Ghana | Kajsa HA

Ghanaians Going Places: Journalist Umaru Sanda

September 10, 2014 1 Comment

I first met Umaru last summer at his workplace radio station Citi FM in Accra. I was much impressed with his work (cool when phones start to ring non-stop, quick when to determine what big man or woman to follow up with, a good discussant on critical issues, wide smile) and glad to hear his efforts have been acknowledged internationally.

Umaru Sanda has been invited to attend World Water Week in Stockholm to accept the WASH award given for outstanding reporting on water and sanitation issues. With the current cholera outbreak I don’t know what other topic than the (relentless) quest for clean water could be more critical at the moment.

He received the award based on documentary Water Wahala which you can listen to here:

I have been upset about this issue before and how there seems to be no political will what so ever to change it. Here are posts from 2011, 2010 and 2009.

I am happy this fine journalist also got to see my native Sweden. Ayekoo, Umaru!

Photo: Umaru in the back, hand in the sky! July 2013

Blogging, BloggingGhana, Ghana

Ashesi’s Cool Students

September 8, 2014 No Comments

This time of year, millions of students across the globe start their academic year, so also on a hill in the small town of Berkuso in Ghana for students of Ashesi University College. As I teach mostly freshmen, I think of their journey – even during parental leave days filled with baby wipes, small socks and feedings.

At this point I read Akotowaa’s funny blogpost about Ashesi coolness. She writes:

In my head, there’s like, this group of the ‘cool Ghanaians’ […] Should I start calling out names? Deborah Frempong, Paapa, Michael Annor, Jessica Boifio, Lauretta (the coolest ballet teacher in the world), Kobla (the creator of Oware 3D) etc… The list goes on. But what most – though certainly not all – of the names I have in mind have in common is Ashesi.

First theory: when you get accepted into Ashesi, they perform numerous strange juju rituals over your documents and then let you join the cult, making you automatically cool.

Second theory: the GMI (I just made that up. It stands for Ghana Military Intelligence) comes to Ashesi to ‘talk’ to all the new recruits, and deliver the top secrets of the keys to success as a Ghanaian and swear them to secrecy.

Third theory: The teachers and the way they teach the students are cool.

Of course, this is the least exciting of all the theories, but whatever. Apparently, people like to be ‘realistic’ or something weird like that. Erm…

To this least exciting theory that the writer later zooms in on, I would like to add three things:

Yep, teachers at Ashesi are cool. To the list of (very cool) lecturers such as Dela Kumahor, Kobina Graham and Ayorkor Korsah, I want to add virtually all other faculty. Their varying backgrounds, spark in eye and motivations make them amazing! In addition, I’d say all staff too are cool. (To get to know us better, check out staff and Arts and Sciences, Business and Computing faculty on the Ashesi Website).
Yep, the way we teach at Ashesi is different, we follow the liberal arts method – you learn a lot about many things, about the world around you, about different ways of thinking (statistics, history of ideas, programming, leadership…), about problem solving, about working together, about questioning what is. You learn for life, not for the exam (hopefully).
Finally, the cool Ghanaians mentioned in the list – many of who I am proud to say have been my students – are indeed cool, but not because of interaction with cool faculty and staff at Ashesi, nor because of the Liberal Arts the have imbibed, but because they have been encouraged over four years to grow THEMSELVES. To be who they really are. To not be afraid of their ideas. To take themselves seriously and as much as possible do the best they can for a brighter future. And that is powerful. And quite cool.

Around this time, more than 100 freshmen are trying to find their way around the green Ashesi campus, get to know their classmates and check out kilos of books from the library. (I am at home, comforting a baby and picking up Lego from the floor). It might not seem so, but for these students, these are the first steps to coolness and an exciting journey into themselves.

Ps. Akotowaa, I was impressed by your on point observations after just one week on campus. I am guessing you might apply to join Ashesi full time? And also you are a swell blogger, why not join BloggingGhana?

Photo from a summer course I taught at Ashesi last year.

Ghana, Photo, Positive, Promoting

Chale Wote 2014 – For Us Who Were Not There

August 22, 2014 1 Comment

In August, the Jamestown area of Accra is blessed with the Chale Wote street art festival (“chale wote” is slang for flip-flops). It is a vibrant, exciting and young event – I’m sad I was so far away this year!

However, Mesh Ghana provides a vibe from the festival in less than two minutes. Thank you!

Safari on the Blog was also there and took some amazing photos.

See you there next year!

Posts from earlier Chale Wote festivals 2011, 2012, 2013

Ghana

Inflation: the word on Sarkodie’s lips ( and everybody else’s)

August 20, 2014 2 Comments

“Times are hard!”
“It’s someway bi!”
“Chale, where do I start?”

In a recent blogpost, I narrowed the political situation in Ghana down to rampant inflation.

I wanted to explain how inflation makes life hard, how trust in money is related to (lower) life quality for Ghanaians but Sarkodie beat me to it with this rant:

Worth highlighting is how FEW (fuel, electricity and water) problems have not been solved, inflation quickly become serious for the poorest.

What I maybe miss in Sark’s angry rap is the good aspects of inflation, long term they are there! It allows Ghanaian companies to compete with formerly cheap imports making Ghana a producing country again. It makes Ghana cheap for tourists. It makes remittances from relatives abroad last a little longer. Hopefully.

Is inflation on your lips?

Ghana

Taiye Selasi Revisists Her Concept Afropolitan

August 20, 2014 No Comments

Since Taiye Selasi wrote her short story in The Lip magazine “Bye-Bye Barbar” introducing to the world the concept of “Afropolitan” much water has run below the bridge. The concept has been much discussed, for instance by Binyavanga and Ms Minna Salami and at several international conferences. Selasie has also published her first novel Ghana Must Go and received much praise for it. Now she revisits her concept Afropolitan (“Did any Afropolitans actually live on the African continent?“) after having spent more time in West Africa.

About Accra, she writes:

“perfect timing: The first international Salsa Congress has just gotten under way. If ever there were a snapshot of the Afropolitan spirit, it’d be this: West African and Latin American salseros side by side in sequins. Melissa Mensah, the organizer, a glamorous Ghanaian-American-Nicaraguan lawyer, explains that salsa classes are the city’s newest craze. With no more than a DJ scratch, the music goes from salsa to azonto (Ghanaian clubbing music), and the line dancing begins. Limping home an hour later, I’m joyous, dripping sweat, resolved: Accra will one day soon be one of my more permanent homes.”

Read Selasi’s whole essay here. Thanks to colleague Kobby Graham for pointing me to this text.

Loved this portrait of Selasi published in Elle.

Ghana, Places, Promoting

How to summarise life in Ghana with high inflation: Someway Bi

August 10, 2014 No Comments

Since I left Ghana in mid-May, politically a lot has happened. Most of it makes me tired, I thought the meme above explains my feelings well. And it seems many other “middle income earners” feel the same type of despair, hence many Ghanaians dress in red every Friday as a clever protest about the negative developments. There are just so many issues…

The Concerned Ghanaians for Responsible Governamnce group have summarised the issues as:

“The erratic supply of electricity nationwide. The unreliable supply of potable water across the country. The ever-depreciating value of the cedi. Constant increases in taxes. Inefficient revenue collection. Very poor road networks. Constant increments in utility tariffs. Frequent increase in the prices of petroleum products. Government’s inability to make statutory payments timeously to schools, health facilities and other state institutions. Government’s inability to address labour-related issues on a timely basis. Government’s inability to exhibit decisive leadership in the fight against corruption. Government’s inability to kick out incompetent and non-performing appointees. The over-politicization of socio-economic issues along partisan lines. Government’s inability to create job opportunities for the youth and fresh graduates. Government’s inability to effectively regulate small scale mining (galamsey) activities. Improper administrative decisions taken by some government officials. Lack of proper communicative skills on the part of some government officials. The Non-Passage of the Freedom of Information Bill The Non-Implementation of the Senchi Consensus. Government’s inability to tackle perennial flooding in the capital city and elsewhere in Ghana”

– however I will in a subsequent blog post focus on the issue of rampant inflation.

For now, let’s hear some music: Ghanaian artist M.anifest just released this video that my blogging friend Efo Dela calls “a documentary about suffering” which also illustrates what Ghanaians go through – and their awesome attitude of still enjoying life. Enjoy!

Ghana, Positive

Gudrun Sjödén Goes to Burkina Faso

August 10, 2014 No Comments

Swedish design brand Gudrun Sjödén has chosen West Africa as it’s inspiration this fall and shot it’s Fall/Winter collection 2014 in Burkina Faso.

Beautiful pics and great to be reminded of that this part of the world is more than Ebola scare and poverty!

Ghana, Personal, Photo, Pregnancy

Last Month of Pregnancy and 40 plus 5

July 14, 2014 No Comments

“The last month of pregnancy is exhausting. You’re convinced your body will fail to work and that labor will never start. You’re convinced that this pregnancy, once so new and beautiful and interesting, will stay with you forever, rendering you fat, farting, burping, heartburning, mildly insane and tearful for the rest of eternity.”

Explore this Medium story by writer Ruth Fowler and photographer Jared Iorio on the birth of their first born!

( Please note this is an honest photo essay with drugs, joys and blood mixed, so not for sensitive souls!)

Ghana

Almedalen 2014 : Tweeting In English

June 30, 2014 2 Comments

This year, I will be present in Visby all week for one of the most interesting events of the year – Almedalsveckan. It is a week of political discussions, seminars and “mingel” – it is a true marketplace of ideas and a tradition in Swedish public life. I will participate by tweeting in English, something I felt was lacking from earlier years.

I will attend seminars on Africa, education, social media and migration, topics I take a interest in as you know if you have been reading my blog! These are the seminars and events I thought looked most interesting – most of them in Swedish, but some in English (Almedalen program_2014)

At the same time I am preparing for my week of Swedish politics, Ghanaian politics have taken a surprising turn and Tuesday 1st July a protest coined #OccupyFlagstaffHouse will be taking place to protest against increasingly impossible living conditions with soaring costs, inadequate infrastructure (this week no fuel) and rampant corruption.

Today, I will be attending two seminars on opportunities in Africa from a Swedish perspective – will collate my tweets here later.

In the photo, a robot built in Africa by students at Ashesi university college.

Blogging, BloggingGhana, Brazil, Ghana, Places

World Cup Discussions in Social Media in Ghana: Black Stars and Mahama

June 26, 2014 No Comments

While games are ongoing in Brazil and the very popular Ghanaian team, the Black Stars, are still in the game playing Portugal later today…they seem to lose the news cycle game every day to the Ghanaian president, John Dramani Mahama.

Black Narrator

The top issues have been so far:

1. Electricity and the World Cup.

What happened: For some time now, Ghana’s power supply has been erratic. Since mid-May, the country has experienced scheduled breaks in supply. Just before the world cup, the government came out to say electricity supply will be enough for all during the World Cup.

Public verdict: I haven’t seen one single positive comment to this intervention. Although Ghanaians LOVE soccer, it seems the public opinion would prefer electricity during working hours to be able to be productive…

2. Can you insult your president?

What happened: Before the Germany game, the president Tweeted that he had talked to the players and encouraged them that they could take on the German team. The issue quickly became politicized and many wrote angry comments to the post.

Public verdict: Here my social media friends seemed to be split between those who thought the president have more important things to do than talk strategy with fotball players and those who found the intervention worthwhile. Many however stressed that a president is president for the nation and should not be insulted.

3. Appearance fee sent by plane.

What happened: The Black Stars had been promised an appearance fee that did not come and the team expressed disappointment. Next we knew, a plane left Ghana with the appearance fee of USD 75000 for each player – (“incredibly”, says the Guardian) in cash.

Public verdict: Questions galore! Why should the team hold a poor country to ransom? How could the government prioritize this, when key functions in the country are down? (fuel crisis and owing money to school feeding programs, health professionals etc.) Why was the money sent in a plane with cash and not wired into accounts? Many were also embarrassed to see international media discuss the issue.

It seems politics and fotball intersect once again! To discuss these issues and others surrounding the World Cup, BloggingGhana’s project InformGhana will be running a Twitter discussion today between 1-3 PM Ghana time.

Follow @informGhana on Twitter and chip in with the hashtag #Sports4Dev

Ghana, Parenting, Personal, Teaching

Social Theory: Taking My Daughter to Work

May 8, 2014 2 Comments

This semester I have taught Social Theory – Ashesi University College‘s introduction to Social Sciences and the world!

It has been a good ride, I especially have enjoyed the news presentations and ensuing panel discussions – my colleagues and I encourage critical research and creativity – and have been rewarded greatly by imaginative and interesting presentations. The course also teaches a history of political ideologies from Plato to Putnam, more or less.

Yesterday, I decided to show my daughter and her nanny what my work is like and they spent the day with me. We took the tour round the campus (here you can too) and when my first class was about to start, she took a marker and started scribbling on the white board to the amusement of the 60 member class: ” Look at, Mamma!”, “Mamma, mamma, make a carrot!”

I smiled and remembered the many, many times I went with my mother to her teaching job…scribbled on something, ran around in the classroom, watched my mother teaching…will my daughter be a teacher too?

Ghana

BlogCamp14 – people, selfies and an award

April 13, 2014 3 Comments

Yesterday was BlogCamp. It can be summarized with The words people, selfies and an award.

People
BlogCamps are free events to the participant and it had been fully booked for more than two weeks to the day! The venue, Kofi Annan ICT Centre was filled to the brim of people who love blogging!

Selfies
The trend of taking selfies with devices of yourself with others had most definitely come to Ghana. Selfies were happening all over, maybe propelled that many met internet friends for the first time.

An Award
Is as surprised to find I won the Best Female Blog award among good contenders, but very happy as the congratulatory messages kept rolling in on Twitter. Thanks dear reader if you voted for me!

A great day! Hope to see many of you at BlogCamp15!

For more photos, go to Facebook.com/BloggingGhana

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