Come Tomorrow, Tomorrow I'll be Ghana

Okay, I admit it, I've been sitting on that title for about a month.

I'm definitely having mixed feelings about leaving Ghana tomorrow: on one hand, definitely excited to be back in the US, the promised land of television, Internet, hot showers, clean(er) air and good old home-cooking, but I'm definitely really sad to be leaving this country. I've spent the last couple days bidding farewell to my contacts in Accra and to my always faithful research assistant, which was definitely a bit harder than I thought it would be. Here in Ghana, where "impersonal" Internet/e-mail communication isn't quite the norm, contacts are made via other contacts and you talk over the phone and have personal meetings. So you certainly feel a close connection, especially with people who go really far out of their way to help you. For instance, my first couple weeks here my contact from the Ports Ministry, a planning officer, basically spent the whole day with me at Tema just getting me oriented and introduced to everyone. And there are literally a dozen people who have been just that helpful and friendly towards me.

I've spent a good part of the last couple of days just walking around campus, which currently is looking quite spiffy as the students are arriving. Buildings, sidewalks, walls have all been repainted a shiny white, the guards have crisp blue-yellow uniforms and traffic actually doesn't try to run you over any more. Even the market across from the hostel is getting a new paint job. August is also the coolest month in Ghana---say around 70-80F---so that has definitely made things much more pleasant. Despite the numerous logistical hassles along the way, I'm actually going to miss Legon a bit. I guess it kind of grows on you.

Before I left the US, my advisor had me read Fieldwork in Developing Countries, which in my opinion is indispensable for anyone doing research in Africa. This book mentions, and my advisor confirms, that after spending time in the field, you sort of expect everything to be the same when you return home. Normal schedule, familiar faces, a sense of routine. Supposedly that's not the case. I guess it'll be kind of weird not to haggle with taxi drivers, wait 2 hours for a crowded, sweaty minibus, or have to use hand sanitizer every hour. At the same time, the pace of life will be much quicker, as things tend to have a hard time overcoming inertia in Ghana.

But I've learned so much just being here for two months. Just seeing the level of poverty and yet the sense of hope that "Ghana is moving forward" (NPP political slogan) has been very enlightening for me. This is a country that is in its Fourth Republic, having experienced several military coups, countless attempted coups, ethnic bloodshed and severe economic hardship, but is only now getting its feet wet with democracy. Most Ghanaians I've talked with believe in democracy and are willing to wait in line for 12 hours to get registered to vote. (Sadly logistics has not moved at the same pace...). That certainly says something about a country. Contrary to popular belief, people here try to be politically informed, they want to know the issues and they are moving past just voting for the candidate from this or that religion or ethnic group or even party background. They even follow American politics closely--not just Barack Obama, who is wildly popular in Africa, but they even follow McCain's policies and speeches. Ghanaians understand the importance of being part of a global system and the pivotal role the US plays. Whenever they find out I'm from the US, the following questions revolve around US politics. They look at countries like the US, UK, Germany and they want the freedoms we have, our lifestyle, our values. Very few people want a return to authoritarian rule, even if democracy is still plagued with corruption and, to some extent, tribalism. The system (which also includes civil society, the media, etc.) isn't perfect, but it's getting better. I can only hope that the December elections go well.

I hope to return to Ghana in a few years, whether for research or just for holiday. This is a beautiful country with amazing people. Despite the poverty, parents do anything they can to send their children to school. That includes selling sachet water to passing traffic amongst other goods, but people here, unlike in many other African countries, believe that hard work and entrepreneurship actually pays off. This is something that even crosses tribal lines: I was just in Kumasi and it turns out the Ashanti king has sponsored an education fund for talented students from any background, any region. That means talented students, who don't have to be Ashanti, can travel to the UK or the US to study, no matter what their economic position.

It's stuff like that that makes me think that Ghana has a good chance of being an African leader and maintaining that position. It's difficult coming from a country like the US and understanding how people here put up with the daily troubles. But they know that they want peace, stability and accountability and many forces are in motion to ensure that that happens. Honestly, it's just the "spirit" of the local people that's moved me the most in the past 2 months. My thesis will be measured by the things I could survey and quantify. But my experiences here will be measured by the things I could not.