1 Month In, It's Still Good To Be Home

Sorry for the delayed post, but it’s been pretty busy with the beginning of classes. Unfortunately, I just returned from the barbershop… I didn’t really mention it before, but I had planned on growing my hair out while I was here, and I hadn’t trimmed it in almost 2 months. We’re at the tail end of the rainy season, which means it only gets hotter from here. Upon further consideration (i.e. the already blazing heat amplified by the notorious Sub-Saharan sun) I realized that it’s too hot for that nonsense.

Anyway, classes have been pretty cool so far. For different reasons I actually switched up my course load around, so my semester is looking a little different now. In addition to Twi (the language of the Ashanti spoken by many Ghanaians), I’m taking Politics of Int’l Economic Relations, Regional Development, and Geography of the Developing World. Courses meet for an excruciating 2 hours a week, but since the lectures are so dense, we end up with a lot more free time. Besides those courses, I’m also working on this independent study that I’m really excited about. Basically, I’ll be researching development strategies implemented here by the World Bank & IMF. Since colonial independence in 1957, there has remained a colonial relationship between Ghana and the First World. This dependency has largely been facilitated by development strategies that have effectively disempowered the local economy. Anyway, that’s the gist of it, and maybe I’ll post the final paper once it’s done. Even though I can’t make any beats or watch TV in my free time, I’m really glad I have ample time for my own thoughts. I’ve been especially reflective lately, and that sometimes results in sporadic introversion that leaves me locked in my room with my thoughts and some good music. I have been a lot of intensely meaningful experiences lately, and even though it would be convenient to keep it moving once they’re complete, I think it would be irresponsible for me to brush them off without extensive thought. For example, even though it was like 2 weeks ago, I’m still digesting my experience at the slave castle. Some things just stay with you. This may come across as me being anti-social, but I actually spend the majority of my time in groups hanging out with friends. I really enjoy social interactions here, because with the absence of distractions (wireless internet, video games, frivolous cell phone calls, extracurriculars, and the like) you get to actually exchange ideas and rediscover the lost art of conversation. (Imagine that! Real humans instead of virtual ones on MySpace and Facebook!)




I actually got the chance to meet with my Poli Sci teaching assistant yesterday to discuss the independent study, and I had the latest in many refreshing conversations with brothas over here. After spending and hour or two in the library (pictured above) discussing ideas and reviewing literature, we talked Ghanaian politics and discussed the ethnic divisions that have plagues the electoral process lately. Later that night, I went out with a few of my boys here and a recent graduate. Like we often do, Jason and I engaged them in conversation regarding what it means for us to be in Africa as African Americans. Unlike our previous discussions, this one included a Fante. This ethnic group inhabits the coast of the nation, and in the beginning of the slave trade, their leaders basically acted as middlemen for European slave traders. In crude terms, we basically talked about the sale of our ancestors to a descendant of the people who sold them. What also made this conversation interesting is that we all acknowledged that you can’t blame someone for what their ancestors did. There was no finger pointing, especially since the Fante today hardly enjoy any sustained economic gain or success from the sale of fellow Africans. This is the main difference between them and their former European trade partners, who conveniently used our ancestors to build their nation from scratch, free of charge. Reminders of this phenomenon are still all around us. (Brown University, anyone?) However, our Fante friend did express disappointment in the actions of his forefathers and openly welcomed us back home. A lot of people forget that many Africans (at least initially) were willing participants in the trade of slaves, and even though they were taken advantage of and didn’t reap any long-term benefits of the practice, they were largely responsible for the exodus of the Diaspora. This is a complex issue that I’ve been throwing around a lot, so I’ll just cut this thought short since it’s turning into another long-winded reflection.

There’s so much going on here, so I can’t really go into much detail about everything. I wish I could share every experience with you, and it’s really hard to select which ones to discuss, so I’ll just list some highlights from the past 2 weeks:

-I’ve been frequenting a local lounge called Hypnotiq where people come to share poems and songs by candlelight. It’s been a cool experience, especially since I’ve gotten a pretty warm reception to my rap verses disguised as poetry.

-I don’t think I mentioned this before, but the wildlife on campus is pretty wild. Vultures are in a few spots on campus during the day, and I see them on the way to class during the week. What’s even more common are the bats flying overhead at night. They stay in the canopy and don’t bother people, but they are pretty loud.

-The Accra nightlife has been treating us pretty well. We’ve already hit up about a few clubs so far, and I think we’re going to a ‘black and white’ (attire, not people) party tonight at some new spot.

-I’ve been handing out some CD’s and gotten a really warm reception by local listeners. I think may actually be hitting up the campus radio station to do an in-studio. I’ll definitely post about that if it ends up panning out.

-We seem to think that Africa’s late with their music and culture. If that’s the case, why did I get hooked up with the new Kanye a day early? haha. (Oh, and for those of you hip-hop industry insiders: Curtis lost.)

-It’s been really inspiring to be here in person, and I’ve been writing a good amount lately. I have a lot of ideas about production too, so I hope I can retain the vibes I’ve absorbed here when I get back to the lab. I may mess around and complete a whole ‘nother album during winter break. (Yet another shameless plug time: You did cop the last one, didn’t you? Well did you tell your friends?: http://www.heavenoutside.net/ccount/click.php?id=3 )

It’s been a month and 2 days since I’ve been here, so I’m happy to say I’m pretty well settled in. Obviously, there’s only so accustomed you can be to a culture as someone who didn’t grow up there. However, I feel very comfortable maneuvering here, and most of my self-consciousness has dissipated. I’m starting to speak enough Twi to get by, and I’ve impressed some of my friends with the few phrases I can manage. With that said, there have been a lot of interesting, almost quirky trends and phenomena that I’ve started to take note of here. I think I’ll dedicate a whole post to these observations and try to provide you with some photos as well. That’s all for now, and thanks for reading. Also, feel free to hit up the comments box below! I got 1 in my last 2 posts, and I like hearing from ya’ll. You know, I could use an incentive to hit up this super-slow computer lab every now and then. Peace and blessings, ya’ll.