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PhD, Social Media, USA

Summarizing the ASA2015

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asa friendsSo, I am back from the intense African Studies Association 58th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, US 19-21 November, 2015!

It is difficult to summarise such intense days, but I would say my main goals were met:

  1.  getting some feedback on my research. CHECK
  2. meeting with other researchers, both interested in Ghana and in migration and higher eduction. CHECK and some awesome, smart and funny ones that I think will remain friends for life!
  3. tweeting and Periscoping! CHECK, periscoped a convo on Afrobarometer and Prof Adomako Ampofo’s speech. Also used the nice conference app to share info within the conference!
  4. learning more about publishing and post-doc opportunities. CHECK, wrote some follow-up email today!
  5. finding books and initiatives in the exhibit that accompanies the conference. CHECK omg CHECK
  6. experiencing some art and maybe good food in the world-reknowned Balboa Park in San Diego. CHECK
  7. meeting up with other African Studies tweeps. CHECK

What I did not get to do was eating great hotel breakfast (the breakfast buffet was not included, shock of the trip!) or really see the city of San Diego as there was really no time.

What I did do that was not on my list was: challenge my fear of heights, both in Balboa Park and on the 12th floor of the nice hotel, and eat crickets! (Tangy, crunchy, and salty!)

 

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Ghana, PhD, USA

Hopes for African Studies Association meeting, ASA 2015, in San Diego

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So by this time next week, I’ll be on my way to the big African Studies Association 58th Annual Meeting, ASA2015, in San Diego, California, USA. The conference has the theme: The State and the Study of Africa and will be happening 19-22 November. It is an enormous event which attracts over 2000 scholars! I am terribly excited and have the following hopes:

  1.  getting some feedback on my research. I am presenting a paper in a panel called: Rethinking Decolonialization: Institutions, Archives and Identities (Session VII- D1, Fri 20th, 2-3.45pm). My paper is how university students in Ghana and their narratives can help decolonializing migration studies.
  2. meeting with other researchers, both interested in Ghana (as under the Ghana Studies Association meeting scheduled for Fri 20th at 7.30pm) and in migration and higher eduction.
  3. tweeting (follow me on @kajsaha) and Periscoping!
  4. learning more about publishing and post-doc opportunities.
  5. finding books and initiatives in the exhibit that accompanies the conference.
  6. experiencing some art and maybe good food in the world-reknowned Balboa Park in San Diego.
  7. meeting up with other African Studies tweeps, see my list below.
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Blogging, BloggingGhana, Kajsa HA's Social Media, Parenting, Personal, PhD, Political

My Blogging Year 2014

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It has been a sad year in many ways. A year of death, disease and loss for me and many others. I have also worked hard on my four careers – social media, research, teaching and family life!

Screenshot 2014-12-30 00.14.03(2)
Sad moments
The year started on a sad note for me, my blog had gone missing. I learned to do more regular backups.

End of the Word?

Then people died. People that were amazing, successful and well-known or I just knew well. Komla Dumor died in January, Shirley Temple (who had a surprising link to Ghana I found out) in February, in April my favourite author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in August Emmanuel Okyere, in November my dear Godmother who had been sick for some time passed away. In December, I lost fellow obruni blogger Mad in Ghana. Ebola hit some countries in West Africa but affected us all.


Blog scoops
Getting to debate on Twitter with a sitting minister of state was amazing, although I was smashed pretty hard over the head by Hanna Tetteh, Ghana’s minister of Foreign Affairs in a debate about the tourism policy. Another citizen journalism highlight was when I broke the news on the hole in the Accra-Tema motorway on my blog.


Plenty Politics
Current debates in Ghana covered on my blog included if a government university should be allowed to charge a toll to enter its campus, the State of the Nation address, race, women in electoral politics, inflation, the world cup, power problems and corruption. Many times we laughed and cried at the same time at our issues…


I worked hard!
My work was covered on my blog as well. For instance, my writing process and a one month stay at the Nordic Africa institute, teaching social theory at Ashesi University College. I wrote an article about Nigerian political protests and tweeted in English from Almedalen in Sweden. I also attended a conference, seminars and a workshop.


BloggingGhana stuff
We had a fast year! We were mentioned in The Guardian, got our own office or hub, organised BlogCamp and BlogAwards…


Personal
I also branched out into Instagram and Pinterest and had the most active year ever on Twitter.
But most importantly, I became the mother of another girl! 


Thank you for reading my blog in 2014! I will be back in 2015 with much more…


See earlier yearly summaries: 2012, 2011
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Ghana, Places

Effects of Ebola in West Africa and Ghana

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Living in West Africa, one cannot help but think about the effects of ebola on our part of the world. Clearly the effects on Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea which have been directly affected are enormous, but Ghana and other West African countries have been affected – economically – as well. 

This article put forward by the Nordic Africa institute focus on the effects for Liberia. They say:

“The economies of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have already been hit hard by Ebola. A major question is whether the negative effects will be temporary or more persistent, according to Eriksson Skoog. The World Bank has lowered its economic growth forecast for Liberia this year, from 5.9 percent to 2.5 percent as a result of Ebola. The budget deficit is expected to grow from 7.1 percent to 11.8 percent of GDP. The economic impact could become much worse if Ebola is not quickly tamed.

The World Bank distinguishes between two types of economic effects from Ebola. On the one hand, there are the direct and indirect costs for healthcare and production loss. On the other hand, there are the behavioral effects due to fear of contagion. People avoid crowds, workplaces shut down and travel and trade are disrupted. The effects caused by aversion behavior are by far the greatest. Hence it is important to address fear as quickly as possible in order to mitigate aversion behavior and normalize business activity.“

The article also discusses problems with aid, for instance donations of rice disrupts the local rice market.

The American CBS Economics of Ebola article was also an interesting read. It says:

“Looking good today does not make people feel confident that they will be sitting pretty in two weeks,” said Stephen Morrison, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of its Global Health Policy Center, in an interview. But “While they are vulnerable … [Ghana and Ivory Coast] have the basics of a functional public health system, which was absent in these other countries. That doesn’t mean that they couldn’t be overrun with an influx of cases.”

Ghana, a country of more than 25 million, shares a border with Ivory Coast. It is also where the U.N. has decided to base its mission to respond to the Ebola epidemic. Washington has provided $1.7 million to the Ghanaian government for Ebola preparedness and response planning. Officials in Ghana, who have made gains in poverty reduction in recent years, have lamented that fears about Ebola have hurt their country’s tourism industry. Fear of the disease is something that economists will continue to monitor.”

Except for the Business&Financial Times story linked to above, I haven’t read too much about the effects on tourism in the region (this article suggests however the sector in Ghana is “collapsing” and the B&FT lamenting story ironically reports a World Tourism Organisation (WTO) conference, “Branding for Africa and Africa’s Image”, which had been scheduled to be come off in Accra from September 9-11, was postponed), but know from my interaction with Swedes that the trip I took home is not on anybody’s wish list – although Ghana has not even been affected by Ebola! That “aversion behaviour” is likely killing many livelihoods in all West African countries. 

 

 

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Ghana, Promoting

Institute of African Studies at University of Ghana – Now on YouTube!

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My home department, the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at University of Ghana has taken a big leap forward this semester by broadcasting all of its famous Thursday seminars on Skype and uploading them on YouTube!

Last year, I suggested the institute should have a presence on social media and set up a Facebook account and a Twitter handle @IASUG (at the time, I could not believe my luck to get such an appropriate 5 letter handle!). I managed the accounts over the 2013 African Studies conference  (keynotes also available on YouTube) and then handed it over to the institute.

Now, however you can get more than photos and 140 character snippets – Thanks to new seminar coordinator Dr. Obádélé Kambon – you can experience IAS from the comfort of any place with Internet!

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People, PhD, Places, Sweden

Nordic Africa Days 2014: My Report

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During the weekend 26-27 September, I took part in the Nordic Africa Institute biannual conference Nordic Africa Days. Here is my report!

  1. Hi there! I'm on my way to #nad2014 @NordicAfrica &looking forward to meet tweeps @finnowl @ulrichtadajeu @JamaMusse http://t.co/meVFzTGvKW

    Hi there! I’m on my way to #nad2014 @NordicAfrica &looking forward to meet tweeps @finnowl @ulrichtadajeu @JamaMusse pic.twitter.com/meVFzTGvKW
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  2. As I am the food for my small baby, she had to come along. She demanded we started with the Youth and Politics panel…
  3. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    In Panel 22 on Youth & Politics, Akin Iwilade challenged the notion of “marginalized youth” and who becomes a militant #NAD2014

    4 YEARS AGO

  4. Next @nannajordt told us about "hustling" for environmental rights in rural Kenya #nad2014 http://t.co/KrjUEtSM3Q

    Next @nannajordt told us about “hustling” for environmental rights in rural Kenya #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/KrjUEtSM3Q
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  5. My @Ashesi colleague Joseph Oduro Frimpong presents political cartoons & photoshop pics from Ghana #NAD2014 #Woyome http://t.co/CQMQFmVEZs

    My @Ashesi colleague Joseph Oduro Frimpong presents political cartoons & photoshop pics from Ghana #NAD2014 #Woyomepic.twitter.com/CQMQFmVEZs
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  6. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Q&A “It is easier critiquing power than formulating an alternative…does that distinction matter?”, asks panel chair Elina Oinas #nad2014

    4 YEARS AGO

  7. How a two-month old fares at #nad2014? She is now asleep forcing me to stand up/rock gently in the back of the room.. http://t.co/YujTbzVwR1

    How a two-month old fares at #nad2014? She is now asleep forcing me to stand up/rock gently in the back of the room.. pic.twitter.com/YujTbzVwR1
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  8. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    In 1,5h @Mo_IbrahimFdn will talk on “Why governance matters” #NAD2014 If you are not in Uppsala, follow @NordicAfrica or watch it online…

    4 YEARS AGO

  9. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    …@Mo_IbrahimFdn talk will be streamed and live-tweeted by @NordicAfrica here  http://www.nai.uu.se  #NAD2014

    4 YEARS AGO

  10. The talk can still be viewed online. I followed it on Twitter from my hotel room while breast feeding!
  11. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    I remember when President Kuffuor did NOT get the @Mo_IbrahimFdn Prize in 2009…  http://kajsaha.com/2009/10/no-ibrahim-prize-for-kufuor/ …#NAD2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  12. The first day ended with a lovely conference dinner in one of the old student clubs in Uppsala. Next morning the sun was shining…
  13. Sunny and windy walk to the conference venue (Yellow building in back) #nad2014 http://t.co/kqUOG6KPFc

    Sunny and windy walk to the conference venue (Yellow building in back) #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/kqUOG6KPFc
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  14. My first panel is about African Studies in the 21st century: @wikipedia & open access hosted by @ASCLeiden #nad2014 http://t.co/zwdS3wICA5

    My first panel is about African Studies in the 21st century: @Wikipedia & open access hosted by @ASCLeiden #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/zwdS3wICA5
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  15. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Great tip for researchers to make our research more accessible: write abstracts of all your work and put online! #nad2014 #opendata

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  16. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Find @ASCLeiden repository with free downloads, among the most popular a book on Boko Haram,  https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/12483 … #nad2014 #openaccess

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  17. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Find @ASCLeiden repository with free downloads, among the most popular a book on Boko Haram,  https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/12483 … #nad2014 #openaccess

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  18. ASCLibrary

    Jos Damen@ASCLibrary
    @kajsaha >50,000 publications on Africa, mostly #openaccess from >90 repositories via  http://www.connecting-africa.net 

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  19. ASCLibrary

    Jos Damen@ASCLibrary
    @kajsaha Africa country portal ASC Leiden (in beta): portal to information resources on >50 African countries  http://countryportal.ascleiden.nl/ 

    4 YEARS AGO

  20. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    “As a researcher you have to look at contracts and make sure you have the right to your own work!” – Jos Damen @ASCLeiden #nad14

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  21. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Information on what resources are available online for free for African researchers via @ASCLeiden  http://www.ilissafrica.de/en/howto/OpenAccessGuide.html …#nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  22. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    The @NordicAfrica library also has plenty of information on free resources online on Africa  http://www.nai.uu.se/library/resources/guidetoafrica/ … #nad2014#openaccess

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  23. Next came the keynote, I had been looking forward to.
  24. Now the keynote I've been looking forward to: @MJerven "Knowledge and Governance" #nad2014 http://t.co/ve379JXjFu

    Now the keynote I’ve been looking forward to: @MJerven “Knowledge and Governance” #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/ve379JXjFu
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  25. Outline of the speech 1. Validity, 2. Reliability 3.Governance 4. Conclusion. I'm such a nerd to be excited! #nad2014 http://t.co/EtJFATFHmL

    Outline of the speech 1. Validity, 2. Reliability 3.Governance 4. Conclusion. I’m such a nerd to be excited! #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/EtJFATFHmL
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  26. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    “Scholars are mistaken when they trust @worldbankdata, but not, say, Sudanese state data. It’s the same!” – @MJerven #nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  27. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    “There is an unhealthy academic divide: accepting GDP data at face value vs. dismissing the measurement” – @MJerven #NAD2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  28. To illustrate 'poor numbers' @MJerven uses Ghana's entrance into middle incomes status on Nov 5th, 2010. #nad2014 http://t.co/Y7R41tMaRZ

    To illustrate ‘poor numbers’ @MJerven uses Ghana’s entrance into middle incomes status on Nov 5th, 2010. #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/Y7R41tMaRZ
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  29. Full auditorium of #nad2014 participants listening to @MJerven #africa #research #statistics #poornumbers #Governance http://t.co/IDdIIWtYy6

    Full auditorium of #nad2014 participants listening to @MJerven #africa#research #statistics #poornumbers #Governance pic.twitter.com/IDdIIWtYy6
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  30. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    On governance: “in order to have evidence based policies you need…some type of evidence” – @MJerven #NAD2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  31. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Next @MJerven critiques the #MDGs as they take away from national data collection resources. #nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  32. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    “It’s not so much about tempering with statistics, but more ignorance of the importance of statistics” – @MJerven #NAD2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  33. Then an interesting debate started on Twitter.
  34. nas009

    Nana Darkoa@nas009
    @kajsaha how come it doesn’t feel like we’re a middle income country? Or it’s not about feelings eh? #Ghana 🙂 @MJerven

    4 YEARS AGO

  35. kofiemeritus

    Kofi Yeboah@kofiemeritus
    @nas009 @kajsaha @MJerven I guess it’s about paper feeling. Good in books, worst in reality.

    4 YEARS AGO

  36. kofiemeritus

    Kofi Yeboah@kofiemeritus
    @kajsaha @nas009 @MJerven @BloggingGhana #Ghana is not poor neither is it a middle income country!

    4 YEARS AGO

  37. JeanHuit

    John Awotwi@JeanHuit
    @kajsaha @kofiemeritus @nas009 @MJerven @BloggingGhana Its not. The poorest is one who can’t afford to laugh. Take a good look at Ghana.haha

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  38. Back to the keynote.
  39. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    “Presidents are elected based on delivering jobs, but there is no data on the labor market!” – @MJerven #NAD2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  40. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Wrapping up with constructive ideas 1. Data can come with warnings if based on guesses @MJerven #nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  41. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    2. Development agencies coordinating not just goals, but data collection as well #nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  42. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    3. Incentives and human resources in statistical offices #nad2014

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  43. Multitasking mother and researcher @kajsaha frequently tweeting from the Key Note Speech #nad2014. @NordicAfrica http://t.co/FH7TuVeg1F

    Multitasking mother and researcher @kajsaha frequently tweeting from the Key Note Speech #nad2014. @NordicAfrica pic.twitter.com/FH7TuVeg1F
    ELNAZ ALIZADEH@ELNAZALIZ

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  44. Final panel was my own. My topic was “Have you ever seen a plane seat before?” Migration narratives among university students in Ghana.
  45. ooohhh Godd luck! RT @kajsaha: Wish me luck! Panel chair introducing me! #nad2014 http://t.co/klV7yrWRTU

    ooohhh Godd luck! RT @kajsaha: Wish me luck! Panel chair introducing me! #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/klV7yrWRTU
    ULRICH K. TADAJEU@ULRICHTADAJEU
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  46. In my panel Tekalign Ayalew talks about Ethiop-Eritrean Migrants to Sweden. #nad2014 http://t.co/fEolENrWn9

    In my panel Tekalign Ayalew talks about Ethiop-Eritrean Migrants to Sweden. #nad2014 pic.twitter.com/fEolENrWn9
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  47. Last panelist at #nad2014 is Viveca Motsieloa who is presenting a self-reflective paper on being mixed-race in Ghana. http://t.co/mLYetMOPu5

    Last panelist at #nad2014 is Viveca Motsieloa who is presenting a self-reflective paper on being mixed-race in Ghana. pic.twitter.com/mLYetMOPu5
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  48. Then the conference was officially over! Hope to come back in 2016!
  49. kajsaha

    Kajsa Hallberg Adu@kajsaha
    Chairs are stacked, whiteboards are cleaned & people in prints are discussing where to have drinks. #nad2014 is over! Thanks @NordicAfrica !

    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  50. This drink is for @ulrichtadajeu! Next time you'll join us in the flesh! http://t.co/RhHPSNrwa7

    This drink is for @ulrichtadajeu! Next time you’ll join us in the flesh! pic.twitter.com/RhHPSNrwa7
    KAJSA HALLBERG ADU@KAJSAHA

    ·
    ·

    4 YEARS AGO

  51. A cool think was the Camerooninan student that was following the conference on Twitter. He got this (photo of a) beer from me for dedication to academia!
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Ghana

Taiye Selasi Revisists Her Concept Afropolitan

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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.

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Ghana

BlogCamp14 – people, selfies and an award

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20140413-100122.jpg

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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Ghana

Ghanaian Students in Ukraine: Some Facts and Some Questions

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Screenshot 2014-03-23 21.56.42In my  research, two times I came across students mentioning Ukrainian recruitment efforts of Ghanaian students. With the political developments unfolding as the focus groups progressed, the image of Ghanaians in Ukraine have burned into my mind.

When doing some online searches, I found this 2013 article about Ghanaian students being offered to study medicine there. Also, I sat down with MacJordan Degadjor, a friend who studied Management Information Systems in Ukraine 2003-06. His story was interesting and grim.

I went to do a MIS , yes a Bachelors, in Kharkov in Ukraine. I was there 2003-2006, I think.  There are a lot of Ghanaians over there…It all started with Kwame Nkrumah’s scholarships and many Ghanaians went to train as doctors, engineers, then they could not return…Nkrumah was no more, they found wives, families. Now some work in hospitals, yes, some teach or just work anywhere. Some also transit to Western Europe from Ukraine.

When you get there, accommodation and tuition is cheap. I started, just like many others, with a  six month intensive course in Russian. You know I speak Russian, right? I never learned Ukrainian as I lived on the Russian side. The country is basically divided in two.

I experienced racism against non-Ukrainians and especially blacks. I was beaten twice. There is agitation when they see you, especially with their females. They call African students “monkeys”. There is also general corruption and lawlessness. As a foreign student you must carry your passport at all times, else you are considered a criminal.

The education is intense, practical. For instance we traveled to see things we talked about in class and to see historical monuments and places, They care a lot about history!

It was a good experience, I went for the education, I am happy to speak a new language, for the experience of a new country, many of the people were nice. But even for a conference, I wouldn’t go back. It is so cold. When I first came, it was minus 42 degrees Celsius, and I was wearing a jacket like this!But I feel that as a black person I am safer outside Ukraine than in Ukraine, especially now.

How are Ghanaian students in Ukraine fairing now? Does the Ghanaian government that previously gladly cooperated with the Ukrainian authorities any plans of bringing them back if things get worse? 

Photo credit: Ghanaian Students’ Association in Kharkov, Ukraine.

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PhD

Research Update – Winning Choices or Hacks for PhD Productivity

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Research collage

As readers of this blog knows well, I am a PhD candidate with the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana currently doing my data collection for my dissertation. My research moves very slowly, but this semester, I can see I have gotten over the “what is it really that I am doing?”-stage and entered “this is what I am doing!”-stage of my research degree. The feeling is swell. Some of the winning choices I have made this year includes:

  1. taken help from research assistants Ibrahim and Esther (and maybe Seth). They need to learn about the research process, I need admin help. They could use some extra cash, I could use some more hours in my week. Win-win.
  2. spent many more hours in the UG Balme Library as graduate students now have a lovely Research Commons there. The space is just so beautiful, I am collecting for a photo post on the sublime building that is Balme library.
  3. transferred my research library onto Zotero (finally! it took me three full days and it is not 100% yet, but just going through my readings was useful!)
  4. thinking about my research every day. In the car, the first 30 minutes in my office in the morning or after dinner. Solutions only come after much thinking.
  5. grabbed every opportunity to publish or present. I decided to do this as the main purpose of doing a PhD is to learn the craft of research, however when feeling slightly overwhelmed with just your regular work – extra stuff seems…crazy! But it is not, in new constellations, be it with conference participants, abstract reviewers or a taxi driver, I have learned more about the craft.

What good choices have you made in your career this year?

 

 

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Ghana, Places, Sweden

Ghana’s President in Sweden, Sweden’s Minister of Trade in Ghana

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Right now, Ghana’s president John Dramani Mahama is in Sthockholm cohosting the GAVI alliance meeting for immunization and next week the Swedish Minister for Trade, Annie Lööf, will be coming to Ghana.

John Dramani Mahama

In the photo, minister Lööf and president Mahama. Photo borrowed from the Swedish government website/ Martina Huber.

The president is in Stockholm to campaign for vaccines for all children. Ghana is an “Immunization Champion” and have a strong track-record on immunizations. From the website of GAVI:

“As an innovative global health partner, GAVI is committed to promoting the health of children through immunisation and this must be commended”, President Mahama stated in a meeting with Ms. Evans.

He further observed that, “GAVI deserves the support of all leaders desirous of building healthier communities. I pledge my unflinching support as an Immunisation Champion to enable GAVI achieve its noble objectives.”

The Swedish minister comes to Ghana with a trade delegation including Ericsson, ABB, Atlas Copco, Sandvik och Eltel, continuing on the visit three years ago with the then Minister of Trade Ewa Bjorling. The minister is also following up on her favorite issues: innovation and womens’ leadership. She will visit a local innovation hub, Meltwater, and talk to Ghana’s minister of foreign affairs, Hanna Tetteh about women in politics, according to her schedule (only in Swedish).

Granted, these two news items are suitable for a Swedish/Ghanaian blog. But this time, there are more connections! Last week, I saw Mahama at the ICAS13 conference , my daughter got immunized and next week I have been invited to meet with Annie Lööf ! Report to follow.

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Ghana, Political, TV

CNN and the Ghanaian Government: Interview with President Mahama and Media Ethics

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Today I get the prompt to “upload my question to the CNN interview with president Mahama”. I think to myself, CNN…Ghanaian government. Was there not a thing there? Going through my emails, in a discussion thread on the perils of “too positive” media coverage, I find a link to this blog post by a BloggingGhana colleague, Roxanne L Scott from the end of May 2013.

In summary, Roxanne writes that the Ghanaian government payed 1,5 million USD to CNN in 2012 for positive coverage under the “CNN Eye on Ghana Project”. The project was centered around tourism and investment and produced stories such as “Welcome to Ghana: Historic castles, exotic wildlife and a golden coast”. (Scroll down and the slideshow title reads: “Ghana: the jewel of West Africa”) This project is no secret, it is covered in official documents!

In the same documents, we can read about the plans for 2013: “the Ministry [of tourism] will augment its Marketing Ghana Programme through intensive use of the international media. Funding will be mobilized in pursuit of the CNN Eye on Ghana project…”

(Docs below I have borrowed from Roxanne)

Roxanne writes:

“I’d love some clarification for how this $1.5 Million goes in reference to CNN.

If it is in fact payment, its unethical.

I recently learned at an arts and culture journalism workshop in Ghana it’s quite the norm for media houses to charge artists and organizations for coverage according to time. For example one can call a radio station in Ghana and get the price for a featured interview. Event planners also charge journalists to “cover” their event. Political parties engage in this as well. After press conferences, political parties pay journalists for coverage.

I thought it was a journalists job to look for the news. A journalists creates the content. If you’re being paid by an organization to cover the news, or if you’re charging for individuals/organizations to feature their content, thats more public relations (PR) and its unethical. You really shouldn’t call yourself a journalist.”

The media ethics debate in Ghana has a long way to go. However, it is not just in Ghana the lines between journalism and PR is blurred, as Roxanne rightly points out. The president’s CNN interview is scheduled for some time in October. Meanwhile, it looks like the CNN Eye on Ghana program alive and well and possibly “augmented” for this year. Does that CNN Eye on Ghana Project involve a primetime presidential interview? Later today over at CNN the window for uploading your video questions for president Mahama closes. CNN iReport, urges:

“Send us your questions for the president in a video (15 seconds or less, please) and they could be asked on CNN!”

I am guessing the most critical voices  (if they even can be captured in less than 15 sec!) – “What is the relationship between CNN and the Ghanian government?” and “Can we trust this interview to be objective on the basis that the Ghanaian government is paying CNN for coverage?” will likely not be featured…

My colleague Roxanne ended her blogpost in May with a plea to CNN for some clarification. She never heard back. I hope this time CNN will answer.

Please share this blogpost with your networks if you also want to know more from CNN on their relationship with the Ghanaian government.

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