Why do an IDS YAP?
As a university student with cosmopolitan ambitions, it’s not difficult to figure out a way to travel around the world and do something interesting in the process. But I decided to apply for the Ghana YAP because it appeared to be different than any other study abroad I had encountered. At the end of my second year, I was weary of school but still enthusiastic about what I was studying; in retrospect, I think that I simply needed a sense of context for my studies. Also, I had previously spent a short period of time in a ‘developing’ country and felt very destabilized by the experience – without a sense the history, culture, and politics of a country. I was attracted to the Ghana YAP because it was a carefully structured programme that pushed students to encounter new experiences alongside classroom learning.
Studying at the IAS
Studying at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana was terrific. The University is a beautiful and large campus, just outside of Accra, and we were privileged to be offered very small classes (when compared with crammed lecture halls) with Ghanaian professors. The most stimulating aspect of my time at the IAS was being able to pick up the daily newspaper on the way to class and read about an issue we had discussed, sometimes with our professor quoted in the article.
Living in Accra
Accra is a fast-growing cosmopolitan city that faces the tremendous challenges of rapid social change and uneven economic growth. The city is a bit bewildering to an outsider, and it took me several months to learn about Accra – where things were and how to get around on local transport. At first, it was incredibly intimidating to figure out the informal public transport system, but I learned the most important skill of living in Ghana: ask questions. Soon enough, I’d sorted out a mental map of cheap transport from the hills in the north to the beaches on the coast. For the first few months, I stayed with a host family that lived close to the University – outside of the bustling downtown core. They were an older couple, who had lived through colonialism, independence, military rule, and the new democratic changes. When “Mommy” and “Daddy” were free in the evenings, we would talk about everything from Ghanaian history and politics to religion. While I was writing a paper about Kwame Nkrumah, I could canvass the household to fill in any missing details.
Making friends in Ghana
Developing friendships with Ghanaians was one of the most rewarding, and at times challenging, aspects of the year abroad. I realized, soon after arriving, that I had to re-learn almost everything about developing a friendships; from mannerisms and conversation to gifts (accepting and receiving), social customs are different. But I quickly became very involved with the local Bahá'í community and made close friends among the Bahá'ís near the university and in downtown Accra. It was comforting and inspiring to be an active participant in a religious community of Bahá'ís from across West Africa. I also found that I had a lot in common with one of the Ghanaian year abroad participants, and I traveled with him to visit his family in Tamale several times. After the first visit to Tamale, I wrote home to my own family and friends:
We walked casually in Adam’s mother’s home – an L-shaped building that creates a rough perimeter around a small compound. There was an old woman sleeping on a thin mat on the floor, just to our right. She roused and greeted us. She seemed the right age to be Adam’s mother, but there wasn’t any apparent affection or exclamation at reunification. Nonetheless, about 15 minutes later I gathered that she was Fati(mih), Adam’s mom. She was beautiful: thin, long face with graceful cheekbones and narrow nose. Her eyes were bright and she wore a gold tooth that softly glinted when she smiled.
As we left, Adam told me of the special station of mothers in Islam. Although his father was well-respected as the head of a large family, his mother was afforded special rights and prerogatives. She had, several years earlier, been sent by his family members on her pilgrimage to Mecca. Unfortunately his father did not have enough time left in his life for family members to save up to send him to fulfill his religious duty. This was somewhat surprising and quite impressive for me, that it was not only deference to women that was emphasized within Ghanaian Islam but that her religious rights would be prioritized.
Working at the CHRAJ
I spent the second half of the year at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), a semi-governmental institution based in Accra. Before arriving in Ghana I hadn’t expected to do an internship in Accra, let alone with a relatively large institution like the CHRAJ. But I had investigated a number of placement possibilities, and although staying in Accra wasn’t too enticing, I was convinced of the important role that the CHRAJ was playing in the country and a chance to work at and study the institution was too tempting to turn down. Reflecting on my experience at the CHRAJ, I realized that the more I assumed the posture of a student-researcher the more effective and energetic I was. The first week or two were a little frustrating, feeling as I did that it would be difficult to make a helpful contribution in a such a complex orchestra of bureaucracy. The first few days not doing work seemed to be a more productive investment of energy than manufacturing tasks for myself. It seemed that no one around me really felt work was a priority when I was still an unknown entity within the office. Developing relationships and learning not how something is done but the ways in which it can be done was laid the foundation for an enjoyable and interesting internship. So once I became less concerned with working and more focused on learning and serving, my internship really seemed to fall into place.
After a few weeks working briefly in a number of departments, I finally joined the research unit, where I could best complement the needs of the Commission. This involved all kinds of interesting work, and to some extent it let me pursue some work independently. With a certain amount of freedom to work on my assignments (many with other staff), I could take off to attend lectures, trainings, investigations, and mediations without confusing my supervisor too much. The second two months of my time at the Commission were primarily spent researching either internal issues like case management and referrals, or external issues like child labour, ritual servitude and political corruption (which involved making field trips to various NGOs). But the best part about the experience was developing relationships with Ghanaian colleagues with whom I could talk about everything from daily life and religion to national politics and international relations.
Post-Trent plans
Participating in Trent-in-Ghana has strongly influenced my post-graduate plans. Being able to study and work in Ghana was a short break from the regular rhythm of university life, and it has given me the energy and inspiration to continue straight to graduate studies. In all of my university and scholarship applications I drew heavily from my experience in Ghana, and I am sure that my international experience and interests strengthened these applications considerably. In my statements of interest I outlined my experience with the CHRAJ and I proposed conducting a comparative study of national human rights institutions in Africa. I am very fortunate to have received a Commonwealth Scholarship to attend Oxford University this fall (2006), where I will begin a two-year M.Phil. degree in Comparative Politics. Hopefully field work will take me back to Ghana!