Ghana's Gone Wild

One consequence of waiting so long to update my blog is that my prospective post headings have changed drastically. “Desperately seeking exercise” has morphed into “Bought jump rope; now learn tricks from host sisters.” “Unhappy stomach prevents eating” was exchanged for “Possibly gaining weight due to potato and palm oil consumption.” And – finally! - “Epic search for internet modem” has been replaced by “Found internet modem; immediately became obsessively conscious of data usage.”

The original title for this post has also changed. Last Wednesday marked the one-month anniversary of my arrival in Ghana, and since then I've both settled down and crisscrossed the country literally from one border to the other. I intended to write about the days I spent traveling to Ghana's northern regions, but that deserving topic was eclipsed by the events of last Friday – namely, Ghana beating Brazil in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

For those who don't follow soccer (or football, as it is known everywhere else), next year South Africa will host the World Cup. (It seems crazy that anyone wouldn't know this already, but I believe I'm biased by the thousands of commercials and radio advertisements that deafeningly remind listeners every 2.6 seconds.) The Cup, which is being hailed by sportscasters and citizens alike as “Africa's Cup,” brings with it a number of smaller precursor events, such as the Confederations Cup, also held on African soil. The Under-20 Cup (meaning the team is limited to players 20 years or younger) was the last major event before the big show next summer, and some think it serves as a preview for which teams will be successful in the forseeable future, even though only a few of the Under-20 members will play for their countries in 2010.

After a suspenseful and high-scoring run to the finals, Ghana met Brazil for the second time in 20 years. Just before halftime, one of Ghana's players went out on a red card, and so Ghana spent much of the second half deflecting Brazil's shots on goal. They did so successfully, however and the game went to penalty kicks, with Brazil nearly taking the trophy before Ghana's Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu won the game with a low corner shot.

I live next to a “spot,” or bar, so the noise when Agyemang-Badu's ball hit the net was deafening. I probably would have been able to hear the celebrations even if I weren't so close to the action – the street was filled with revelers waving the Ghanaian flag, dancing, drinking, and beating on improvised plastic-tub drums. We faced a near impasse driving home to the house where I sleep, and were able to move through only after the dancers had jostled the car and (jokingly) made sure that I wasn't Brazilian. I think I'll have to buy a Ghanaian jersey to guarantee my safety in the future...

Though things have calmed down considerably since then, any mention of "Ghana vs. Brazil" to taxi drivers, store owners, or water vendors will still spark a huge grin and a reply of "2010!" Ghana's hopes for a rosy football season only add to expectations for an optimistic future; next year will also see the first oil revenues from the recently-discovered Jubilee Field, and potentially other developments like new roads and additional broadband capacity from a new fiber optic internet cable. As one of my favorite Ghana-bloggers, Ethan Zuckerman, put it on Monday morning, "things are looking good for Ghana."

Touching down and touching base

Akwaaba (welcome!) to my blog! Thanks to the generosity of Congress and J. William Fulbright, I've embarked on ten months of research on information and communication technologies, social networks, and migration in Ghana.

I'll spare you the literature review for now (that's for a later post, drafted on some rainy, muggy afternoon when everyone shoves off work and stays inside), but Ghana has both one of the highest rates of cell phone coverage in Africa, and also one of the highest rate of international migration, particularly in certain professional fields. Already I'm reminded why I proposed this topic to the Fulbright committee; nearly everyone I've met has a direct relative working or living abroad. My host family alone has two aunts who live in Canada.

I'm partnering with Young People We Care, an organization based on engaging youth in policy and especially development issues, particularly in what Michael, the director, always refers to as “new” development issues – climate change, migration, and corruption. I'm also living with Michael's family in Kumasi, a city in central Ghana that's the former capital of the Ashanti Empire (more on that later).

It's an extended family, so quite large – Paulina and George are Michael's parents, and they are the matriarch and patriarch of large families themselves. Michael has one older brother named Kofi, who lives in the family house, as well as three cousins on a long-term visit (two years!) from Canada, one nephew, and two distant relatives who help around the house. That's just in one home! George and Paulina are building a second, much larger home that should be finished by December, but until then they'll be cramped into a small space. I am therefore sleeping at Paulina's mother's house, several miles away from the "main" family home, which includes Paulina's two brothers, one of their wives, and three lovely ladies named Lina, Muni, and Arama. They are all shy but very kind, and have offered to give me Twi lessons every day when we get home from work. I haven't progressed very far, but even a simple "medase" (thank you) elicits a smile from most people in my day-to-day interactions.

Part of the family: George, Michael, Paulina, Gideon, and Kofi

Nearly every Ghanaian has two monikers, one “official” and one “traditional,” or based on the day of the week you were born. Some people prefer to go by their “Christian name,” as they say, and some by their traditional one – and some toggle between the two based on who's talking. My Ghana name is Adwoa, since I'm a female who was born on a Monday. I was hoping for Kofi after Kofi Annan, but alas, no luck. The house isn't big enough for two Kofis anyway.

I'm hoping to start interviewing tomorrow. My first victims are the owner and manager of the internet cafe where I've been crashing during the day for the past two weeks. Steered there by Michael's friend Michael Adu, who's helping the manager network the place, I implored the employees to take pity on my internet-less state, and they let me use their wireless for free. I will repay them with detailed personal questions about their ICT usage and migration history.

When I'm not emailing my heart out, I work out of a converted grain container in Michael's family's yard – the official office of YPWC, now that they've let the lease on their former office lapse. Here's what it looks like:

I offered to write “YPWC” on the side with a sharpie, but Michael politely declined.

One much-welcomed development since my last trip is that Ghana no longer suffers from rolling power outages, so I have consistent power for my laptop, fan, etc. It makes research a bit easier than it would be otherwise, since I don't have to search for outlets to charge my computer. (Although its six-hour battery life is definitely a plus...)

I've spent these past three weeks doing mostly logistical work, reading articles and e-mailing people about my research project. As it turns out, Michael did his own senior thesis several years ago on migration outcomes from one of the central regions of Ghana, so he already has contacts there whom he offered to put me in touch with. His parents also have many friends and relatives who have migrated, and they have offered to take me to Salaga, a Northern city notoriously located in a "communication dead zone," to interview people and distribute my questionaire there. In addition, I'll have the help of YPWC affiliates in several Northern regions, who've offered to help me solicit subjects.

So I've got many good leads, although accompanying them is the responsibility of producing good research. Finalizing a timeline for 10 months of research seems much more daunting here than it did in the US... but you can watch it in real time over the next months. (It's like reality TV for academics!) I'll keep you updated!