In the Jungle

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I’ve managed to convince the government of Ghana and the University of Ghana-Legon to permit me to travel and study here for the next four months. Hopefully it will be a positive learning experience (it will be a learning experience regardless of whether it is acquired through bad or good instances), and I’ll return with many stories, customs, and souvenirs to share.
But first, lets get a few things correct about Ghana.
  • Giraffes, lions, and gazelles do not share the streets with humans, cars, and bikes. Lions aren’t native to Ghana, so there won’t be any wake up calls from roars.
  • People don’t speak using clicking noises; that happens among the Khoisan in south Africa.
  • Africa is not one country filled with separate states. There are 54 individual countries with varying languages, ethnic groups, and historical legacies. Ghana alone has six distinct sub-groups, further expanding into sub-sub groups of even more specified characteristics. So, for the Sara Palins out there:1 continent, 54 countries, many, many different peoples.
  • Everyone doesn’t live in huts or in remote villages. Modern technology, including fire and the wheel, are present in Africa. Yes, it is a developing, third world country, and many traditional dwellings exist outside of urban areas. But cars, fridges, planes (hence how I got here), and other amenities are here.
  • The proper term for someone from Ghana is “Ghanaian”. If you’re a foreigner, you are an “obroni”, so don’t use “Ghanaese”, you obroni.

-Reposted from http://obroniinghana.wordpress.com

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