back in Belgium February 3, 2012

As the title suggests I am back in Belgium, earlier than expected and for a good reason since I am starting monday my new and first real job. I am actually going to get paid (!) to do research and write my PhD on the effects of urbanization in a rapidly changing secondary town in Ghana. I am over the moon with it and can’t really believe this is happening to me. I got the e-mail unexpectedly and a couple of weeks later I was telling my boss at UNESCO that I would be leaving the next week for Belgium. I was and am sad to leave the internship prematurely, I felt that I hadn’t even properly started my task and so many interesting and inspiring things are happening in the culture field with UNESCO in Ghana! The beauty of this job is that it will keep on bringing me back to Ghana (as if a Ghanaian husband wouldn’t do that, right!) so I will be able to keep in touch.

I was surprised by my colleagues with a goodbye party and a whole host of presents, it was hearth warming. I often find myself thinking about them and hoping that the UNESCO crisis will not affect them too harshly.

I have been back one month now, getting re-energized and spending quality time with my husband. Generally getting ready for this new and exciting challenge ahead of me. I am ready to tackle it!

Chemical barber December 10, 2011

The List November 30, 2011

As I said before I have been trying to figure out what keeps on drawing me back to Africa, and Ghana more specifically.

And I will start with the cliches!

- The colours, oh yes the colours! Compared to Belgium it often feels like you have moved from black and white to full-on, rich colourschemes. Compared to Belgium with it’s grey skies and brownstone houses, Ghana is so colourful with its red dusty roads, houses painted in the most bright and odd combinations,  the colourful clothes worn graciously by its inhabitants, all against the deep green of the splendid nature here in the south of Ghana.

- The laughs and smiles. Ghanaians like joking paa. They will laugh with something said on radio, things happening in the traffic, or generally talk jokingly.

- The animated conversations with wild hand gestures. I like just listening into conversations, watching the liveliness.

- The sun of course. In our household, contrary to what you might think, I am the cold one. I might be going in for jackets and scarves, while my husband is still walking around in his t-shirt!

- “Feel Free!” And they sure feel free, free to say their opinion on anything, you can call in on a radio-show and complain about the water/road/electricity/… situation in your area. It all happens in such a way that the politicians responsible feel the need to go on air and defend themselves or promise changes. But also “Feel free”, do what you want, what you like, and take your time doing it.

- The convenience of Road Side Food. It is just one gigantic drive-through, or walk-through. Sometimes I catch myself when in Belgium, feeling hungry or thirsty looking out for a basket of oranges or biscuits or water, floating by on somebody’s head.

- How everything is so chaotic but yet there still is a system in it. Once you think you have figured out the system, it all shakes up and the rules of the game have changed.

- The hospitality and generosity. When I just started my work here in Accra people were worried if I could find my way to and from work, catching the right trotro, dropping of at the right place, not such an easy thing considering the chaos mentioned before. But I assured them they shouldn’t worry and all would work out, I just have to ask somebody and I will be directed. It is so different from the mentality in Belgium. Strangers easily come up to you to make friendly conversations, not necessarily asking for something! And when you are in trouble, you can sure expect help from a passer-by.

- Music. Music is such a vital part of life here. It is everywhere, from the churches and the mosques, to the bars, the schools, the trotro’s, the streets, etc. You shouldn’t be surprised when you suddenly hear somebody starting to sing, out of the blue when sitting in a deadly quiet and hot trotro or any other place for that matter. And together with music is dance, dancing seems to be in the blood! You can see small children dancing on the cheers and claps of their parents.

- The heart of society is the street. Oh, how full of life a street can be! Everything happens on the road side! Whole families put up camp for the day, selling ANY thing, street-mama’s serving breakfast or dinner for their hungry customers.  You can spend hours watching life pass on your street, an activity I have been engaged in often, especially with the recent black-outs in our area, which makes literally everybody flee from their hot houses to the street. And it makes me remember how we laugh in Belgium with old people pulling out their chairs on a nice summer day to sit in front of their house.

 

I am sure I am missing so many points, there is this energy here in the air, a vibrant and lively atmosphere that makes me realize so many times a day “yes, I enjoy being here”.

Those of you who have been here you can add yours!

language ingenuity-tribute to grassroot literacy November 22, 2011

I finally was able to get a good shot of one of the many hilarious inscriptions I come across daily.

Klothing – Second Skin Creation: made me laugh for a long time!

November 15, 2011

I have so many drafts lying around but never seem to have enough time to hit the publish button! So today I will try my best to get something out there.

Things are going good here, I am starting to love what I am doing after the initial clash with the UN-administrative reality. It is funny to be at the other side of the critiques and theoretical discussions we had during CADES. But I am learning a lot here and seeing a lot of new things and witnessing the energy that is on the ground here. Last week UNESCO co-organized a conference on cultural cities here in Accra. Delegations from other African cities aspiring to be cultural capitals were also present. There were lots of presentations, discussions, ideas, opinions, etc. Particularly interesting was a meeting organized for policy makers, with civil society present, which brought a special atmosphere to the conference hall.

I am also loving being in Ghana. I have been trying to think of reasons why I like it so much here, trying to move beyond the clichés of the sun, the people and the colors. Slowly I am coming up with a list (I do like lists!). Of course I don’t like everything here: in Accra the dust and dirt make me long for the green hills of Koforidua and the loud music played until late by some neighborhood clubs/churches/individuals is disturbing at times. But the loves still outweigh the hates, luckily.

Being abroad in a different culture from the one I grew up in gives me an interesting viewpoint on the culture I am currently in but also on my own culture. Airing ideas for project proposals or making a contribution to a conference or workshop, I have had comments of ‘we being here wouldn’t think of that’, or ‘we don’t see the value in our own culture as outsiders do.’During the conference that my department co-organized the question was raised if there is one Ghanaian national culture, shouldn’t we rather talk about all the separate 70 something cultures. I as an outsider couldn’t understand how they couldn’t see this national identity I see. There is no such thing as a cultural vacuum, there is always cross pollution and cultural borrowing. There are cultural elements like the adinkra symbols, kente, the phrase ‘Akwaaba!’, beads, foods, etc. that now symbolize the national identity.

Being here also makes me look at my own culture with different eyes. Any conversation will start with the question of my name, it being a difficult for English mouths dutch name it will lead to the language I speak as a mother tongue. Some people will assume I am from Holland, until I correct them to say I am from Belgium. People knowing Belgium will get confused and ask me if I speak Flemish then. Which to me is such a weird question that I will answer loudly: ‘NO, I am a BELGIAN. I speak DUTCH.’ I never ever heard somebody say ‘I speak Flemish’!

Anyway, I’ll leave you with some pictures of how my morning looks like. Have a great week!