I cannot believe this is my second-to-last blog entry! Before I wrap things up officially next week, I’d like to share with you some random observations on life in Ghana intermixed with the week’s events.
I love the way locals address each other here. For example, when my taxi driver got lost once, to get the attention of a man standing on the side of the road, he shouted “Boss!” And when I excitedly approach the produce market, the vendor gestures to me and inquires: “What do you want today, sister?” I find it reinforces the collectivistic mentality.
Last weekend, I met up with my sisters Alayna, Amanda, Sandrina and Jess at Kokrobite beach which is about an hour’s drive west of Accra. First of all, let me say how fortunate I feel to have spent the summer with them. We are all law school students and even though we know how to have a really good time, we can also have stimulating, intellectual conversations. International human rights law is of interest to us all, so it is my hope that we will be future colleagues in one capacity or another as well as 'sistas' for many years to come. We arrived just as an eclectic African dancing and drumming show was taking place on the beach. Those dances require so much energy and stamina – it was really quite impressive. We chowed down on delicious veggie kebabs as we caught up on a week’s worth of news. (We are placed in different cities in Ghana for our internships so we reunite from across the country on weekends) Among the crowd there were quite a few foreigners but also a ton of Rastafarians. Baba was the first one we met and I took full advantage by quizzing him on how he became a Rasta, what motivated him to take the plunge and how exactly Rastafarianism is connected with God. Baba explained that he grew up in an affluent family but his parents were always fighting and he was very unhappy. One day he was buying bananas from a Rasta and he realized that by joining the movement he could fulfill his need for love that his family failed to provide. He purported that Rastafarianism is all about making others happy so what goes around comes around…
I had the eternal debate over what to have for lunch on the beach the following day. The thing is, I love roasted corn but before I came to Ghana I was told time and time again to refrain from eating fruit and veggies that I did not peel or cut myself. Roasted corn is one of the worst in terms of sanitary food consumption because the vendor touches the cob every time she rotates it (how she doesn’t burn herself is beyond me) but being the rebel that I am I just couldn’t resist… Jess accompanied me so I didn’t feel so guilty and she wisely held me back from getting a piece of coconut that one is supposed to pair with roasted corn. (The pieces were floating in a bucket full of grey-coloured water which I could totally have gotten past, though I agreed with Jess that might be tempting fate). Since I went for the corn, I thought might as well go all the way and purchase a pineapple from the lovely lady strolling up and down the beach. The woman plucked one out of the bowl atop her head, cut it right in front of me and gave me toothpicks to facilitate immediate juicy consumption. All that for less than 1$!! Our second night, we enjoyed a live Reggae concert – it really makes the world feel small when you only have so many friends in a country and you randomly bump into 6 of them on a weekend getaway. We returned to Accra in a completely zen mood. A great way to spend our last weekend all together (Sandrina has already left us and Alayna leaves this week).
Last Tuesday I was very excited because CEPIL was hosting a Round Table Conference entitled: “Empowering emerging environmental leaders to promote sustainable mining, forestry and climate change practices and policies in Ghana.” Quite a mouthful, I know. Two American interns on a Fellowship sponsored by Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) delivered presentations on the technical issues related to cyanide tailings and the comparison between Ghana and the United States in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They were both very interesting in content and provoked a lively discussion amongst the participants afterward. Various civil society representatives were in attendance such as OXFAM, Oil Watch, Ghanaian journalists, etc. The conference was supposed to begin at 9am but we hadn’t started by 10:30!! That’s what we call “Ghana time.”
I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the different challenges Ghana faces regarding the mining industry compared to the US. Most of the mines in Ghana are located in heavily populated areas and the communities are displaced without compensation in order for the companies to begin extraction. In Ghana there is also little public opposition against companies’ actions and there is next to no access to information. Ghana’s Freedom of Information Act has been stuck at the bill stage for years. And finally, the Environmental Protection Agency in the US is required to complete an independent analysis of the findings rather than simply relying on the data provided by the mining companies.
I was expecting the Q & A portion of the conference to begin with a long, awkward silence as it usually does in Canada. Here, people couldn’t wait to put their two cents in. It was great! I also enjoyed the way the participants used Ghanaian proverbs to illustrate their point. We were discussing the mining companies’ bad record and a man said: it’s as if the person selling you cloth is himself naked.” As in, we can’t trust a mining company to behave in Ghana if they have a bad record in other countries. Another favourite: “If you want to eat with the devil, you need a long spoon.” I think the speaker meant be cautious in your negotiations with a mining company because you never know what they have up their sleeve.
I’ve noticed that there is a severe lack of dessert on offer in Ghanaian cuisine and this week I may have discovered the reason why. Talking amongst my colleagues at work it came up that generally speaking, Ghanaians only go to the dentist if they have a toothache – I spoke to three individuals all over the age of 28 who had NEVER been to the dentist! Ever! For the greater population, cost is a factor but these were lawyers I was conversing with who could definitely afford it – they just don’t have the same preventative attitude and dental health education here. I now also understand why chewing sticks are so popular. I always thought it was just a pastime but the sticks actually contain natural fluoride so they clean your teeth as you chew.
For Sandrina’s last night we went to our friend Alima’s resto-bar (remember the woman we met at the National Theatre who we then went biking with?) It turns out that her best friend is getting married and Alima invited us to the engagement party next Saturday! Attending a wedding was on my list of Ghana “to-do”s and apparently the engagement is a much bigger deal than the wedding so I am so excited! The bride wants everyone to wear white and gold so I am having a white linen dress made and Alima is arranging something gold for us to wear in our hair.
Only one more week left in Ghana – I’m determined to go out with a bang.
This blog is sponsored in part by Campbell Cohen
