Orientation Paper on Ghana's Culture

Into The Heart of Ghanaian Culture
The White Sheep

Over the course of our two week EAP orientation, we submerged ourselves in the heart of Ghanaian culture, including music and dance, social interaction, and dress. While focusing primarily on these three key elements of Ghanaian culture, this dissertation further emphasizes the unique Ghanaian experience through the eyes of an outsider or "obruni" as I am so often referred. I chose to intertwine my objective personal experience (thoughts, feelings, and attitudes during the duration of the orientation) in addition to the more objective cultural information learned from lecture and personal observation, in order to provide the reader with a complete understanding of my unique cultural experience as the "white sheep."

The white sheep is a play on words of a saying we have in the United States. Usually, in American culture the “outsider," or one who does not fit in, is referred to as the "black sheep." I find that everywhere I go here in Ghana I am usually the one white person in sight. I am the white sheep, the outsider. On the other hand, I am also finding that every day I am adapting and infiltrating more and more into the heart of this beautiful Ghanaian culture. I begin this dissertation with Ghanaian music and dance because I find this cultural component to be at the forefront of the Ghanaian community with its unique emphasis on family and unity.

Traditional African music and dance is a wholesome and spiritual event intended to be enjoyed not just by the individual but by an entire community brought together for the purpose of enjoyment and unity. Whether the genre is reggae, American hip hop, or traditional drumming and African music, the Ghanaian culture across the nation is universally filled with dancing and music. Our dance professor during orientation, Oh Nii Sowah, explained that African traditional dance is about trust, unity, storytelling, reliance and most of all having fun. I find the contrast between Ghanaian and American music very interesting. Ghanaian music emphasizes peace and unity, while American hip hop often depicts drugs, sex, and violence. I wish that the rest of the world could take note of the deeper meaning behind African music, and live by those ideals. These aspects of Ghanaian dance and music (unique to Ghana and Africa as a whole) were revealed to me from the moment I stepped onto the bus at the Accra airport. We were all taught a simple African song, and it was at that very moment that it finally sunk in that I was actually in the heart of Africa. There seems to be an abundance of drumming and African music everywhere I go. In fact, little did I know when I left the United States I would not need an alarm clock in Ghana in order to wake up in the morning. I wake up every morning around 7:00 a.m. to the sound of Ghanaian drumming in the halls of the ISH (International Student Hostel). I experienced the abundance of African music and dance not only during our orientation classes with the dance professor but even on the long bus ride to Kumasi (as depicted in picture – "African drumming on the bus to Kumasi"). The heart-warming dancing and drumming class has been by far my most memorable experience during orientation. So much can be learned of this culture's depth by our “hands-on" musical experience, which cannot be learned from a text book about Ghana. Several of the dance maneuvers involve one's throwing himself or herself into the arms of another (possibly even a stranger) with complete trust that they will make the catch. Furthermore, many of the dances our EAP group learned included the joining of hands across an entire cycle (which is highly symbolic of unity and “oneness”) as we all move in sync with one another. No person is left behind; rather each is cared for by the greater group or community.

In this manner I feel that African traditional dance and music resembles much of what I have experienced of Ghanaian culture. Upon our arrival, our student assistants during orientation, including Eben, Michael, and Grace, made all of us feel like family. This was true even though we all felt the high voltage of culture shock of leaving one culture only to be plopped down right in the middle of another. The Ghanaians were all so extremely hospitable and went out of their way to ensure that we were all so very comfortable. I am starting to realize “akwaaba” does not simply mean "welcome" in Twi. Rather, it encompasses the adoption of outsiders into Ghanaian culture. I am often greeted by fellow Ghanaian students with the words "akwaaba my brother," meaning welcome to our Ghanaian family.

I now turn to social interaction, the second major tenet of Ghanaian culture. Within the realm of social interaction I analyze the role of family, gender roles , social scripts, taboos and cross-culture interaction. At the forefront of Ghanaian social culture is the concept of the family. The “family” includes not only blood relations but friendship and extended relatives. In an orientation lecture titled “Ghana, The Land and Its People,” Dr. Osman Alhassan emphasized that family is the most important and vital aspect of Ghanaian culture. He mentioned that Ghana is not like the Unites States where one could call 911 and have an ambulance pick them up within minutes. In Ghana, a friend or part of the family would drive you to the hospital. In Ghana you are much more reliant on your family for support, and for helping one another out in a time of need. The communal family relationship is clearly evident even in the way most Ghanaian families eat their meals. Unlike the United States, where a dinner may consist of a McDonalds fast food meal all by themselves, in Ghana the family eats out of the same bowl, at the same table, and at the same time. This Ghanaian type of strong family interaction is a rarity in the United States. My Ghanaian roommate further explained to me that in Ghana there is not “old person's homes” or convalescent homes, rather the elders are taken care of by their family. The use of the words brother and sister are often used by Ghanaians because in their culture "friends" are also part of their family.

Over the course of orientation I observed numerous gender-specific social differences between Ghanaians and Americans. The men seem to be very outgoing and excited to meet the obrunis with great interest in our American culture. It is important to note that when it comes to interactions with "men,” my experience as a white male is quite different from the experience of a white foreign female. Professor Irene Odotei warned us during her lecture on “The Challenges of Living in Ghana” that the men here are good people but many men are extremely proactive and upfront about expressing their interest in the foreign women. These words of wisdom became reality upon our arrival at the Kumasi craft villages (Bonwire, Ntonso, and Ahwi). At least seven of my fellow female friends from the EAP group were given marriage proposals by Ghanaian men they had just met at the craft villages. My personal interactions with Ghanaian men have been very positive. For example, on the fourth day of orientation I got completely lost on my way back to the ISH (International Student Hostile). Two Ghanaians offered to walk me twenty-five minutes across campus to ensure I reached my destination safely. As I walk around school I am constantly stopped and asked “Are you OK?” which is the Ghanaian way of checking in and making sure I am having a good time. The Ghanaian students seem to go to great effort to show hospitality and kindness toward our EAP group.

The female Ghanaians are very much more reserved than the males. I have noticed that other than giggling as I walk by, most student Ghanaian women will not take the initiative to make conversation with me. At first I assumed they did not like obrunis or they were a little scared of me because I am so different, but I later learned that it is taboo in the Ghanaian culture for a women to appear extremely outgoing when interacting with a man they had just met. I was told in lecture that as long I take the initiative and greet the female Ghanaians first, they will begin to open up and accept me as a friend.
During the lecture portion of orientation we touched upon just a few of the social taboos in the Ghanaian culture such as using your left hand to greet another individual. The left hand is supposed to be only used for private matters such as in the washroom “bathroom.” Furthermore, I learned the hard way that giving someone the thumbs up and then immediately putting the thumb down is a sign of great disrespect. (Similar to “flipping someone the bird” as we say in the United States.) The lecture on this matter was a little too late for me because upon arrival I gave the customs security guard a thumbs up and received a very hateful stare. Lastly, if someone offers you water it is rude not to accept, even if you do not want any water, and it is rude to stare an elder in the eye when he or she is talking. This taboo is quite different in the United States because we are taught exactly the opposite, that it is a sign of respect to look someone in the eyes while conversing.
For me, being the "white sheep" brings with it numerous exciting social experiences and unfortunately some negative experiences as well. For example, I love it when young children come up to me and ask to touch my blonde hair because blondeness is a rarity in Ghana. The pure Ghanaian curiosity and zest to learn more about America is a promising sign that Ghana is truly a nation of one people without discrimination. In the lecture “History of Ghana,” Mr. Edem Adotey emphasized that even though the nation of Ghana consists of over forty ethnic groups and five major ethnic divisions, including the Ewe, Ga-Adange, Guans, Akan, and Mole with numerous languages the ethnic and religious divisions, all are tolerant of one another. It is common for a Ghanaian to know 2, 3, or even 4 languages in order to communicate from people of different territories or “tribes.” Furthermore, the tour guide of the Manhyia Palace, where the King resides, explains that the Ghanaian royalty work together to solve social ills. While the President holds supreme jurisdictional power, the parliament and president understand the necessity to work hand in hand with the tribal royalty in order to best benefit the people. The culture seems to be more inquisitive than judgmental, a model much of the world could benefit from following.

I often find it fascinating how much the educated Ghanaians know about American politics and culture yet am honestly disappointed about how little most of America knows about Ghana and about Africa in general. For example, I smile every time I see a billboard which says Akwaaba Obama (Welcome Obama). On the third day of orientation I actually saw a hotel called "Hotel Obama" and there is even a Ghana food product called "Obama biscuits." These frequent visual reminders of Ghanaian partnership and friendship with America made me feel more at home in Ghana.

One of the most memorable of all of the cross-cultural, social experiences of tolerance I have ever encountered in my lifetime happened during our orientation visit to the Elmina Slave Castle. The slave trade, extraction of African natural resources, and African exploitation, are a dark part my American history. Furthermore, since Ghana did not become independent from England until 1957, I expected the tour of the Elmina Castle to be highly critical of the British and other Europeans/Americans for the atrocities committed against their people during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. To my surprise this was not the case. In fact, I was greeted with hugs, handshakes and Ghanaians yelling "Akwaaba" from afar. Our tour guide mentioned that the purpose of the tour was not at all about blame but more about learning from our past. He mentioned several times, “The past was the past and we must learn from Ghana’s history in order to not let the same mistakes happen again.” The tour guide gave us one quite memorable quotation, “Forgiveness is advancement and healing. Blame is the devils tool to inflame the viscous cycle of hatred, racism, and enslavement.” This social and cultural mentality of tolerance whether it is about religion, race, gender, or nationality, is abundant throughout all of Ghana. In only two short weeks of orientation it became very apparent to me that Ghanaians are an accepting culture from which the world has much to learn.

On the other hand, I noted that there are some rather striking misconceptions about white foreigners among some of the Ghanaian people. Being a white male is definitely a double-edged sword. While it does lead to interesting experiences as described above, the experience of being a minority is not always positive. For example, on our EAP excursion to Kumasi, many of the Ghanaians automatically assumed I was rich because of the color of my skin. They begged for money for food, pens for school, water, school books, etc. After I stepped out of the bus in Kumasi, at a craft village named Ntonso, I was swarmed by men yelling at me to go to their shop. Some men grabbed by shoulder or arm and yanked me away to go to their particular businesses. This experience deeply saddened me because of the perception of richness and abundance many Ghanaians have about Americans. In reality, just because I am white does not make me wealthy. I am just another poor college student like many of the Ghanaian students here at the University.

Much of the Ghanaian perception of American youth and the non-educated class comes from American hip-hop music. For example, on my way to the JQB for an orientation lecture on registration, a young boy stopped me and asked if I had a gun and if was I was a rich gangster. Confused, I asked the boy why he had that perception of me. His reply was that that’s what they sing about America in the rap songs. Though I was frustrated that Ghanaian children had this “idealized” view of the USA with abundant drugs, sex and money, it occurred to me that many Americans (even my college friends at UCSB) think all of Africa is a wild bush full of giraffes and elephants similar to the motion picture “The Lion King.” After completing this orientation I am very delighted to break down these misperceptions and ignorance of each other’s culture.

In addition to Ghanaian music and social interaction, the third critical component of Ghanaian culture is the colorful dress. Similar to African music/dance, the Ghanaian clothing is full of great meaning and symbolism. Our orientation arts and crafts lecturer, Professor R.T. Ackam explained that each stamp which is pressed into the fabric (made from bark and other natural resources) has symbolic meaning. For example, some symbols stand for unity, friendship, reciprocity, and even short proverbs and inspirational stories. These beautiful and colorful fabrics can be worn to everyday events and some are saved for special events such as church, weddings, or funerals. The traditional cloth-making process is long and arduous but truly does show the color and brilliance of Ghanaian culture.
It is critical to note that Ghanaian culture is extremely complex and not limited to the three categories I chose to expand upon in this dissertation. I could spend numerous pages on Ghanaian food, media, and celebrations, and how they affect the fabric of life here in Ghana. These aspects are all deeply embedded in the essence of the Ghanaian culture. But I selected music, social interaction, and dress because these aspects were highly emphasized during orientation and electrified my interest. In addition, these three cultural subdivisions each have the common theme of the richness of life which I believe will always be the center of my Ghanaian experience.

Every single day here in Ghana has been a day full of "firsts" - my first bucket shower, my first fufu, my first experience of the true kindness of a people who are very aware of the differences among men but who choose to ignore it. And yes, there have even been some sad "firsts" as well. I was asked by a seemingly starving five-year-old orphan girl to let her come back with me to the Unites States. And when I experienced my first serious spider bite, I saw for the first time the detrimental effects of polio, and other diseases and the difficulties which Ghana has in their hospitals and treatment centers.
The totality of all of these experiences are life changing and I know that they have already made me a better, more well-rounded student with a broader global understanding of the realities of life around the globe. One of the most profound lessons I learned from the EAP orientation is that even though many Ghanaians suffer from malnutrition and poverty, the crime rate per capita is lower than that in the United States (source Wikipedia). Even though many are faced with harsh living conditions, the Ghanaian culture exuberates richness, kindness, acceptance, and appreciation for all that is good.

I would like to thank Aunty Irene, Aunty Sharon, all of the Ghanaian student leaders and coordinators who made this great experience possible. I will take what I learned about Ghanaian culture and acceptance back to my home and use Ghana as an example that, even against all odds, a world free from racism, hatred and contempt is definitely possible.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jason R. Holley