.

Ghana in London

I just returned from a fantastic long weekend in London, or shall I say Little Ghana? I knew London has a big Ghanaian population, but I was unprepared for the massive scale. Many Ghanaians have settled in the southern suburb of Croyden where I my first night in UK had rice balls and groundnut soup. And it tasted just like it should! And two days later I was offered fufu!

Apart from the food, I continued the weekend with speaking Twi about as much as I do when I am here in Ghana (me ho ye paa!), swinging by the Ghanaian Restaurant Accra Nima, discussing Ghanaian politics and best beaches, listening to hip life and then also of course doing the city. Westminster, Big Ben, Tate Modern, London Eye, Tower Bridge and Covent Garden were all the backdrop to my Ghanaian weekend in London.

The lovely colorful pic borrowed from yourbestlocal.com

Inspiring People II

Earlier, I have posted about people in motion, people who want something and who are in themselves an inspiration to others.

For the Swedish speaking crowd, I proudly recommend the radio program with my friend Emilie Persson. She is a truly inspiring person and uses her "hour of fame" on Swedish local radio to discuss political engagement and explore how she went from being a tired student who saw herself as a make-up artist, to someone who is an expert on fair trade, CSR and organic agricultural production and uses her knowledge to lead and engage people. She also talks about her trip to Ghana and says her three months here were exclusively positive. "If you don't think you don't dare to go to Africa, take a chance! Ghana is a fantastic, wonderful country!"

For the English speakers, Emilie plays some good music like Ghanaian hip-life (Ofori Amponsah), South African reggae (Lucky Dube) and American hip-hop (Erykah Badu).

In the picture, Emilie is smelling the flowers in Aburi Gardens in Ghana on a visit last year.

Bloggers in Ghana

Here are some pics from the Bloggers Meet Up in Accra earlier this evening.


Six bloggers and a bonus showed up and we talked about how we became bloggers, what we post and never ever post, why and how one should care for readers and a whole lot of other blog - and life - related issues...

We also had some ideas on how to work together. We decided on meeting again by the end of next month, so if you are a Ghana Blogger who missed this Meet Up, come to the next! (email me and we go from there)

Evidently, this won't be the last post about Bloggers in Ghana. More likely, its a whole new chapter.

Thanks to all who came!

Offline Excitement

I am officially getting excited about the Ghanaian bloggers meet up Maya and I are organizing later this week (inspired by the meet up Petite Anglaise organized in April 2006 in Paris). There are so many creative and interesting storytellers out there, some which I read daily, all of them live and work not far from me - and soon I will get to see them face to face. Lately I have made several good friends out of my blog, so my expectations are rocket high!

Report will follow after the meet up!

Are you a blogger in Ghana who wants to attend? Drop me an email!

Inspiring People

An inspiring person, just one, can change your whole outlook on life. When you see someone talk with that sparkle in their eye, work hard and deliver the most amazing outcomes and move around life as if the situation was custom made for him or her - then I want to do the same. My interest in my surroundings, work morale and heck - even joy of being alive - gets a boost.

Some inspiring people that has crossed my lucky path recently here in Ghana are June Arunga, a young Kenyan woman who works in the IT industry here in Ghana, gives globalization speeches and have traveled the continent in the TV program The Devil's Footpath. She is fast and fun and a person I am just getting to know (including her inspiring book shelf, thanks June!).

Michael Baompong is youth activist and founder of the NGO Young People We Care and one of the 40 most active in Taking IT Global, an online community which seeks to inspire, involve and inform young people. I have not had the opportunity to meet with him yet, but through Internet I know of him and maybe he soon knows of me as well! (all this also inspiring, isn't it?)

I sat down with Nii Mantse just last week who is the editor of Jive, a magazine covering entertainment in Ghana. He has also worked in TV production, for instance with Studio 53 which covers Africas 53 nations, but also with Ghanaian television. We spoke about what matters at work, what young people like to do in Accra and an hour flew by.

All these three people have that energy/drive/sparkle in their eye that inspires me.

Migration Research Update: June has also done a documentary on why the educated youth leaves the continent called "Africa's Ultimate Resource" and Michel wants to be a "migration expert" in the future. I think I need to talk to both of them in preparation for my upcoming migration studies.

In the pic the Ghanaian fertility symbol Akuaba to illustrate the mind fertilization and inspiration in this post.

Medal? Yes, Please But First A Good Pension!

Recent debates over the costs for the National Awards that took place on July 3rd in Accra make me think of the campaign in my birth country long before I was born where social democrats fought for social benefits before medals to the affluent. It seems like that is still a battle that needs to be fought.

Apparently only the medals for this big gala with the theme "Branding Ghana for a Prosperous Future" cost more than 1,4 million USD. Of course that annoys people in a country with many, many problems that could be helped significantly by that same amount.

Not surprisingly, the sitting president defends the the gala and claims all the medals were "legitimate" and "constitutional".

Its been a whole circus, starting when the opposition leader was nominated for a big medal and later turned down the honor. Others were happier saying that this exercise proved that Ghana was a real democracy. Then there were information that there had been no bidding for the medals, then that the contract, and thus cost, was given to provide medals not just for this year, but for the following two. However, the biggest discussion has been around the most expensive piece of gold, the "Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana" or the medal President Kufuor created for himself - as the newspapers write, he himself suggests it is an insignia which each new President will be given as he or she is sworn into office, to be worn on all formal national occasions and be given a replica when stepping down only if desired.

The president's spokesman's addition to the same discussion was not convincing:
"We hope no one is suggesting that the State Chain to compliment this sword should come in brass."

- Ehrm, yes! Brass would have been wise and done more for the "Branding of Ghana" than the dusty ol'image now provided of an Africa with leaders in gold chains and big palaces oblivious to the strife outside the castle walls.

Pic of the discussed piece of gold, borrowed and slightly cropped from ghanaweb.com

The Birth of A Good Health Policy

Since July 1st of this year, maternal health care in Ghana is free. I have seen this fantastic policy being carried out in front of my own eyes since my husband's niece gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on July 5th. She did not know about the new health care initiative and a few weeks before the birth she asked me for the 90 GHC (as much in USD) to be able to go to the hospital for the arrival of her baby. The alternative for her, as for so many other Ghanaian mothers-to-be, was giving birth at home.

Then the policy came into effect and in stead of providing the money, I was there to help out with acquiring the free care. Together we filled out numerous papers and forms, searched for a photographer take four (!) passport photos (the day of the checking out was a Sunday so the photographer had gone to church). The mother had to sign up in advance (she did so on the 3rd, two days prior to the birth). I believe that together all these things possibly can serve as red tape, making it too difficult to obtain the free policy. But if you do succeed, and this is very good news, all care and medicine related to the pregnancy is free. South Africa has the same policy since 1994 with very promising results.

According to one of Ghana's main newspapers, this initative has already become a success in Ghana. Over the last two and a half weeks, over 50 000 expecting mothers have registered with the scheme which is funded in collaboration with the British Government (42 million pounds over 4 years).

Maternal mortality rate is a big problem in Ghana and with the spotlight given to it by the UN Millenium Development Goals ("Improve Maternal Health" is Goal No 5) finally, a big step has been taken to improve the situation for mothers in Ghana.

Update: I found a BBC web-discussion on how to stop the maternal deaths in Africa with some interesting insights from fellow Africans.

Swedish Summer in Ghana

But you always have summer in Ghana? Temperature wise, maybe. But real summer in Ghana is totally correlated with summer in Sweden. I have some examples:

Today, I am listening to the Swedish Radio program series "Sommar" as pod radio. Every summer famous people, it can be astronauts, politicians, entertainers or an interesting entrepreneur get the chance to talk about anything they want (often themselves) and play their favorite music for 1,5 hours on national radio. Here in Ghana, I have downloaded my favorites - mostly authors - and plan to listen to them just as I did when living in Sweden.

Also, Swedish Midsummer celebrations have passed in company with Swedish friends here in Ghana. It was a wonderful event, pickled herring (sill) has never tasted so good.

This week is the annual "Politicians' Week" in my hometown Visby, an event I love because of its wonderful meet-and-greet opportunities. Everybody in Swedish politics, media and lobbying are there. Probably right now drinking rosé wine in the sunset. All of it I can follow though news and blogs. With a glass of wine, its almost as if I am there (although over here the wine isn't free).

Personally, I have probably never been happier. Ghana is such an interesting society. Everyday I learn new things. I have an exciting job, good prospects of starting my PhD in the fall, a happy marriage, beautiful home (and plans of moving to a better one). I have cool friends and I speak to a family member almost every day on phone.

Still, I just long for the day when I can book my ticket to go to Sweden for vacation. It will definitely be during summer.

Longing for home is a demon.

Picture from the Swedish Midsummer in Ghana. Absolut Vodka and hibiscus.

Fashion Update

What you see here is my favorite outfits on the Accra Fashion Week catwalk presented by Nanna Nilson (walking with one of the models in one of the pics). The last photo is from sneaking in backstage after the show. Some of the models had changed and the model in the coolest dress made from dried grass is posing in our midst.

Extravagant Event

Tonight I will be attending my first Fashion Show ever. It is the final event for Accra Fashion Week and I am invited by one of the designers, Nanna Nilson, an amazing lady who also is a dancer and choreograph with roots in Sweden and Denmark.

Since one of my big interests after moving here is collecting the "good news" of Ghana, this display of fashion has to be one of them. It will be so interesting to see the cutting edge of Ghanaian fashion, the wax prints and batiks molded in new shapes and most likely some modern, urban, arty fashion that is not specifically "traditional/African".

But then comes the problem: WHAT TO WEAR TO A FASHION SHOW. I don't think I have ever felt this self-conscious about clothing. Do I sport a colorful dress or casually come in the pants I wore to work? What in my wardrobe is really new and fresh? How should I keep my hair? What jewelery goes with the outfit? What bag is appropriate? In the end I have chosen to dress in black with Ghanaian accessories and a drop of perfume behind my ears. I've heard you can't go wrong with black.

In the pic some lovely Ghanaian wax prints in braver colors than the author behind this blog. At least tonight.

Travelling News

Today the "NEWS" about our wedding reached my hometown Visby on the island Gotland in Sweden. See it here.

Meet and Greet

- Aren't you a blogger...?

Recently I have been running into other bloggers here in Ghana. The first one is a Swedish journalist who is curious about Ghana, etanol production, gold and diamonds and life in West Africa. Emanuel Sidea is spending some weeks in our lush country and posting (in Swedish) about it here.

Two other bloggers I met at the interesting British Council event WAPi on Saturday. Toke who is the mother of two weblogs, I heart Accra and In My Eyes and Kwabena who together with some friends write Ghana Hype.

Panafricaism in Ghana

Check out my article (only in Swedish) in the latest edition of the Swedish Travelling Exhibition/ Riksutställningars Newsletter Spana!.

After visiting the cool national museum in Accra, I wrote about its history, organization and visitors and in do doing managed to combine my two top interests art and politics in one project! Additionally, when interviewing the management of the museum I found that migration/brain-drain is a problem also in the museum sector. As a result this post has the most "tags" I have ever given to a text on the blog.

Enjoy!

Picture taken by me of two young museum visitors, and beutifully reddened by Spana!'s editor Mårten Jansson.

Happiness Is Also...

...finding a site with interesting and entertaining materials, wonderful photos and just a layout that talks to you.





I fully and wholeheartedly recommend this daily source of inspiration.

It is an online magazine for "women of culture" (probably meaning black, but hey I'm an African now) and according to the founder of the site Ericka Taylor the name stands for You Make It Beautiful. And it is beautiful! (and a bit Martha Steward-y, but thats fine).

Pic taken from abovementioned America-produced website. Can we do stuff like this in Africa?

Happiness Is...

...a yellow sunflower swaying in the breeze.

In March I planted some sunflower sticklings about one inch high. I have almost forgotten about them since, but it seems the raining season has saved most of my flowers.

It is just so amazing that something can grow a meter and a half in two months. Seing it makes me happy.

Pic taken just outside my doorstep yesterday.

How To Carry A Child On Your Back - Ghana Style

Since my last post I have tried to find a site that explains how to tie a child with a cloth on your back the way EVERYONE does it here. I (and others with me) have searched, but found very little on the simplest of baby carrying systems. The answer was of course YouTube. This is what I've found!

This lady does the tying just like they would here in Ghana. Just a pointer, the tying up top is more a fold, like you would to hold up a towel. Below, it crosses twice and then gets folded in, this way, the baby's weight secures the arrangement. Sometimes the baby's arms are tied into the cloth, that way he or she can't move much and will go to sleep in a jiffy.

I dedicate this post to Clara and Leja in Sweden, now I think you can do it!

Back and Front: How to Carry Your Baby

Yesterday, I share a taxi with a mother my own age. Her chubby three months old is strapped to her in a Baby Bjorn carrier, something becoming increasingly common here in carry-your-baby-with-a-cloth Ghana (more info on that here and here).

I turn to ask her who she is choosing the (western) front-carrying alternative instead of the (African) wrap with the baby on the back. She tells me she uses both types, but when traveling it is more practical to have the baby in front. Here in Ghana it is probably also more "fashionable" to wear a Baby Bjorn to town and the traditional style is reserved for around the house, that is for those who can afford both.

Interestingly, it seems to be almost the opposite in Sweden. Different scarves for carrying babies have become very popular and the Swedish invention Baby Bjorn is not as common anymore.

- Oh, I see, I say to the mother in the taxi, he does look comfortable. With a smile I wave at the adorable little man strapped to her front.

- You love babies, eh? His mother asks with the big question mark.

I do. But that’s a different story.

Picture borrowed from mscoaching.com

Ghanaian Internet Community

I have since some time back collected Ghanaian blogs. They are not easy to find, but every now and then I stumble over one. Last week it was Holli's Ramblings with insightful comments on life in Ghana and hilarious comic oneliners. Today I found KOB, Fred and Nana-Kofi's attempt to hype Ghana and Kofi's/Annansi's blog like mine trying to influence the image of Africa and Ghana (only that he in his business lingo calls it "branding").

I have already discussed with another Ghanaian blogger bringing all of these bloggers together IRL. Until I do, if you're blogging in Ghana and is not on my list, contact me!

The pic stolen from Holli.

Out of the Wardrobe

It is like it’s a personal hobby, a favorite pastime, no really, it’s a full-scaled lifestyle. The reinvention of myself and my life. New places, new people, new tasks, new topics. I can’t help myself!

This time it’s a new job involving, not surprisingly, an array of concepts and tasks completely new to me. It is frightening to dive into a world of marketing, revenue, search engine optimization, programming and managerial duties.

But the thing is I love it and I simply thrive. I devour books about my new field (right now fittingly The Search – How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture by John Battelle), schedule meetings with people who know marketing/programming/sales and use my people and meeting skills from my past to glue it all together.

I seem to specialize not in Political Science or any other topic, but in change and along with it adaptation. Judging from recent years’ talks about a globalizing and everchanging world, I guess I am very lucky to swing this way.

Now back to my book.

Me Tiri Ye

The heading means "I feel lucky" in Ghana's biggest local language Twi. And that is just how I felt stumbling across Google Twi Kasa - Google in Twi!

I mean, it isn't strange, its the first language of 40 percent of Ghanaians, which translates into some 10 million people. For some perspective that's more people than the whole Swedish population!

In the official statistics Internet users in Ghana are still few, but on the street in Accra and other bigger cities there are many Internet cafes (most successful is this one), information technology courses are popular and social networking sites for Ghanaians keep springing up. Some hope Ghana will follow in India's footsteps and become an IT-economy. Well, then this is a definite first step.

Pic generated with this site.

Swedish Midsummer in Ghana

Date: 21st of June
Time: 3 PM onwards
Place: My Place in Tema

We meet and cook and drink together while the sun sets. I have a grill and a lot of glasses and plates. The rest is up to you. It will be a "knytis" to create a Swedish feel to the event... Everyone with a Swedish connection is most welcome!

Just drop me an email if you want to come.

Women in Politics

Having followed the American primaries, like everybody else on this planet, I must confess I was disappointed when Senator Rodham Clinton did not make to the democratic nomination. As she pointed out in her speech, held the same night Senator Obama was partying with his followers, not long ago women were not even entitled to vote. Now, that seems distant, but why is it still so difficult for women to reach the top positions?

Just as the United States, my two home countries Sweden and Ghana have yet to hope for a woman prime minister/president. As the elections are coming up in Ghana later this year, some groups have started to advocate for a female vice-president (chance for female head of state already bypassed).

At the same time the world press is arguing about if Senator Obama will ask Senator Rodham Clinton to be his running mate. Will this be the year of women historically breaking in the political inner circle or another term of suits only?

In the pic African heads of state in Accra for last year's AU summit.

Ghana Graduation

Yesterday I met with my sister-in-law. She is a wonderful, easygoing person and very easy to talk to. We sat down and discussed all different kinds of things; Ghanaian versus Swedish food, what to do in the weekend, how our careers are moving along etc. We laughed together and she vowed to soon come visit me. As I was leaving I wanted to give her some of the fresh corn (in Ghana maize) I was carrying in a big, black shopping bag.

- I got too much, all of this I bought for 1 GHC, so please help me out!

And then it happens. As my sister-in-law picks out a couple of corn cobs she, having lived in this town all her life, asks me, the obroni-new-kid-on-the-block, where I've gone to buy so much for so little. Bursting with pride I tell her what corner of the market I went to, feeling like I just graduated with a degree in Ghana Street Smartness.

Blog Song

And your words cling to me like rain in Africa

Today I found this song Rain in Africa. Since I really like the feel to it, the jazzy saxophone, the melancholic tones and the duet vocies singing I have decided to post it here as my "blog song". The group looks like an eighties one and is called 4 to the bar which kind of tells you they are music nerds ( or drunkards?) Anyways, I'd never heard of them before and am happy my blog led me to their song.

Now I have shared it with you!

Unfortunately I cant figure out how to embed the last.fm player here so you have to click above to hear the first 30 sek of it.

On Rain

Today, it is raining so no morning walk today. It is now the end of May which should be the end of the raining season. Maybe the heavy rain yesterday evening and the steady drizzling of this moment will be the last in a while?

Morning Walk

I leave the house around seven thirty after having waved goodbye to my husband ( he leaves for work around 6.45 ).

I lock my gate with a heart on it and criss-cross through my neighborhood, saying my "goodmornings" to the people I meet. I turn onto Hospital Road and follow it for about 15 minutes. There is a lot of traffic, lotto kiosks, chicks, kids going to school, food being sold, craftsmen lining up their produce like sofas or baskets, and taxis that don't mind me walking briskly in jogging shoes and stop to ask where I am going. Sometimes, a friend will drive by, like this morning the neighbor in the black pick-up. His window is already down so he just slows down, stopping traffic, and shouts to me across the road

So, you have started your exercise again?

I have. Interestingly, it seems like it is as much an exercise for the mind as for the legs. Walking is really the best way to think. I think about the car I am going to buy, what I will do this weekend and why dragonflies are not considered scary, but beautiful.

My legs move almost automatically.

I stop and become standing for a while trying to cross the busy Hospital Road to get to my destination, a pool. There I will emerge in the water to chill myself, because even though it is just eight in the morning I am sweating. Before I enter the pool premises I pass by the Christian Vertical(!) School. Kids are sweeping the schoolyard, attending to a fire of scraps and rubbish when they suddenly get interrupted by the bell. They line up as I watch them from the dirt road and start to sing.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

In the pic the jogging shoe that does not impress taxi drivers.

Crab News

For your information, Da Vinci has been released. Apparantly, he was "bush crab" (according to my know-it-all husband) and consequently let loose in the bush not far from our house. Good luck to you, dear Da Vinci!

Goat News

Today, I have a bunch of fun errands to run in Accra. I have to look at some cars (will be buying one soon!) with a mechanic friend, do some journalistic digging (for an article I will link to here if it gets published), have fika with some Swedish friends I have reconnected with through SVIV and then finish off with dinner and "Varieté" at Alliance Francaise (8PM, probably a few cedis entrance fee). Maya informed me there is now a page that vows to collect all events in Ghana. The initiative which Ghana's Ministry for Communication and UNDP stands behind is called Aponkye - goat! I thought that was hilarious!

This type of webpage is exactly what I was talking about. However, after a quick browse I wonder - why are many events taking place in the US?

In the pic the abovementioned goat.

I Am Not Alone

Sometimes when I think of what to write here on my blog I feel like my overall topic -"Africa can be nice"- is off the chart. What am I trying to do here? Convince all of you that there acctually is good news (aka "rain") in Africa?

How can I think of doing this when there are very serious problems out there. When we all read about draught and floods, rebel leaders and dictators impressively cold to their subjects, continous cases of malaria and HIV/AIDS, diamond and oil findings making no change for people close to them, corruption being so widespread that it appears ironic and international aid hitting historical highs, people dying on the poor roads or in bloody rituals and yet again other Africans fleeing for their lives or to be able to use their degree to make some more money.

What can the other perspective (a crab running around in the backyard, a concert, a fellow blogger) really do? According to Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda it makes all the difference. See his TED speech here. Of course I agree with him to some extent, otherwise I'd stopped blogging long time ago - or blogged about something else, more likely. Now I am rather thinking about how to expand my writing on this topic I have become so passionate about.

Because - and this is what I am trying to blog about - there is also just enough sun and just enough rain to grow wonderful vegetables and fruits grow, good leaders and cooperation between people who have a lot to contest, there are nurses who work even though their workload is heavy and the pay isn't much. There are small steps being taken to minimize traffic accidents an an example, there are rituals that are important and healing and many of those who emigrate send money home especially in support of education.

And I am not alone. Blog portals like Global Voices Online are out there trying to broaden the picture and maybe most importantly highlight that all media is being written/edited by individuals with an agenda. At the African Loft where, according to the site itself "the people and friends of Africa mingle" the Positive Africa is being debated.

The blog Africa Works basically does the same thing and also have a bunch if interesting links, among others to African newspapers. Also I found some more Ghanaian bloggers adding their perspective. I especially liked this one. See Blogs in Ghana on the right.

If we don't talk about the good things that is going on in Africa we might be too tired and sad to critically look into the pitfalls of foreign aid, for instance. Or how to really combat corruption.

Isn't this how the web ultimately should be used? Adding the news that doesn't make it to print.

In the pic: A scared, hungry child hiding - or a content, joyful child playing hide-and-seek?

Baptism

Our crab is now called Da Vinci. And yeah, we have high expectations on his future achievements.

New Pet

The other day when my husband was entering our house in the evening he saw something running sideways next to his foot...


...it turned out to be a 15 cm (6 inches) long crab with big claws!

Since we live a 10 minute drive from the seaside, it probably didn't walk to our neigborhood, but more likely escaped from someone who had bought it to make soup. The local specialty Palmnut soup is not quite the same without whole, fresh crabs, hence they are bought alive.

The - in my eyes enormous - crab has now been adopted as our pet and lives in a cold box in our kitchen feeding off toast and tomato. However, it doesn't have a name yet. What do you think we should name it?

In conclusion, there is not only rain in Africa, but also plenty of seafood!

World Artist in Town!

This Saturday, May 17th, the Jazz Society of Ghana (JSG) and Nooq Entertainment presents Richard Bona in Concert. This worldknown bassplayer and singer just came from Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Krakow, Amsterdam, Oslo and will after Accra continue his tour in US and Europe. He is by some called "the African Sting".

I was happy to see that our splendid wedding band Takashi is the opening act when Mr Bona plays at the National Theatre in Accra, 8 PM on Saturday! Tickets are GHC 50 a piece.

Now to connect this piece of info to my previous post, I will stop the celebration and be a bit serious. This information that a world artist is coming to town was given to me in an email from FCA, an art club. The organizers JSG and Nooq seems to have done little to advertize for this concert apart from producing the flyer you can see above. They are also strangely absent on the internet. JSG hasn't uppdated its webpage since 2005 and Nooq doesn't even have one (as far as my searches go).

Sure there are newspaper articles about this, but key information (where, what time, how much) is unfortunately not something they transmit.

So now I hope I will be given a couple of free tickets for my marketing efforts, most likely the only to be found in cyberspace.

Whats Up, Ghana?

Being a curious cultural consumer, I have spent my first year in Ghana trying to experience as much entertainment as is only possible. There are lots of cultural events going on in Accra and its surroundings, many of them free or very cheap, but I have found one major problem. Getting to know about the events - before they take place - is often a mission impossible!

Many institutions rely heavily on placing a banner outside their premises as their only form of marketing (!) The University of Ghana, the British Council and the National Theatre are a few examples. Others place ads in the newspapers, unfortunately these ads easily get overlooked if missing to buy the paper one day. However I have found that some institutions have e-newsletters, which is more visitor friendly in my opinion.

If you want to know what goes on in Accra, sign up for the newsletters of
Goethe Institute,
Alliance Francaise (send an email to info@alliancefrancaiseghana.com) and
Foundation for Contemporary Art
to get a few hints.

The Goethe Institute often have events including exhibits and concerts on Tuesday nights, while Mercredis de la Paillote (Wednesdays in the pavillion) have become the trademark for Alliance Francaise. The FCA arrange contemporary art exhibits and exciting, but unfortunately not very well known Meet-the-Artist sessions.

The events page of the Ghana Tourism Council will tell you about the big events, but unfortunately the Ghana Web events page seems sadly nonfunctioning.

The information gap is a big problem not just for the entertainment business, but basically for all sectors in Ghana. I have had similar problems when I wanted to buy furniture, for example. Maybe there is something we bloggers in Ghana could do about this problem? For starters, please let me know if there is more information to be had about events in Greater Accra. I still have some nights open this week!

In the picture Ivorienne artist Dobet Gnahore at Alliance Francaise the 20th of February this year in one of the best concerts I have ever seen (thanks to their newsletter).

Fair Enough

Today is World Fair Trade Day, a day organized by IFAT, the international fair trade organization, to inspire us to engage more in fair trade, meaning buying from producers who make sure the production benefits the workers and community of origin.
These days more customers care about the ethics behind the products they buy and hopefully with a day like this even more people will open their eyes.

In Africa COFTA is the regional organization coordinating the producers and two Ghanaian companies with IFAT certification are Global Mamas and Getrade.

Global Mamas is a wonderful initiative for Ghanaian women in developing their own businesses. Together they form a cooperative selling clothes and home decor. I have bought several gifts and two really cute tie-and-dye tops for myself from them. Global Mamas main store is found in central Cape Coast, a smaller shop in Cape Coast castle and some of their stuff is also sold in lovely handicraft store Wild Gecko in Accra.

Companies like these with a stong sense of CSR are very inspiring, and I have already talked to some friends about starting up a IFAT-certified business in Ghana. I hope you will then buy from me!

Frustrations

Everyday life in Ghana can be mindnumbingly (is that a word?) frustrating at times. Like today when I realize that after twenty phone calls (!) I still have three (!!!) problems with Ghana Telecom.

My Internet has been down for two weeks, since yesterday there is also no tone when I lift the reciever and finally the keys for 1, 8 and 9 are not functioning on my handset. The people I talk to say they will call me back (which they don't), that they will send someone (but noone ever shows up), that I should "relax" (no comment) or that it is not their job to solve Internet issues/handset problems/dead lines (also they don't know who is responsible).

I want to scream, shout and cancel all my business with aforementioned company!

But then, like the sun after a heavy rain, within minutes a van pulls up to fix my line, I can call customer service and they reboot my Internet and, well the handset still cant be used to dial 1, 8 or 9, but I feel fine. And as I go to the market area to pick up a parcel (thanks mom!) I buy two ripe mangoes, two huge avocados and a pineapple for no money and with my heavy load I get the widest smile from a trotro driver.

-Let me help you!

he says in the local language.

And finally I get it.

In the pic: The Community 1 market in Tema.

Cutting Edge Chiefs

Ghana has next to its modern democracy a system of traditional leaders or chiefs. They are well organized and each "stool" or "skin", that is chieftancy, play an important ceremonial role, but are also involved in solving family disputes, managing land assets and facilitating development collaboration. Sometimes they are also important politically, even though that is forbidden by law.

Passing by a newly constructed commercial building in my area, I was startled to see this banner: Opening Soon Chieftancy Consultancy. It looks like traditional rulers now can be reached through consultancy firms! This might just be the best example so far of tradition meets modern day life.

Getting to Know My Readers

Away from home, I have found that having Swedish friends is crucial for my well-being. To be able to fully express myself, to have fika with everybody involved understanding the concept, for a while coming down on Ghana instead of always siding with things that go on here. Those moments feel like breathing in the chilly air of Swedish autumn, Ahhhh.

Then imagine my sadness when my two Swedish companions A and J left for Sweden last week. A whole year, these two have been my confidents, my close friends and obvious plannning mates for midsummer and xmas (ok, thats not quite true, for xmas they eloped to Mali and I had herring and potato all by myself, but you get what I'm saying?)

And now it is just me and the scolding sun, thousand pairs of curious eyes and noone to share a good cup of coffee with. Until...

...I got a comment on my blog from Maya. A Swede living less than 10 minutes from me here in Tema. Hurray! We are to meet up for the first time this weekend.

And then S called. S is a Swede living in London with her Ghanaian husband and we have been in touch since a couple of months. S found my blog when researching their idea to relocate to Ghana. I invited the Ghanaian-Swedish couple over for dinner on Thursday!

So thanks to this very blog I am getting to know my (Swedish) readers, and I don't have to feel so terribly lonely.

In the pic: Like Gulder and Star, J and I. Will miss you!

Rewarding Retrospective

Intense weeks behind me with some of my best friends, including my three siblings, came to experience my Ghana. We went on a three day trip to see the beautiful east, the vivid capital Accra and the quiet beaches of the west. We prepared for the wedding and smiled through the colorful event it turned into.

The weeks following the wedding and the 20-hour-honeymoon (!) people dropped off, a bit more relaxed and tanned than before, and in the end only my sister and brother remained in Ghana.

When I close my eyes (or enter iPhoto on my computer) images from the past month flicker by of us jumping waves, eating charcoal grilled whole fish, getting into taxis with no seatbelts, buying ripe mangoes at the local market, laughing over a cold Star, singing on my porch, buying West African instruments, sharing moskito repellent and discussing all sorts of life issues.

No, it wasn't perfect (and yeah, a few caught malaria), but it was a-h-amazing.

In the picture my siblings, friend and I pose by Lake Bosomtwi (Lake Holy-Antilope).

Just Married

The last weeks' silence on the blog has a good explanation - I went and got married!
Our wedding was held here in Ghana complete with the early morning Ghanaian traditional engagement. We did the official ceremony at the Tema Municpal Assembly and had the reception in a seaside restaurant close by.

The stylish photographic evidence was taken by Mamarazzi.

Better Than YouTube (Film time again)

I was recently pointed to this collection of videos on the web that are not just entertaining, but also INSPIRATIONAL. There is so much to be done in the world, so many problems, so many suffering - but there is also people who make a difference in their communities and who were invited to TED to share their experiences.

TED is an annual forum bringing together the best speakers in the world to speak for 18 minutes each, charging a shitload for those who go there and use the money to broadcast what has been said online.

For you, I have posted two of my favorite (Ghanarelated) speeches below.

The first talk is the Swedish professor in Public Health Hans Rosling talking about what statistics can tell us about development, health and change (I earlier wrote about his initiative Gapminder here) Prof shows that Sweden 1891 had the development of Ghana today and that development is a possibility for Africa.



The second speaker is Ghanaian Patric Awuah who left a comfortable life in the US working for Microsoft to go back to Ghana to start up Ashesi University, a liberal arts college to educate future leaders. Mid speech he talks about the empowering effects of being able to create, something wich tangents the WORLDwrite documentary from yesterday.



Both these speakers have recieved a lot of attention and praise on the net - and that is no coincidence, they are simply great. So leave the laughs at YouTube behind and invite some friends over to together be entertained AND inspired.

The Other Africa (Film time)

Here's an interesting short documentary about visionary people in Ghana with plans on how to advance their country without foreign aid. The eight minute producation was made by WORLDwrite a charity who through film, exchanges and education of young people seeks to "challenge prejudices and stereotypes". This film does just that, showing an Africa that is expanding by its own force contrary to images of despair.

Their other short films from Ghana all succed with asking important questions (like are the NGO's in Africa just modern missionaries telling poor people what to do? and why is Africa urbanizing with such a speed? ) as well as showing very true footage of Ghanaian everyday life.

I highly recommend a half an hour with these snippets from Ghana.

December in Dakar

An event I really wish I hadn't missed was the African Gender Awards 2007, held this past December in Dakar, Senegal. The award is organized by the organization Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) and was this year given to Rwanda and its president Paul Kagame for the efforts of bringing women into national desicion making. Rwanda has currently 48% women in its parliament.

The forum attatched to the award ceremony had the theme "African Women for African Development: Building Partnerships with the Diaspora" and the issues discussed were very close to issues I'd like to include in my research like "Migration and the changing genderroles" and "Curbing emigration: What steps can Africa take to better train and retain its human resources?"

Now I just have to console myself with that some of the documents used for discussion are available online, and that maybe in 2009 I can join the Femmes Africa Solidarité somewhere else on this beautiful continent.

In the picture the statuette of the Award inspired by the African woman Nandi. A film on her talking to her daughter about the future of the continent can be seen here.

Drip, drip

It rained today. The rain came down so heavily I could not hear the music that was playing at the neighbours'. It rained so much I had to scoop out water from my flower boxes. It rained so much that the evening now still seems cool.

It also rained in my commentry box, and a new friend was nice enough to give me the URLs for a bunch of Ghana blogs. i'll go through them and link to the ones I like.

In the pic, I am on the computer in my study. Its raining outside.

Independent Celebration

Today is Ghana's Independence Day. It is a public holiday and there is a huge parade in Accra which I had planned to attend. But then a Ghanaian friend of mine told me that these parades consists mainly of

school children standing in the scolding sun and big men enjoying themselves

I thought that I can see every day and changed my mind. Today I will be celebrating Ghana's 51 years as a sovereign state by smelling the flowers in my garden.

In the slideshow: Ginger, Bourgainvillea, Marigold, Lilly, Hibiscus, Papaya and Green Peas. All in bloom right now!

Update: Also Nwia feels the same about the Independence Day parade (Mr. Sexy being Ghana's president John Kuffuor):

I haven't celebrated this huge day in Ghana for a long while. I don't even know how I am going to celebrate it. As you guessed, it's a holiday so most of us are staying at home. Not me. What will I do if I stay at home? Watch the 8th and final independence parade under Mr. Sexy Eyes' watch? Not enough. The man would not find the faces of the hundreds of children who'll have to stand under the scorching sun for hours at the Independence Square sexy.

Ghana Blogs Gone Fishing

Today, I thought I'd add a long and interesting list of all blogs currently written in Ghana. But I found only three active ones (Teaching in Ghana is so well written and still relatively current), see the right hand side bar bwlow. I know there must be more bloggers in Ghana, where are you?

The Afro'Lick Trick

I was at a thing for professionals in Ghana last week. It was a network meeting including the beautiful people of Accra and the businesses who want to brand themselves to this group.

Among other things a magazine called Canoe was distributed. The background to the name is according to the editorial:

Canoe is simply Canoe; one of Ghana's main modes of transport some golden years back. The carted everything; luxury items, alcohol, grocery, livestock, waxprint, tradestock, weapons and ferried people across seas and villages linked with rivers.

And fair enough, the mag Canoe brings to us articles on luxury items like cars and technology, imagery containing alcohol and fashion and ads for expensive hotels and boutiques. But also, and more interestingly, the magazine uses a positive language when speaking of African things. When I flipped though the glossy pages these words really popped out, probably because "African-ness" is rarely spoken about in such a way. Some examples:

InnoNative Housing (on environmentally friendly Ghanaian architecture), Afro'Lick (about latest trends), Afroluxe (about latest gadgets), African Values (in an ad also stating "proudly Ghanaian") and Afrosexual (in a fashion reportage to describe the black models sexual orientation as preferring African partners? Usage not entirely clear).

So will a publication showing that Africans also like to indulge in champagne and fast cars change the image of Africa? Surely not, the focus on consuming luxury items to display success isn't new, constructive or even interesting (yawn!)at all. But I find that the use of Afri-positive language gives a juicy Afro'Lick on InnoNative Afrique-futures.

In the pic some beautiful people at the launch of above described magazine borrowed from exopa.de, Ghanas only model agency - seemingly highly involved in the CanoeQuarterly.