Ghana III

Hi All,

Another couple of great days in the neighborhood. Wednesday was completely devoted to Kwame Nkrumah, with lots of readings in our collection of essays, lectures in the morning, a visit to Independence Square, and then a tour of Nkrumah's mausoleum, where both he and his wife are buried. The mausoleum reminds me a lot of that of Antonio Maceo in Cuba, because it consists of four massive curved pillars that open on the top and sides to the elements. Behind that is the museum, which contains lots of his personal effects (bed, desk, tables), the books that he wrote, and numerous photos of him with world leaders such as Castro, Nehru, Mao Tse Tung, Lumumba, and J.F.K.

There are a few photos of him with his Egyptian wife, three sons, and two (I think) daughters. One of his daughters is in the Parliament here, but we haven't met her because the focus of the trip is on scholars rather than political figures. (Nkrumah attended Lincoln Univ., an HBCU in PA, from 1935 to 1939. He was persuaded to attend by Azikiwi, the former premier of Nigeria, who was at Lincoln when my father was there.

Nkrumah was, thus, in that first wave of African students who were educated and, in many cases, radicalized in the U. S. He had a very, very hard time financially and worked very hard to obtain an education.)

Yesterday, we had a very stimulating lecture on marriage and the family; as you can imagine, I asked lots of questions, as I've been doing in all of the sessions. The lecturer has written many books on the different patterns of marriage: matrilineal and patrilineal, questions of inheritance, the role of women & men, etc. He noted that it's customary in traditional families for the wife to address her husband as "My Lord," so I don't think I'd last long in a marriage here.

The next speaker, a woman scholar, discussed traditional African religions, and she gave a fascinating talk on the common beliefs that prevail in many African religions in spite of the wide differences. That afternoon, we went to a casket shop, where we saw caskets made in the shapes of eagles, boats, rifles, and bananas. If I weren't being cremated, I'd get myself measured for one while I'm here (smile).

Next, we stopped for drinks at Next Door, a seaside restaurant/bar, where we listened to and watched the waves beating against the rocks while we lounged around under palm trees. I had a taste for rum, so indulged in a Cuba Libre. (I was nostalgic cause so much about Ghana reminds me of Cuba.) On to a fantastic, three-story high art gallery where the art—really good works by talented painters and sculptors—was to-die-for, with high price tags.

Today, we had a tremendous lecture on gender by a scholar from the Institute of African Studies, who received her doctorate from Vanderbilt, of all places. Of course I asked about statistics on rape, incest, HIV-AIDS, and family planning initiatives, after her very informative talk on the politics and economics of women's status in the country. She had just flown in the night before from a conference in China, but was definitely at the top of her game.

Tomorrow, we'll have a lecture on music/dance and something else, and then spend the afternoon at the beach again. Sunday, we leave for a tour of the country, traveling to Ho and the Volta Region, Kumasi and the kingdom of the Asantes (Akan), and then down to the southern coast, where we'll spend a couple of days in a hotel on the beach, visit Cape Coast and Elmina—forts from which our ancestors were taken.

 Well, that's about all from here.—Miriam

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Miriam, I am glad you arrived in Ghana safely and that you are fully engaged. I'd like to publish a whole series of these reports. Send them when you can. I thought you all would be without internet access for the whole trip. I look forward to other reports—Rudy
 

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Rudy, I thought so too, so that's why I told folk to hold the e-mails. The first day we were here, we went to an internet cafe (they proliferate here), but I couldn't get access to comcast. Then, we discovered that the Institute of African Studies' office here at the chalets has three fast computers, which they don't mind us using. We're heading for a tour of the country early tomorrow morning, moving every day or so, so I won't have access to a computer or won't have time to write much if I find an internet cafe. I do plan to write a long account on my return. We visited the DuBois house/museum and tomb a couple of days ago, and this morning we had a great lecture on Pan-Africanism. I'm keeping a daily journal that will be a good source of info, given my poor memory. Take care. I'll be back in touch. Love, Miriam

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Ghana IV

Hi there,

I'm sending this from the internet cafe at our hotel; I have to pay to use the internet and Comcast is slow as molasses.

We left Accra very early yesterday morning (Sun.) and traveled through small villages such as Madina and Adenta, which were amazingly quiet and liveless because everyone was at church or the mosque. Last weekend, when we passed through those same villages on our way to Aburi Botannical Gardens, the place was teeming with life: taxis and Tro Tros everywhere, vendors selling bananas and dried fish, homemade furniture and cement blocks piled on the sides of the roads, and tiny stalls next to grills of roasted corn.

This Sunday we were traveling through the Eastern Region, where the Krobo language is spoken. More than 40 languages are spoken in Ghana, and they are as different as Japanese and French, Greek and Swahili. We passed through villages such as Dodowa, Ado Meta, and Somanya, a large town, where the women are reputed to be fantastic lovemakers and are often accused of stealing other women's husbands. The countryside is completely different in the Eastern Regions—green and verdant, with banana and cassava trees stretching into the distance, widely spaced mud huts with thatched roofs, and lines of green hills on both sides.

In one of the towns we passed a huge outdoor funeral. Funerals are very important occasions in Ghana, because the people are very religious—whether they practice traditional religions, Christianity, Islam, or mixtures of them—and very family-oriented. The women wear black with bits of red here and there, but if the deceased is over 90, they wear white with strips of black running through it. All along the road, we could see small casket shops behind wire, because that area of the country is big on casket manufacturing. Of course, they are handmade.

Finally, we arrived at the Volta Lake, the largest man-made lake in the world when it was completed under Nkrumah, which is located in the Volta Region, near the border of Togo. There, we boarded the Dodi Princess for a 5-hour cruise on the lake. We were served a lunch of roast chicken or grilled fish, spaghetti, and the inevitable rice. Soon after we took off, we were treated to reggae and contemporary highlife by King's Anchor Band, led by A. J. Asamoah, with his combo of singers, guitar players, drummers, etc. The Dodi had three decks, and on the lower deck there was a small swimming pool for the kids. Ben, whom the students have dubbed "Prof," and I took to the dance floor. Half way through the cruise, we docked at a small island, where children came out to greet the passengers, escort them up the hill, and beg for coins.

We stopped on our return to have drinks at the Volta Hotel, a lovely facility on a hill, with tables on the balcony overlooking the river.

At 6:00, we arrived at the Chances Hotel in Ho, where we'll spend three nights. Today, the group has a long day.  They'll journey for 1 1/2 hrs. to the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary to feed the monkeys, then go another hour to the Wi Waterfalls, where they'll walk for 45 minutes over slippery rocks to the falls and then face a 3-hour drive back to the hotel. This morning I pretended to have a queasy stomach because I was not in the mood for the long drive, difficult conditions, lack of sanitary food, and no toilet facilities. I guess I'm not much of an "adventure" traveler.

Instead, I had a leisurely, late breakfast (by myself! privacy at last!), will spend the day swimming and then reading and writing in my journal around the pool. This afternoon, I'll go into Ho and look for Jane, the sister of Mother's caregiver Evelyn, at the SSNIT Canteen. Tomorrow, though, I'll be up and running with the gang again. Love and peace, Miriam

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Notable Black Memphians (Miriam DeCosta-Willis)—This biographical and historical study by Miriam DeCosta-Willis (PhD, Johns Hopkins University and the first African American faculty member of Memphis State University) traces the evolution of a major Southern city through the lives of men and women who overcame social and economic barriers to create artistic works, found institutions, and obtain leadership positions that enabled them to shape their community. Documenting the accomplishments of Memphians who were born between 1795 and 1972, it contains photographs and biographical sketches of 223 individuals (as well as brief notes on 122 others), such as musicians Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin, activists Ida B. Wells and Benjamin L. Hooks, politicians Harold Ford Sr. and Jr., writers Sutton Griggs and Jerome Eric Dickey, and Bishop Charles Mason and Archbishop James Lyke—all of whom were born in Memphis or lived in the city for over a decade. . .  .

 

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posted 27 July 2009