Learning in Ghana at 50

Hello friends and family! More greetings from Ghana-now at 50 years of independence!
This morning I went again to volunteer with the after school ( or actually before school, as many kids go to school in the afternoon session) program in a nearby community. There were 3 girls and one boy there, and an equal number of adults, so we were each able to give them one on one tutoring, which was good as they were all at different levels. I worked with Lucy on reading her science text. She had a lot of trouble reading-she is probably at a 1st grade level-but she was very diligent and was happy to go over sentences many times. She did not get bored like I would imagine most kids would. I assumed she was 9 or 10, based on her reading level, but found out later that she and the other girls were actually 14 and 15 and had just started school because their parents had not been able to pay for school. The girls tried to braid my hair and after having Milo (hot chocolate everyone has here) and bread with the kids, we went with the kids and directors of the program to their school. Their school is supposed to be free, but they charge all sorts of mandatory fees, like for exams, extra classes and school badges. Apparently one of the girls had not been able to pay her exam fees and had been beaten because of it, and so the directors of the program went to go pay for it.

On the way back from the school I was told the story of one of the girls. Its very sad, but was so eye-opening to me that I want to share it. Lucy is 14 and while she can only read at a 1st grade level, she probably has the best chance of anyone in her family. Her older 16 year old sister died from having an abortion. Her younger 12 year old sister has been sent to Nigeria to work as a housekeeper-the money gets sent back to the family while she lives in unknown conditions. Her father is mentally ill, and her mother is left to deal with all this. I learned that she is already at risk of pregnancy like her sister, being a beautiful, poor young girl who likely knows little about contraception but does know about the need to earn money. Her story just broke my heart, and I couldn't believe that she was so able to focus on her school work-with more diligence than is expected of most American kids-when so much is going on in her life. I'm not sure what to do but just keep working with her and trying to help her stay in school however I can. Kids here seem to be so able to get through anything-some have so much hardship and little support (even in school, classes are too big and culturally it seems that kids don't get a lot of attention from adults) and are still able to continue to learn and do good things. In America, a student in this situation would be given so much attention to try to help them overcome their problems, or in some communities, would be regarded as a lost cause.

To change gears, as I often have to in Ghana anyway, just a week ago, I was dancing in the streets with Ghanaians celebrating Ghana's 50th anniversary. Two weekends ago we started out the celebrations with a big party at our house, with Ghanaian, Norwegian, Dutch, British and American kids all present and dancing to the music we set up on the porch. It was really fun to hang with all my new international friends-and it was great to watch the Ghanaian guys try to show each other up in dance moves.

Monday night we went with the neighborhood guys to a concert for Ghanaian Independence. We somehow knew one of the musicians and were able to sneak in and watch from the side of the stage and avoid the wild crowd. It was fun dancing with our friends as they explained the music to us. We also did some cheers (One for Kufour(Ghana's current president)! One for Ghana! One for Rawlings (Ghana's controversial ex-military dictator and former president)! One for Ghana!) that surprised me-even in America patriotism doesn't seem as excited and youthful amidst scandal(perhaps a longer tradition of democracy and complaining to authority has bred a more cautious patriotism in the US). Probably the best part of the night was when we jumped in a huge empty tro-tro (the big vans that people use sort of like buses to get around) on the way home and our Ghanaian friend from the neighborhood, Tony, ended up needing to be the "mate" since the driver did not have one. In tro-tros the mate collects the money, and most importantly, yells the tro-tro's route out the window while passing potential passengers. Tro-tro mates all yell the destinations in the same shorthand way (yelling cra-cra-cra for Accra and circ-circ-circ for Nkrumah Circle) and we were all in hysterics as Tony instantly took on the role of the mate yelling "Medina Oro" (Medina, Old Road) out the window.

Tuesday, on the the actual day of Ghanaian independence, we decked ourselves out in Ghana colors and headed for Independence Square at 6am. The square was already packed, and there was no where to sit or even watch the military parade and speeches, but it was fun to see all the excited people waving Ghana flags and trying to show their children history while trying to keep them safe in the crowds. After a few hours there we decided to go home and watch the rest of the ceremony on TV, which was fun, as our guard came in and watched with us, getting excited every time President Kufour came on screen and explaining the various military regiments that were there. Tuesday night we went to Osu, where there were many "street carnivals" which basically meant wild dancing in the street to Ghanaian music. We had a great time dancing wildly and partying with all the happy people. Almost the whole two days, our neighborhood friends kept a close eye on us, determined to make sure we were safe in the big crowds that we stood out so much in.

This past weekend I went to Kumasi, and a village where Ghana's famous Kente cloth is made. I learned about their weaving method, which they have been practicing since the 1400s, and had fun looking at all the beautiful colorful cloth. In Kumasi, we visited the museum in the old palace of the Ashanti King, where, somewhat surprisingly, many of the artifacts were fairly new things either purchased or received as gifts from Britain.

So thats whats been going on here in Ghana-a bit of contrast between the celebrations and the heartwrenching children and the fantastic, proud culture, no? In between I've been going to my classes, having great discussions with my program-mates about all the varying things we've been seeing, and trying to get my independent study together. While I feel homesick sometimes, I'm also feeling like I am learning more than before, as I can actually understand things rather than just look at them in wonder. I love hearing from you about your winter/spring adventures and am getting super psyched about summer!
tons of love,
Micaela