Kajsa Hallberg Adu, Ph.D, Personal Blog
In 2013, there is plenty to do. I have set my mind on:
I am grateful I can plan all of these things, but alas, one never knows. Life is short.
What are your plans for the new year?
Someone who left Ghana just sent me this video on Facebook and reported “feeling blue” after watching the two minutes and forty-two seconds of imagery from Accra and hearing a voice over matter-of-factedly reading out what we see: “Kelewele”, “Osu” and “Woodin” over a faint classical music piece in the background.
I rather felt happy that someone took the time to in video poetry (isn’t that the best description?) chronicle the Accra of today (except for an pre 2007 Cedi bill) and put it together for all of us to realize we are sharing something, maybe at times kind of flawed, dusty and oily, but it is ours!
What did you think of the video?
I sometimes struggle with describing what everyday life in Ghana is like to people who live elsewhere (I try though, see my posts on everyday life in Ghana here). This week, however I had several experiences that all describe very well the warmth and cordiality of human interaction and how it seamlessly blends with business. I think the term “personal business” could be used for what I want to discuss in this post and that Ghana could teach the world!
I say this since I believe “personal business” has several positive results, like repeat business, customer satisfaction and lower sensitivity for price hikes and the likes. Here it’s been discovered – tadaa – the we are not the “economic man” when we make purchase decisions, we are “social man”.
I have four examples of “personal business” in Ghana happening to me just in the last week:
1. At Hairdresser’s
My hairdresser put the finishing touches to my hair and as I was getting up from my chair, her mother walked in. This is my hairdresser since about a year and I have met her mother some few times there. I said thank you to my hairdresser and turned to her mother and after some chitchat said “Merry Christmas if I do not see you before the holidays” and she reached out to embrace me!
If you live outside of Ghana: When were you last hugged by the mother of your hairdresser?
2. At the Gas station
I have been taking a new road to work and there is a newly opened gasstation on my new route. The first time I was there, I chatted with the attendants as my tanked was filled up (a luxury of the Ghanaian everyday life, you do not pump your own gas!). The next time I came, one of the attendants happily greeted me: “Mrs Adu, welcome!”
If you live outside of Ghana: When were you last addressed by name as you went to buy gas?
3. Knock, Knock, Seamstress here
Sunday night, there’s a knock on the door, outside is the young woman who used to be my seamstresses’ assistant years ago, but now is a seamstress in her own right. She says she has been thinking of me and want to sow something for me for christmas. Very well, I had meant to get that done, so I invite her in to take my measurements and collect a cloth I was given as a gift and have at home.
If you live outside of Ghana: When was the last time a craftswoman knocked on your door and asked if she could be of help?
4. At the Car Shop
My car has been having problems and Thursday, I went to my mechanic. He puts on a wide smile as he sees me and teasingly addresses me in Twi – to test the limit of my language knowledge. Another customer is there and is surprised by this and we all laugh about it. I leave feeling entertained (and with new break pads)!
If you live outside of Ghana: When was the last time you had a hearty laugh together with your mechanic?
I am sure this is not just me who is experiencing “personal business”, rather in Ghana this is commonplace. I love that people know who I am, what I like and try to return to the same place for my clothes/haircut/car service and “my” service person. I shudder when remembering how even at your local supermarket or cafe in Europe you would ofte not be even recognized, let alone receive any type of personalised attention.
In Ghana, although we often complain of slow and at times indifferent customer service is – and sometimes it is both – but maybe they don’t now you just yet? We should also remember that many times customer service in Ghana is fused with friendship – which means it is highly personalized and what seems to be effortlessly cordial to the benefit of the company and the customer!
What great “personal business” have you recently had/provided in Ghana?
Selma Nana Aba Adu 16 months.
On Friday 23 Nov 2012, the first ever humanist conference takes place in Ghana. The organizer is the newly founded Ghana Humanists, a group I keenly follow on Facebook as I most definitely am a humanist or a freethinker. I also agree with one of the key speakers at the event, Nigerian skeptic Leo Igwe, that certain beliefs in Ghana – like witchcraft – are hurting people and need to be questioned.
I remember moving to Ghana and suddenly being under an immense pressure to go to church, praise God and believe! Quickly, I adopted a strategy that involved never speaking about my non-faith, throwing in some “Thank God!”, “By the grace” and “Insh’Allah!” in my daily speech and agreeing to visiting people’s places of worship (also I was curious, like most humanists!). If asked directly, I’d say I was a Lutheran – as The Church of Sweden is Lutheran – and I felt I wasn’t exactly lying, even though strictly speaking church and state were separated in year 2000.
It was such a relief, when I decided to speak up. It started when I began teaching and a student one day asked me about my faith. I just couldn’t say I was a Lutheran to someone I was going to teach. It didn’t feel right to hide who I was when I was telling my students to be proud of who they were. Although reluctantly at first, I now take the debate on issues relating to faith, especially with my students and particularly when it comes to dogmatic instructions of not asking, not questioning, not even for a second doubting.
One on one, I have talked about in depth why I can’t “give it to God”. In larger groups, I have initiated debate by for instance showing the film the Witches of Gambaga at the university where I teach and moderated the ensuing discussion. A freethinker’s club has recently been formed on campus and even though it is a small group and the Christian and Muslim groups have many more members, I still think its a great step to illustrate the diversity: Not everyone in Ghana is religious.
If you are interested in attending the conference follow the instructions here.
Today, I am all about research. Finally! This semester, it has been more than difficult to find the time to sit down and read, write and theorize due to everything else I am doing, like teaching and Frontlining. But today, it is happening.
I have already had two cups of coffee (the second one as ice coffee as its already hot out).
I have sorted all my research related papers in five piles: unread articles and reports, read – but not incorporated, African studies research not directly related to my dissertation, teaching related research and my own drafts of conference papers, timelines and dissertation chapters.
I have realized its been so long since I worked on my documents I don’t even know what version is the latest! The one in Dropbox? In my computer PhD folder? In my email? On Google Drive? Arggghh.
But then I was sidetracked and found this cute Ghanaian version of Psy’s Gagnam style: Cp3 Ghana style (She likes Ghana style) ripe with Azonto dancing, sleek Accra vistas and gorgeous people in slim jeans and everything was alright again.
Enjoy!
A friend just sent me a tip about this 30 minute travel program featuring two Swedish media personalities. It aired on Swedish TV earlier tonight. In the program, Swedish Ghanaian radio profile/comedian* Kodjo Akolor visits Ghana together with his best friend Gina Dirawi, known from Sweden’s first web-TV-series*.
See the trailer below which leads you to the full program if you click on it.
I actually heard through the Swedish Ghanaian grapewine that Kodjo and Gina were here in June to record the program, but had kind of forgotten about it. I love seing Swedish productions from Ghana, last time it was Felix Herngren and my friend Magnus, because they often capture something about Ghana that I also see.
I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what it is, but it is something like the yellow light before the sun sets, the brightly painted houses and the quirky details of Ghanaian everyday life.
(* as I have not lived in my native Sweden since they became celebrities, do not quote me on if this is how they are actually known).
This week, I am featured as BloggingGhana‘s Blogger of the Week, BOW for short. So what does being BOW entail?
Well, first of all, it is a highly prestigeous nomination! I am only the third blogger in Ghana to be granted this honor! Earlier BOWs are Nana Darkoa/Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women and Ato/Mighty African. It involves the group highlighting my blog on their Facebook page and on Twitter (@BloggingGhana), sharing selected blog posts (so far, they have picked up on when I saw Obama and a very special love story). I will also contribute with a post on why I blog and on Friday, there is a live “Twitterview” where questions people have posted on Facebook or Twitter will be put to me!
What would you like to ask me?
It was the first gift I received from my in-laws. I believe my mother-in-law had it all ready weeks before the very first time I arrived on the tarmac of Kotoka International airport and was taken aback by the hot, dusty darkness that is Ghana at night. The following morning, backlit by sunshine she presented the gift to me, my Ghanaian name.
You are Ewurama, she explained. You are a lady, that is Ewura in Fante and you are a Saturday born, Ama. We will call you Ewurama. And it quickly caught on. I use it when I introduce myself here in Ghana, many of my relatives have me stored in their phones as Ewurama, children in the neighborhood calls me Mama Ewurama and even my Swedish parents use it!
A Colombian friend of 10 years recently saw my Ghanaian name on my blog and sent me a message asking what it meant. “Is it a title”, she wrote, “like Mrs.”?
“Almost”, I replied. “I am Lady Saturday, I am Ewurama”.
Our daughter is now 13,5 months and everyday with her is like a month. She learns a lot, she is so funny and also runs around with a speed that makes me feel tired after just a few minutes. I have been asked how she dealt with the travel this summer.
The answer is that she took it very well even though we visited many new places and people. We were on the road for a month, and upon our return to Ghana she needed just a couple of days before she was fully reintegrated into Ghanaian everyday life, see below!
Click on pic to see it in full!
Edited with Pixlr.
