Working For Women In Ghana

By: Megan Laird

Produced & Edited By: Andrew Davis

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

         A Ban Against Neglect, commonly known as ABAN, is an organization in Ghana that works to empower women in a most unique way.The founders of ABAN, Callie Brauel, Emmanuel Tetteh Quarmyne and Rebecca Brandt saw a unique opportunity in the form of litter on the streets of Accra, Ghana. What was at one point a mock Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in an NGO Management Class at the University of Ghana turned into an actual business, in which the three founders worked to sell up-cycled products in order to help the women of Ghana. According to Brauel,

         “We went from a class project trying to help fund two other nonprofits on the ground in Ghana to starting our own nonprofit that was focused on the economic empowerment of young homeless women through giving them a job, a safe place to sleep, and way to save.”

A Growing Organization

         ABAN was started in 2008 and now has 19 employees and three interns on two different continents. The former college students that started it were able to turn a dream into a reality, and have seen success in Ghana. According to Brauel, “We have gotten support from several large companies in Ghana, created a Ghana Advisory Board, and have partnered with numerous schools to initiate recycling programs.”

         From fall of 2008 to the summer of 2010, ABAN sold their products to support Accra’s youth. The founders of ABAN then won the Carolina Challenge, a prestigious business competition at Universityof North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Callie’s original university before studying abroad), the funding from which allowed ABAN to become a registered non-profit.

         The actual process of creating the beautiful handbags, jewelry and other products from ABAN involves up-cycling water sachets (the main source of litter in Accra) and combining them with recycled glass and traditional Ghanaian batik fabrics. The proceeds from the goods directly benefit the young mothers who are enrolled in ABAN’s school. The ABAN school is an entrepreneurial school that seeks to empower and transform the beneficiaries to develop themselves and their community. According to Brauel, the women selected are those,

         “…Willing to commit two years to breaking the cycle of poverty, changing their lives and preparing for a more participative role in their communities and society. Because the women are in a resident environment, ABAN is able to focus on developing a sense of self-confidence by teaching a basic educational curriculum, developing vocational and social skills, money management, and counseling in nutrition, and physical and mental health.”

         Doris Darkwah, the Programs Coordinator in Ghana, discussed some big moments in her time with ABAN, “When they show up for training day in, day out, that tells me they are willing to make a change in their lives and that makes me proud. A peculiar big day for me is usually their graduation day.”

         Darkwah also noted her main fear for the women of Ghana, “My fear is that most of them will not reach the peak of their potential because of cultural restrictions placed on them.”

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

Helping Others

         ABAN fights to break down these restrictions, and educate the women and young mothers about gaining their independence, often from men.

The organization has a staff in both Ghana and the United States, working to spread ABAN’s message and help the girls of Ghana. According to Operations Manager, Mary Kathryne Hutton,

         “While our Ghana operations focus primarily on program planning and implementation, as well as production of our products, ABAN’s US office focuses primarily on sales and fundraising to sustain our programs.” 

         New programs are constantly being initiated, all working towards the bigger cause. One such program being ABAN Women’s Empowerment, or AWE, which consists of many stages and different accomplishments ABAN hopes to reach. According to Executive Director Janine de Nysschen, ABAN is currently experiencing one of it’s biggest leaps in terms of growth, “almost quadrupling intake numbers” and “expanding it’s overall community impact.”

         She also spoke of what ABAN has planned for its program future.

“Program-wise, ABAN will expand into the area of social entrepreneurship so that we can take our self-funding, which currently is around 35% to 40% of what we do, and raise that to being able to fund 60% of everything we do.”

Other Goals

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

         ABAN fights to not only help women, but also to help the environment, making them multi-dimensional in their efforts.           
         Furthermore, they execute their cause in such a manner that is unique and beautiful; and they are creating products that are in demand and well liked. Among the staff’s favorite items that ABAN produces were the tote bags, computer and iPad cases, cosmetic bags and wine bags. Nysschen spoke of what she feels is ABAN’s strength as an organization.

         “ABAN has a strong sense of purpose; our core reason for doing what we do is to help people and things achieve a renewed sense of worth. That's why we can work with young women from very disadvantaged backgrounds, and yet we see in them their potential, their true value. It's also why we have a heart for recycling and nurturing our environment.”

         Co-founder Emmanuel Tetteh Quarmyne spoke of the impact he sees of ABAN on the women of Ghana. “I see it in their everyday lives. For most of the girls who I saw and recruited on the street it is fulfilling for me to see them gain employment and a monthly income that enables them to take care of themselves, their children, their dependent family and the community.”

         Emmanuel’s hope for the future of ABAN is to see it not only grow bigger but to empower up to 100 girls in every session. This goal, while ambitious, is not unrealistic for this unique non-profit.

         ABAN defies the norms of a business, having been started by three college students, and having grown to the magnitude to which it is today. The impact of ABAN is seen through the women in the programs and their success stories, the beauty of the products, the impact on the surrounding society and the satisfaction of the staff involved.

Fighting On

By: Megan Laird

Produced & Edited By: Andrew Davis

© Courtesy of Radio Canada International

Women in Ghana were not permitted to vote until 1954. In addition, as of 2010, only 65.3% of women over the age of 15 in Ghana could read and write.

Dr. Jim Weiler is a senior lecturer and the acting Head of Department for History Education at the University of Education, Winneba. He gave his opinion on the rights of women in Ghana today.

“Women are still expected to be the ones who take care of the homes - men are not supposed to enter the kitchen - even in households where women have careers.”

These traditional mindsets about the role of a woman leads to women in Ghana who not only work jobs, but also are expected to raise a family and keep a house, entirely on their own. It makes being successful in school or in a field of work even more challenging.

Sandra Bamfo is an economics major at the University of Ghana, who discussed equality, or lack thereof, in Ghana.

“By law women have equal rights as men in Ghana. However, in a very suppressed way, in rural areas the rights of women are infringed upon. In Africa traditions counter the power of the law. This causes variations in how rights of women are respected across African countries in my view.”

Tradition and mindsets of the past, particularly those of men, run the country of Ghana. For example, in 2012, only 8.3% of women participated in politics, according to an article posted by The Foundation For Security & Development In Africa. Frederick Kponyo, a resident of Ghana, commented on the troubles Ghanaian women face.

“…Formerly in Ghana, women were subjected to doing house chores and not doing anything better than that… This problem stills has an impact in the society of Ghana. Women are undermined when it comes to job opportunities since they are seen to be fragile and too emotional…”

© Courtesy of Wikipedia

Working for Women

Women’s rights organizations have been fighting for years in Ghana, and women have increased their numbers in the government, even if those numbers are still dismal. Michael Tawiah is a foreign exchange student at Ohio University from Ghana, and he has a slightly more optimistic opinion on the political involvement of women.

“Ghana has shown significant change in its view of women in the past years; it has even started to show in politics despite a great deal of occupational prejudice. We now have our first female speaker of parliament, its first ever-female chief justice, a handful of MP's (member of Parliament), some top female TV presenters and some top female corporate executives....”

To look at the facts Tawiah stated and make the claim that women are more involved and more equal to men than they were in 1954 is true, however, there is still much to be done.

Women’s rights and activist groups are extremely common and vocal in Ghana. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, The Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Rural Action Alliance Programme (RAAP) are only a few of the many organizations fighting for women. Opinions about the effectiveness of these organizations varied. Frederick Kponyo views The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection as effective.

“Groups such as The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection are very effective. They serve as a mouthpiece for women in several ways since they have the resources and power to attack or address any problem women face... Sometimes they stand in for women who do not have the courage and power to come out to defend their rights.”

However, others believe that these organizations are low in their level of effectiveness. Michael Tawiah believes corruption can be blamed for ineffectiveness.

“The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection doesn’t utilize the budget its allocated, not for lack of a sizable budget but due to corruption, most of the supplies that make it to the people that need them are mostly donations. Even then, most of it doesn’t make it.”

In countries that have historically been plagued with political issues, corruption may have an impact in the effectiveness of organizations that promote social welfare.

© Courtesy of A Ban Against Neglect Facebook

Women in Ghana have made some strides however, in the fight for equality. Activist groups are large in number and impact, and work to empower women in many different ways. They fight to raise awareness about domestic abuse, and the importance of education for girls. The changes that have occurred in Ghana can be credited in part to the work of these organizations. Women have grown increasingly vocal in recent years about being equal to men.

Doris Darkwah is the Programs Coordinator for A Ban Against Neglect (ABAN), which is a non-profit organization that works to empower young women in Ghana by creating products made out of recycled plastic that litters the streets of Accra. You can browse their website for handmade bags, wallets, and jewelry.

Darkwah stated, “As an organization, what we are seeking to do is to empower women economically, a model we believe will end the cycle of poverty in Ghana.”

© Courtesy of A Ban Against Neglect

What stands out with groups such as ABAN are the unique ways they work to empower women. The products ABAN sells are a perfect example of the creativity and dedication to their cause, and the work they have done to help women. Young women and children are often forced by poverty into begging stealing and even prostitution. 

Making bags and jewelry to raise awareness may not entirely solve the inequality in Ghana. 

However, the work done by these kind of organizations it definitely a start in the right direction.

Groups such as ABAN can give women in Ghana hope for more equality moving forward. Hope for a brighter future, where their daughters have just as many rights as their sons, and they do not have to live in fear of speaking their mind. For Ghana, the wall of inequality has begun to come down. It is up to the women and organizations to destroy it for good.

Journalism in Ghana: Police escorts, brown envelopes and more

By Lindsay Boyle

“Don’t be hard-hitting.”

That’s what I was told on my first day as an intern at the Daily Graphic, Ghana’s state-owned and best-selling national newspaper. I was warned that, sometimes, the Graphic would find a reason to fire those who were.

Now, I don’t want to completely knock Ghanaian journalism: not only are other countries allowed to do things differently, but also, the United States’ way of going about things isn’t perfect — the 2013 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, although controversial, listed it below 31 other countries. And, recently, a study by PEN America found that many U.S. writers are now self-censoring in order to avoid NSA scrutiny.

Regardless, some of the journalistic trends I observed during my two months as an intern with the Daily Graphic were disconcerting.

Every evening, the Graphic’s schedule for the following day — the “roaster” — is posted. Typically, it features almost nothing but press conferences, awards shows and other similar conventions. However, that alone isn’t the problem — it’s more so the way journalists go about covering the already PR-like events.

In the morning, the Graphic van that drops reporters off at their assignments often doesn’t leave until after 9, even when some of the events are scheduled to start at 9. Granted, on Ghana time, many things start hours late. But, when they don’t, reporters often ask event organizers for printed versions of important keynote or opening speeches that were given. Later, they’ll quote — or completely plagiarize — words they never heard.

Even when reporters — not just from the Graphic — aren’t late, they sometimes fall asleep during events and rely on the typed-up speeches to write their stories. At one press conference about offshore drilling — where two British folks and a Ghanaian gas company owner talked about how awesome the practice would be — the Ghanaian journalists were so adamant about getting the speeches afterward that employees had to make copies on the spot.

I should note that, at the same conference, the reporters asked an uncannily small amount of questions. Not one person thought to bring up the potential adverse effects offshore drilling could have on Ghana environmentally. Following the public Q & A session, the reporter I was with still didn’t ask anything, even though the reporter could have done so one-on-one.

The problem goes farther than that, though: with conferences and other events — even ones that are days long — reporters from all media outlets rarely stay for more than the welcome ceremony. When I was covering a three-day conference on accessibility and quality of higher education, a Graphic photographer told me we needed to leave after we’d been at the event for just 25 minutes. What? I thought. What’s the point of even going? This will be a total fluff piece.

I rushed to find a man who was giving a presentation later during the conference specifically about Ghana, so I could at least have some quotes with real details. I didn’t see any other reporters do the same.

Instead, when I returned, I found the photographer waiting with other media members to receive money from the university that hosted the event. Again, what? I later learned it’s a common practice in Ghana that’s widely known as ‘soli’ — short for ‘solidarity’ — and is considered more of a courtesy than a bribe to write good things.

Perhaps I’d be more comfortable with that if it weren’t for the police escort Graphic reporters, myself included, received from an event at the Embassy of Japan a week earlier. Yes, that’s right: I rode, four in the backseat, in a police SUV with its sirens blaring, flying down the wrong side of the road as cars swerved out of the way just in time.

There was no hurry — we were just going back to the office to write about a Community-based Health Planning and Services compound. But, that’s the effort the police made for the journalists — the same journalists who are supposed to keep the actions of the police in check.

Anyway, when we returned to the office, the reporter with whom I went asked me to write the story while she also wrote it. When she read my version, she told me all the ways my article was wrong: it didn’t hop around erratically — it went in order of importance. It didn’t feature subheads every three graphs — it flowed well. The reporter’s version ran the following day with a shared byline. Agortoe, the main location to which the piece referred, was spelled “Argotoe” at two different points.

Editing errors such as that weren’t uncommon, either. When I wrote about a conference/awards event regarding sanitation in Ghana, my article ran the following day with an “edited” lead that ended with a comma rather than a period.

And, I was told my story from the conference on accessibility and quality of higher education didn’t “follow our style.” Where I had a short lead, it became 80 words long and tough to follow. Where I had two sentences, it became one run-on. Where I had words spelled correctly and plurals agreeing, they no longer were. Where I had “Prof Peter Mayer, from Osnabrueck, Germany,” there was “Prof Peter Mayer Osnabrueck, from Germany,” who was thereafter referred to as “Prof Osnabrueck.”

Seriously.

Fortunately, the Daily Graphic has a features section to expand on its regular coverage. With that, though, comes a different issue: actually trying to report a feature story in Ghana.

In Ghana, a freedom of information bill that’s existed since 2003 still hasn’t been signed into law. Many organizations and events have poor or nonexistent websites. But, what’s worse is how difficult it was, at least for me, to get a hold of government members.

When I needed information about why an island near Ada still isn’t on Ghana’s national electricity grid, Comfort Doeyo Cudjoe Ghansah, Member of Parliament for Ada, answered one email — asking me when I’d like to meet — but then never replied to my response. An NGO employee working in the area told me she’d never gotten back to him, either.

When I was working on a story about child trafficking in Ghana, I walked more than 30 minutes to the Ministry of Women’s and Children’s Affairs — which became the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with very little publicity — because none of the several phone numbers listed for the place worked.

Employees there sent me to the Department of Children, which they said would be able to better answer my questions, with such terrible directions that I actually couldn’t find it until I tried again two days later.

There, I was told I should actually go to the Human Trafficking Secretariat for answers. I trekked almost three miles to the building only to find that the head of the secretariat, Victoria Natsu, wasn’t there and hadn’t been all week. I refused to leave until someone gave me her phone number.

A few days later, I did an interview with her, oddly enough, at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

On the bright side, the Graphic did run my piece on trafficking — it received a two-page, center-of-the-paper spread — even though it could easily be considered “hard-hitting.” Additionally, the right to information bill seems closer to passage than ever, major outlets are starting to denounce ‘soli’ and increasing Internet access will inevitably lead to more, and better, websites. So, it seems Ghanaian journalism, at least, is headed in the right direction.

Post-Ghana Post

Mackenzie Miller
mm120908@ohio.edu

It is incredibly hard to believe it has been 17 days since I landed back in the U.S. after my Ghanaian excursion. There are times when I feel like just yesterday I was strolling the streets of Osu and other times I feel that Ghana was something that seems so long ago. Part of this may be because I experienced a sort of “reverse culture shock” – if that is a thing?

I personally have found it difficult to adjust back to the American way of life. Yes, of course starting back up at Ohio University with classes and seeing all of my friends and family have thrust me back into the swing of things. However, my struggle comes more in little moments. Seemingly insignificant seconds that flash me back to what things were like all those miles away in Accra, Ghana.

The situations in which I felt this way have been various and generally unimportant on the surface, however they carry a lot of weight in my eyes.

Complaining. Complaining is in essence the overarching theme of things that simply turn me off about American society. I find myself complaining about people complaining (meta). I cannot handle it anymore and I apologize eternally for anyone who ever had to be surrounded by me prior to this journey. We have so little to complain about. And yet we do it so frequently. It really is just so much easier to be positive and appreciative.

As much as I dislike the complaints, more specific instances have stood out to me upon returning to Ohio. For example: complaining about service(s). I will never, ever complain again about food service. I have waited 2+ hours to not receive a meal over in Ghana, and guess what? That’s okay.

That’s okay because now when it takes 40 minutes for someone to cook me a meal made to order so that someone else can bring it out to me while also serving multiple other tables and my friends are up in arms about it, I’m really happy. ONLY 40 MINUTES! I mean they are serving me for god’s sake.  I could very easily make a sandwich at home – which in itself is an amazing privilege.

As important as food service is…I digress.

Another noticeable difference between Ghanaian and American societies that make me cringe has to do with children and youth. I hate the way America socializes our kids. I overheard two little boys in a store; they seemed to be about 6 and 8 years old, arguing over the older boy’s iPhone. HIS IPHONE.

I’m a 22 year old, near-college graduate and I don’t have an iPhone…

As I stood there watching them bicker, wanting to slap the snot out of both of them, it took me back to Ghana. Back to all of the beaches we went to where children were helping their families sell foods or clothes. Back to when we took dance and drum lessons where 7 and 8 year old boys were fishing, climbing trees to gather coconuts, and using machetes to cut them open for us.

Back to Weep Not Child where Precious, a beautiful young girl, helps to take care of the babies at the orphanage. Or 1 ½ year old Kwame, who was smiling and screaming with joy as he played with a string. A string. Just hanging from the ceiling, and I’ve never seen a baby happier.

It’s absolutely astounding that America’s kids are so entitled and believe that they deserve so much. The children in Ghana are so mature and self-sufficient. They’re so kind and gentle. Not here though. And it’s so unfortunate because then those kids grow up to be the general population of this country.

Again, I could go on for hours about one of these topics alone. I just really, really miss Ghana. Aside from general complaints and the differences between the two nation’s youths, there is another thing that makes me miss Ghana (and I’m assuming Africa as a whole) a LOT.

I know that gender equities are not perfect over in Ghana, trust me. But Ghana has something, or rather lacks something, that makes me incredibly envious: body image issues.

It’s like they just don’t exist.

The female body is praised and celebrated, not picked to pieces like it is over here. It took me until one of the last days to genuinely feel it, but I have never been more comfortable physically than I felt on the beaches in Africa. I didn’t feel too embarrassed to go in the water, or even to the beach in general for that matter, which happens to me all the time in the U.S.

“I’m so fat.” I hear it everyday from my roommates, random people in class, girls on TV, and most commonly from myself. Our media is so warped and has been for years, which is why people constantly feel inadequate physically. I am normally very secretive about things like this, which is a problem with American society in itself – shame - but I have suffered severely with body issues for a large portion of my life. I’m really good at making jokes out of things that make me uncomfortable or are touchy subjects, so deflecting is easy. But I didn’t really have to deflect over there. I got to just, be.

It’s such a set back when you have to return to a place like the United States.

There are so many more things I have taken away from my 25 days in Accra. So many things that make me happy every single day when I think about them, so many people I’ve had the opportunity to meet, and so many lessons I have learned. I have tried to maintain the mindset I had while in Ghana throughout my everyday life back in Ohio, but it’s hard when I’m plunged back into this way of life. Really I think I just miss Ghana.

Reflection on Connection

Benjamin Clos
bc494010@ohio.edu

The best word I can think of to describe my learning experiences in Ghana is "wow".  I do not think that there would be a more effective way to learn about the connection between another culture and the United States than to go there and learn.

Cape Coast Castle, Ghana

While in Ghana, we went to a couple different forts where slaves were held. Being on the western side of Africa, we were in an area where many slaves were shipped off to the United States and European countries. Slavery is an industry that had been going on since the 1700s and did not end until the early 1900s. As our colleague Carol would learn more about her family that originated in Ghana, I also learned more about slave trade. She told me that her family had always thought that when white men would come in a pick Africans to take with them, they had thought that their family members were being taken away to find jobs. Little did they know that they were being taken as property and they would never see their families again. This happened for several generations and the families that stayed behind in Ghana and other African countries made the assumptions that their relatives that left moved on to bigger and better things. It was not until around the 1950s-60s that Africans learned what the slave industry was and where their relatives actually went. This was a strange thing to learn as an American. In the United States during the 50s and 60s was the time when our civil rights movement was in full swing. To think at that time when America is trying to move past slavery and segregation, Ghana and other parts of Africa are just learning about slavery.

Africa in a Knock-Out Punch

One of our lecturers was a Rabi whom was originally from the United States but has lived in Ghana for over 20 years. He explained to us that the best way to understand Africa's feelings about slavery and colonization is that "they just had a knock-out punch and are still trying to recover, understand and mourn the loss of ancestors that were taken from them." While it is not something that may be a daily struggle, it is a topic of conversation that is painful for some to talk about. 

Colonization 

When European countries went into Africa to gather land they caused a lot of division in this large continent that I believe is still affecting Africans today. When these countries were gathering land they were not looking at the people that lived in those areas. Gathering as much land and resources as possible was the goal for the Europeans. When they claimed the land that they wanted, the people living there had to follow their new parent countries. Ethnic tribes and families became divided because of the new colony boundaries. Because of these boundaries formed years ago, there are problems with politics today. Politicians are not trusted by a majority of citizens because of the differences in ethnic origin. Along with distrust there has been corruption in the government from people in power looking out for their personal benefit or people of the same origin. We did have a discussion about politics once on the trip and this quote really stuck with me, "Just because you are based off of a democracy doesn't mean it is being practiced."

Reflection

Playing Soccer with Emmanuel, 10.

I think the whole trip and facts that I learned throughout the trip made me realized how small this planet is and how connected every political, economical and personal choice that we make can have an affect on another. Even if they are thousands of miles away. Just today, the U.S. Embassy of Ghana tweeted how President Obama is seeking a new level of economic engagement between the U.S. and Africa. This is one planet and this is one unit of people. By having the understanding of other cultures, we become more knowledgeable on how to be respectful and live a life that is less infringing on another. 

Being A Minority in Ghana

By: Adrienne Green 

Everywhere in the world there are people who look like they belong and people who don’t.

 In Ghana, it was obvious to the many people that we encountered that my nineteen Caucasian colleagues were not indigenous to the city of Accra or any of the other places that we traveled.

They suffered the escalated bargaining prices, received the quizzical looks from small children, and faced barriers when interacting with the people of Accra because they stood out.

But, many of the Ghanaian people didn’t know exactly what to make of me. At first glance I think my dark skin, long braids and ability to blend into the crowd deceived them. If only for the few moments before I spoke, I looked like I belonged.

Though my place within their culture was always fleeting, it was interesting to see how people would approach me compared to my classmates.

People approached me speaking in their native dialects, extending hands for handshakes I did not know, and asking for directions to places I had never been. They would always quickly uncover that I was in fact a foreigner, and quickly that insider treatment would change to something much more distant. Native Ghanaians called me something that I had never been referred to before—Black American.

Although it made sense that they would not call me ‘African American’ since I wasn’t born anywhere near their continent of Africa, it still sounded strange.

 Traditional wrap for carrying children. Photo taken at African dance practice.

I didn’t expect to fit in. We were warned during our orientation that it would be one of the first times in our lives that we would feel different from those that surrounded us. But, I didn’t believe that. I was used to being different my whole life.

Being an African American woman, I understood what it meant to always feel like a “minority”. I had always assumed that because of my African American heritage, going to Ghana would be like a symbolic homecoming where I would discover some lost part of my history. That didn’t exactly happen. And after arriving in Ghana I had an uncomfortable feeling that despite the fact that I don't physically stand out like my classmates, my place as a Black American came with a lot of stigmas. 

After having many conversations with Ghanaian citizens I found that some held very stereotypical views of the Black American community, and I had to defend questions about those negative ideas. I think that the media in Ghana has a lot to do with the way African American people are portrayed to other black and brown people across the diaspora. Interestingly enough, they felt that American media did not give a fully accurate representation of Africa.

Sadly it was rarely discussed that some Ghanaian people knew very little about the African American community outside of pop culture and negative media coverage. But that is similar to the fact that American media broadcasts little about Ghana/Africa outside of poverty or conflict. The lack of a variety of presentation for black men and women as well as the African population perpetuate negative stereotypes for each group. Ideas of the poor and destitute African or the deviant African American stem from the types of images that we are exposed to. 

Media and Society play an integral role in how other cultures come to interpret people when they interact. The portrayal of Africans in the media affected how I sought a relationship with the Ghanaian culture, and heightened how different I felt from the people I encountered and how different they thought they were from me.  

After traveling to Ghana and returning to America I feel that I have learned so much about myself and about how people relate to each other. I now recognize in a more impactful way that the only way you can truly identify or empathize with another group of people is to admit that the things you knew and the assumptions you made might not have been true. I also learned that the way in which someone identifies is much more complex than the location on their birth certificate and