Ghana: Day 4

We’re docking in South Africa tomorrow and I’m feeling pretty ill, so I’ll need to wrap up this blog about Ghana ASAP. I guess I won’t be doing as detailed an account of Day 4 as I initially planned. Here it is in brief:

I woke up early the next morning, had a very fruity breakfast, then was graced with a rare group discussion with the village elders. Here’s what stuck out to me: when asked what the greatest problem in Tagorme was, the chief told us “poverty”. “But,” he insisted, the poverty was a result of the village’s lack of education. As the old man had told me on day 3, villagers only had a primary school, but aside from that had no feasible access to secondary or higher education. How, then, could they be expected to learn skills? Then men knew how to weave and fish. The women knew how to make pots. But those skills alone were not enough to bring money into a village when most of everyone else already has their own fish, cloth, and pots. If given the option, they would not spend so much time making pots by hand. They would rather use machines. “Forget tradition”, they said. All they wanted more than anything in the entire world was for their children to get an education and bring their village into the modern world.

The chief posed a question to us. “What will you do for us?” We didn’t really know what to say. They had an idea to market their crudely-made pots in the USA to further their sales range, but as my professors explained to me later, this was simply an illogical business move which would bring in no money. They wanted us to contact our schools and set up exchange programs for Ghanaian students. This one seemed for reliable, but the problem for Tagorme was in secondary education, not higher education. Who in the USA would be willing to feed and house a Ghanaian student through middle and high school? It’s a tough situation. None of us knew what to do.

To finish off the day we went to a game reserve for lunch, whereupon a baboon attempted to steal my lunch. I caught the bastard red-handed and scared him away. He then came back with six of his baboon buddies, who stole another girl’s lunch. We spent the next hour throwing apples at the hungry baboons surrounding us. I am now two for two in countries where I’m attacked by apes.

I miss Ghana dearly. I want to go back as soon as I can, hopefully in an education-related role. I don’t much approve of Americans going into countries and promising to “help and save” them, like they’re children. But when the actual inhabitants of said country come straight up to you over and over again and say “help us”, how can you say no? The Ghanaians didn’t ask for money. The people of Tagorme didn’t dig into my wallet as I was sleeping, which they could have done easily. All they wanted was an opportunity, a chance at social mobility like we have at least somewhat in the States. I want to help give them that opportunity. Fulbright? Yes? No? Maybe?

People discount the value of a good education. Ghanains will be quick to tell you why you’re a moron for doing so.