Ghanaian Funeral Coincidence

This weekend I went to Takoradi for a funeral. I have been to quite a few funerals since I moved to Ghana. However this time,  I was invited to the funeral and my husband accompanied me.

As usual for a Ghanaian funeral, it was a multi-day event for hundreds and hundreds of people, but being closer to the bereaved family, I saw more nuances, had more people to ask and hence understood slightly more than I have before.

This picture is from having a snack on the roadside after the burial. By chance, the newspaper that is wrapped around the smoking hot charcoal-grilled plantains on this day happened to be the Obituary section…

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Census 2010 in Ghana


The Ghana 2010 Census has the catchy slogan “you count, so be counted!”

The exercise started on the night of the 26th of September, has been heavily publicized, but unsurprisingly for a large country the counting has not been without problems and is due to end any day now (to be precise on the 10th).

My Romanian friend was counted, it was her third census which I from the census-free Sweden thought was kind of cool. Fellow blogger Fiona was counted and surprised at one of the questions. I have also been counted, but sadly didn’t get to meet the census officer in person.

And you , have you been counted?

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Bitter Sweet Oil – Film on Oil and Gas Exploration in Ghana

I got this invite for today, Thursday, in my e-mail and thought it might interest some of you.

Special Invitation to the Official Launch of Bitter Sweet Oil a Docu-Drama film on Oil &Gas exploration and Extraction in Ghana

The World Bank Ghana Office in collaboration with the Centre for Development Partnerships (CDP) & Media in Partnership for Development invites you to the Official Launch of Bitter Sweet Oil a Docu-Drama film on Oil &Gas exploration and Extraction in Ghana.

Date: Thursday, 7th October, 2010

Time: 5:30 pm

Venue: Silver Bird Cinema, Accra Shopping Mall.

So although I am not sure I understand what a “docu-drama” is, I do find it interesting to hear what the World Bank, which recently lended Ghana USD 300 million, and Centre for Development Partnerships, who I haven’t heard of before, have come up with. (Maybe it is the outcome of this call for proposals from last year? or related to the Oil and Gas dialog also of last year?)

Who’s views will they present? For who is the oil bitter and for who is it sweet?

I am also interested in seeing some visuals of this so-much-talked-about oil!

See you there?

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Goodbye Finland, Hello Ghana

I am back in Ghana after an intense week in Finland attending the Nordic Africa Days 2010 in Turku.

Finland was cold, filled with salmon sandwiches and interesting conversations. I took a lot of photos from the conference which I will share with you as soon as I have organized them.

Now I have to rush to work!

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This Week: Finland

So this week will be a bit different.

I will go to Finland for a conference, Nordic Africa Days 2010 (you might remember I wrote on this conference here) . And you will feel lonely and come here for new updates from me and who knows if there will be any?

Since, I will be a bit busy with:

1. Presenting a paper on Student Mobility and Migration Industry.

2. Listening to African Studies high shots like Mahmood Mamdani and Paul Nugent as well as film director  Dani Koyaté and Ford Foundation’s Program Officer for East Africa, Joyce Nyairo.

3. Participating in a panel with the theme: “Mobility and Relocation as Strategies of  Youthful Resistance” led by Cultural Anthropologist and former University of Sierra Leone lecturer Mats Utas and political scientist and West and Central Africa expert Morten Bøås. Excited about this part!

4. Eating Cheese and bread!

5. Visiting five Finnish friends (although one is technically Brazilian!)

However, who knows, I might get time to spare and I am guessing free broadband is all over the country that recently decided to make broadband a human right

Pic of the Finnish flag borrowed from www.tgdaily.com

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A Day at the Institute of African Studies

University of GhanaToday I am spending my day at the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at University of Ghana, Legon campus. Not so strange as this now is “my” department and I “their” PhD student!

Likely, you’ll be able to find me in a quiet corner of the IAS library. Around lunchtime, I might pass by the newly opened Photo and Stamps exhibition. In the afternoon, I will go “to the hill” or central administration to find out more about Career Counseling at University of Ghana.

Photo taken last week during the beautiful hour when the sun is low and shadows long…

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Today Afrika 2010 Starts

Afrika 2010
A selection of the writers on their way to Gothenburg. Source: afrika2010.se

…and I am not there!

Afrika 2010 is this year’s book fair in Gothenburg, Sweden – this year with an Africa theme. There will be African writers, Swedish kulturtanter or “culture ladies” (this concept should probably be its own blog post), African publishers, world class artist Dobet Gnahore, a few of my friends and books, books, books!

You who are there, enjoy for me too!

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Autumnal Equinox, Plenty Wahala and Orange Moon

When life spins to fast, piles are gathering and there is plenty wahala it helps to remember how small we are. Not in a bad way, not small-insignificant, just small-relatively…I think you know what I mean…

I like to look at the sky – moon and stars – to calm me down. The whole thing started with a visit to the Ghana Planetarium. (Or maybe it has always been with me? )

Today, I was informed by a friend from the planetarium that we are approaching the autumnal equinox that comes with a special moon, sometimes called the harvest moon. However, I din’t really see it. I stayed until late in town, lights everywhere (I believe they call it “light pollution”) and I could not quite figure out if we in the southern hemisphere really see the same thing, plus it was cloudy. So I went for Erykah Badu‘s Orange moon instead.

How good it is…

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When I Visited Rijksmuseum at Schiphol Airport

Riksutställningar Ghana Amsterdam SchipholWhen was the last time you went to an art museum at an airport?

For me, it was in August.  I wrote a snapshot article  for Swedish newsletter Spana! from my experience Rijksmuseum at Schiphol Airport in Holland.

With Google Translate (and some translating services on my own) it goes something like this:

AMSTERDAM: Between two flights I haste to Terminal D at Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol. Passing VIP lounges and chocolate disks you can find a branch of the Dutch Rijksmuseum. Here some 20 works are displayed, mostly paintings from the era of Dutch great painting. Three visitors of all ages – and a suitcase – are scattered in the room and below we can see the excitement travelers.

Dutch Lisa is standing viewing a portrait.
– I always take my time to go by here. Anyway now the money is finished!
She laughs and holds up a shopping bag.

Despite a gift shop which is at least as large as the exhibition space, the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol provides a unique opportunity not to consume during the waiting time at the airport. With its very existence the museum site challenges the space – are airports really public places when they most closely resemble shopping palaces?

Lisa with the bag is also critical.
– The selection is too narrow. At the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, there is so much more.

Apparently, the Rijksmuseum thought the same thing, for later this year will open a new, larger museum at Schiphol airport.

Find the article in original in the Spana! September edition (click on Netherlands).

Surprisingly, there was an article on Ghana too in the newsletter, but not by me but by fellow Ghanablogging member Osabutey Anny – translated into Swedish! I must say this network is going places…

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Nationalist Party Gains Ground in Swedish Election

As I write this I am following the election results being reported in my native Sweden.

In Sweden, we have had a Social democratic (S) government for more or less  70 years, however last year a right-wing coalition got the confidence of the Swedish people and this election  have been mostly about if S will regain confidence or if the coalition, calling themselves “Alliansen”  will be entrusted to continue ruling the country.

However, as the results trickle in, the most surprising outcome (at least to me who have not been to involved in the election for geographical reasons, I live in Ghana) is that the nationalistic party Sverigedemokraterna have gotten almost 6 % of the Swedish vote. This means, in the Swedish multi party system that the nationalistic party has entered the parliament (the barrier is at 4%) but also that the party might get a very important role if the right nor the left get a majority of votes.

So what does this party stand for? Well, their platform is classical nationalist, it is about cutting immigration and thereby solving problems. As someone who is living globalization, I think their program is definitely not a good idea.

But Sverigedemokraterna party leader Jimmy Åkesson was just reported to have said:

– Now other parties have to take our immigration policy into consideration.

More information om the Swedish elections 2010 in English from Alhjazeerah , BBC and the Local.

UPDATE: Let me add my friend Per who is reporting for CNN!

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The Witches of Gambaga – Trailer

Recently, I wrote a post called Do you believe in witchcraft? The feedback was many comments,maybe more than on any other post I’ve written, and one of the people who commented was writer and filmmaker Yaba Badoe. I am now passing on this beautiful and sad clip from her, see below a trailer for the film ‘The Witches of Gambaga’.

The section where she tells us about Salamatu being ” a confirmed witch” because of how a chicken dies made me think about the lose-lose method that was used to confirm witches in Sweden back in the days when we hunted women witches: you throw the suspect in a lake, if she floats she is a witch…


I will inform you when the film comes to Ghana.

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Today’s Best Email

In the name of research, I am sharing this email I just found in my inbox with you!

Subject: Do you know caves with bats?

Dear All,

If you know locations of bat caves you could help a research team in Kumasi
and earn some money, see file attached.

BAT CAVES
REWARD FOR INFORMATION
An interdisciplinary team of scientists from Ghana and Germany
have established a research program into bat ecology and human
health. We will be happy if you could provide us with information
about caves with bats in high numbers in Ghana.
A reward of GH¢30 will be provided for new information on cave
locations that we then decide we can use in our study.
We require information on:
• location
• size of cave
• whether bats use the caves and their number if known
Please contact Prof. Samuel Oppong on 0322 060 381 or 0244
535 692 or email heather.baldwin@uni-ulm.de.

Thank you for
your assistance!

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