Meeting the masked Journalist

We had 3 really amazing lectures today and then the afternoon free, hence my ability to catch up on my blogging.

Dr. Emmanuel Debrah gave an overview of politics in Ghana, beginning primarily with Kwame Nkrumah and political independence in 1957. The country became a free nation in 1960, where Nkrumah was elected as the first president and led the Convention People's Party. He governed until 1966, until a military coup, funded by the CIA, overthrew him. Nkrumah was radical and a socialist, and connected to Eastern governance, and so naturally, the United States funded his downfall.

Ghana has a history of coups. Jerry Rawlings' coup of 1979 was of the most substantial. He was already in power when he ran and won the presidency in 1992, under the National Democratic Congress (just a subsidiary of his previous regime) and served as head of state until 2001. During his presidency, he borrowed lot's of money and Ghana became seriously indebted. Ghana is preparing for a presidential election this November.

The second lecture was absolute fascinating, conducted by a sociologist on traditional medicine. Kodjo Senah went in-depth into the 3 recognizable healing systems in Ghana: allopathetic or bio-medicine, which constitutes hospitals, clinics and Western medicine, indigenous healing facilities, and asiatic or natural healing systems.

He spoke of Ghana's health problems. Infant mortality is very high and 1 out of 10 babies die before the age of 5. In rural areas, only 40% have access to good drinking water and 30% to functioning toilet facilities. The doctor patient ratio is 1 : 13,000. The average age in Ghana is 19.

Part of colonization and the promotion of Christianity and Westernization included a systematic attack on local, traditional practices. In 1892, a law was instituted called The Native Customs Regulation Ordinance, which banned traditional healing. The rift between traditional healers and Western doctors is still prevalent in Ghana. And only after independence, were the rights of traditional healers restored. Nkrumah created an association for traditional healers, but when his government was co-opted, the association also came down.

In 1975, the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine was founded and there became a boost of herbal medicine. Even though Christian and elite groups, and medical professionals are still trying to kill indigenous medicine, the government is working to implement herbal medicines into local hospitals. Healers have had increased visibility since the 1980s and many even have billboards advertising their skills.

The final speaker was Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Amereyaw Anas. Famous for his undercover work for BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera. He walked into the room with his face completely covered and explained that his "anonymity is his secret weapon." He disguises himself in various costumes to enter spaces where corruption or illegal activity is running rampant, and with hidden cameras, he films people in the very illegal act and uses that footage to convict them. He calls it "problem-solving journalism" and it's his way of "dealing with weak institutions." He aims to make meaningful change in society and for the people of his community. He's a trained lawyer, but also a realist and listens to what his community needs.

Anas was tired of hearing the same old stories of Africa, and of Western journalists parachuting in to his communities to capture surface-level stories. He is adamant that Africans must tell their own stories and their own way. He left us by saying, "hopefully one day I won't need to wear this mask."

I made sure I got a selfie with this brave, brave man.

Music video shoots in Ghana

So much has happened since I've last written! I've finally found the time to head out on my own and immerse myself into the music scene.

Saturday night was special. I ventured to a very new spot called Sand Box and it was so in the cut that my taxi driver had to ask about 10 different people for directions. At one point he even gave my phone to a local to try to figure out directions from M.anifest's cousin, who I was communicating with to help get me there.

Tree barks were carved as mini tables and held Club, "the truly Ghanaian beer." A huge projector captivated the room and displayed a football (soccer) game, in which I had no idea what was going on, but everyone was very in to. Big L spun incredible tunes, hits from the 90s and early 00s, by DMX, Nelly, Missy Elliott, Jay Z, 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, Pharrell, Busta Rhymes. I was getting my life! All American music, though. People would literally go from rapping along to Biggie, to screaming at the screen, and back to rapping again. The vibes were so good.

Close to 8pm, M.anifest walked in, running late from a wedding. The professional lights turned on and the camera got in position. He enlisted a South African director and a Lebanese videographer to shoot his video. I ended up making several cameos! The first scene was of us dancing to his song. At first, people were being very shy, so I encouraged a cypher and had us all take turns dancing in the middle. Then people started sweating and smiling. I ended up bonding very much with about 5 women or so, who are in university in Ghana. Patrina, who I talked to the most, ended up living very close to the NYU dorms and we shared a cab home.

Sunday, was such a long day. I watched and photographed another music video shoot from start to finish. I finally had a chance to meet up with Wanlov the Kubolor, who is both famous and controversial in Ghana. He performs as a solo artist and is 1/2 of the FOKN Bois (pronounced just like it looks: fuckin' boys.) Wanlov also shoots, directs and edits artists' videos. Yesterday he was handling the video for up and coming rapper, Joey B. The FOKN Bois are known for their satirical music. They've created musicals, and they have records addressing government corruption, homophobia in Africa, double standards for women in Islam, all with a satirical twist.

I took a cab to Wanlov's house and he met me on the street wearing just a towel. We then shared a local Ghanaian dish for lunch called Banku, which his daughter's mother prepared for us. He previewed an incredible video he was editing, as well as featured on, addressing the plastic ware issue in Ghana. Ghana currently has no recycling system and a very poor trash system. Garbage is essentially dumped into the ocean. People often go to beaches just to use the bathroom. One the sides of roads, there are drains, meant to send excess water into the ocean. Last year, plastic bags clogged the systems and 150 people died from flooding. Wanlov made an appearance in the video completely naked, with Ghanaian President Mahama's face censoring his genitals.

We went off to North Kaneshie, a neighborhood in Accra where Joey B grew up and lived for 18 years. The first scene took place right in front of his house. I took some amazing photos, which I need better internet access to edit and upload, so stand by.

It took quite long to set up initially. Power is a major problem in Ghana, and there are often blackouts. Wanlov, barefoot and with just a wrap around his waist, kept asking shop owners for extension cords. "I got power for you," one person yelled. Wanlov also wears an electrical construction hat, meant to be symbolic for the blackouts Ghana experiences.

The second scene was in a huge complex with a basketball court and 2 soccer fields. It was Sunday and everyone was outside playing. Wanlov used a drone camera to shoot Joey in front of the basketball court, yet in an aerial position. Finally, Joey rode his bike throughout his neighborhood, while we all piled into a pickup truck. Wanlov lay flat and filmed Joey riding slowly behind us.

We drove into a populated residential area, where children played and their parents watched on from porches. Everyone stared at us as we were driving, I assumed because we were a caravan of cameras and people with Joey's single blasting. A group of very young girls jumped and clapped in unison, with beautiful smiles. They all shouted "obruni! obruni! They were so cute, I almost cried. I smiled and turned towards the woman next to me and asked what they were yelling: white woman. I felt so embarrassed.

We made a quick pitstop for kelewele, fried plantains seasoned with spices, which is my favorite thing in Ghana. Finally people stopped yelling for me and began yelling at Wanlov, shouting his name, and confirming his celebrity status. All throughout the shoot I was discussing with the guys about the hip-hop scene here. They said a couple different things: Ghana is experiencing their Golden Age of hip-hop, very similar to ours in the 1990s. Rap is lyrically-driven, with hard-hitting production and based on reality. I also heard that there is very little political or conscious rap and most people are trying to be commercially and financially successful. Finally, that Ghana is very influenced by reggae and dancehall and that is one of the most popular musical styles. The parallels between Jamaica and Ghana are extraordinary.

Enough for now, I'll try to upload photos when I can.

Day 3 + 4

Yesterday was nonstop and I'm already behind on my blogging. But here's a recap:

The students and I were given 3 lectures by professors and experts in various aspects of Ghanaian history and culture. Prof Akosua Adoma Perbi of the University of Ghana gave an unbelievable history of Ghana in an one hour span, covering political and social organizations, religion, slavery and the slave trade, colonial rule, independence and nationalism. She ended by teaching us a short gospel tune.

Daniel Appiah Adjei was the second speaker, a playwright and part of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Ghana. He lectured on the connections between religion and culture in Ghana. His thesis, being that religion and culture are inextricably linked, and that every aspect of Ghanian culture is inspired by a religious point of view. There are 3 dominant religions: Western Christianity, Islam and "traditional." Followers of Christianity make up 62% of the 28 million Ghanian population.
The final lecturer spoke of arts and entertainment in Ghana, as well as tourism and food. (Although I've been grubbing on Jollof, which is well-known Ghanaian rice dish, fu fu is still a must try.)

After the lectures on campus, we took a walk around our neighborhood. Bright and intricate printed dresses served as middle school uniforms, amazing fresh mango and pineapple were available on every corner, and waves and smiles were offered from everyone.

Today we visited Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's memorial and museum. There is one magnificent statue of him pointed in the distance, among rows of warriors, guarding his massive temple where he and his wive's bodies lie. Another, older statue of Nkrumah is displayed in parts. The head was decapitated during a military coup to take over his presidency. There is also a museum of some books and artifacts. Pictures of him with W.E.B. DuBois, JFK, Fidel Castro, and leaders of India, Malaysia, China, and many, many other places. The tour guide spoke proudly of Nkrumah's legacy in Ghana, championing independence for his people and country, and leading it's first political party.

We had lunch sitting on the beach, watching horses, live performers and children play and swim. Now, I'm off to meet M.anifest, a famous Ghanaian hiplife artist for a beach party.

Day 2: Markets on Markets

Jet lag is still very real, but today was filled with history, culture and politics.

The students had orientation at the NYU Accra campus, which I accompanied them too. We learned "cultural do's and don'ts," like never shake or greet someone with your left hand, and clasping the hand and sliding with a finishing snap is preferred, (their greeting looks identical to our daps.) "Chale" meaning buddy or friend and "chop" for food are common Ghanaian sayings.

There are 15 local languages in Accra, even though English is the official one and the language of education. If you carry a bag over your shoulder, it must be on the opposite shoulder to traffic, to avoid being snatched and your body dragged by men on bikes. Oh, and I quote, "Slim people are not really in here." I'm definitely not skipping any meals! The food is so good, too. Jollof is the most amazing rice dish I've ever had. When driving, landmarks are used over street names and you regularly use your hand to signal switching lanes. Traffic is madness at 2pm.

We met with the former Ghanaian mayor today who held office from 1994-1998 and is widely respected. His name is Prof. Nat Amartefio, but out of respect, we called him Uncle Nat. He gave us a brief yet in-depth history of Ghana— through early civilization, colonization and the exploitation of gold to people. He commented that the slave trade was abolished not because the Western world cared about trading human bodies, but because of industrialization. They needed resources versus labor and this way, indigenous people could cultivate them.

Ghana and many of the West African countries generate revenue through their informal economy, mostly in the form of market places, which are dominated and controlled by women. There are many major markets in Ghana and each have thousands of traders, 6 days a week, from 5am to 9pm. The markets roll in over 100 million a week.

We visited one and it was just unbelievable. Streets on streets on streets were swarming with traders. Some shops had store fronts and multiple levels, and some women just walked around with large metal pots containing goods on top of their heads. Everyone was selling something. Clothes, jewelry, baskets, giant snails, fruit, water, there was nothing you couldn't find, and the culture was bargaining.

After the market, we visited city hall and discussed with the Mayor's top advisors the construction plans and economic value of these markets. They had ambitious infrastructure plans to rebuild each market place with police posts, daycares, temperature controlled rooms. Millions of dollars will be put in to improving these markets, as those millions will come back.

Day 1: We arrived

I don't know if it was the combination of excitement, anxiety or my general insomnia that kept me from sleeping during the 10 hour flight. But as the pilot announced our descent and Lemonade played from my headphones, sleep was of no concern.

The instant the landscape changed from clouds to grounds, the whole plane darted their heads to catch a glimpse. Smiles crept onto our faces. Some passengers stared at their home they were returning to, and others at their entry point to the "motherland." Ghana was on the horizon and it was already beautiful. We landed just as the sun reached its peak and as Beyonce's"Freedom" rang.

A flight from Dakar arrived at the same time and the airport was mayhem. But an hour or so later we were outside, and there were beautiful women and men carrying everything from baskets, food, and work materials on top of their heads. We quickly learned that everything could be bought in traffic. 2 young men riding horses waved. The smiles were plentiful.

I'm settled into the dorms now and the AC feels lovely. It's rainy season, and apparently "much cooler".... It's hot af. Also, I already semi-electrocuted myself trying to finagle with my adaptors. Ow.

Time is so leisurely here, which makes it feel like an immediate vacation from the pace of New York City. Everything takes time, but time is also not an issue. I've already contacted some artists who I'm looking to interview. We'll meet eventually. Right now I'm just soaking it all in, trying not to miss anything and remember everything.

'Till next time.

Tomorrow, I travel

I'm one day away from my 2 month trip to Ghana, and it's hard to believe it's finally here. I remember just getting to NYU last fall and meeting with professors who I admired and shared research interests with. The one thing they all told me was that I must apply to be Frankie Edozien's Grad assistant for his summer course in Ghana. So I did.

It was probably October when I began preparing my resume and seriously blowing Frankie up. I wanted in. I have never been to the continent of Africa before, though I've long engaged in African dance and African studies. It was too early for him to even consider a candidate, but he promised to keep me in mind.

I'm not sure if we even met that first semester. But during our first time meeting, we connected immediately. I felt reinvigorated, that this trip could truly be possible. It was and it's happening tomorrow.

I'm prepared, even though I keep trying to stuff things into my suitcase... (s)— For those who know me, they know packing light isn't a reality in my life. I'm nervous, I've never traveled for this long, I've never traveled alone (I'm staying on 3 weeks after the program ends to continue my thesis research). I really have no idea of how anything will be. But Accra will be home for the next 2 months and for that I am so grateful.

I know my research will be enhanced, my writing will change. I'll probably change, but mostly, I'm excited to live. So here's a place to document my writing, thoughts, photographs, experiences. This is #ViewsfromAccra.