Internet Problems

Hello all!

Our Internet is down at the office and has been for a couple weeks. Normally that isn't a problem because I use the Internet on my phone as a hotspot, but ever since I updated to IOS7 I have not been able to use my hotspot...argh so no updates for a little while. I'm posting this using my phone directly. Hopefully it works....

Sorry to those of you who have emailed recently! Until I get this sorted out, it's difficult to respond to emails. But I will hopefully be back up and running soon!

Update #2

I'm just re-posting the general update I just e-mailed out today:

Update #2

Hello everyone!

Well, now that I’ve been here for almost half of the time that I’ve been scheduled to be here (not quite half, but almost), I thought it was time I was sending out another update as to what is going on over here in Ghana for those of you who are interested. 

The weather here in Accra has started to change and I have to say that I am very sorry to see the cool weather go… around 22, 23 degrees is just about my personal perfect and it was so nice here during July and most of August. Hardly any rain, bright sunny but tolerably cool days, nice cool evenings. Yes, I miss them. But ah well, I knew it couldn’t last forever and this is Africa after all. Things have started to heat up and I know we are no where near the apex so I’m trying to mentally prepare myself.

The work at WiLDAF is going relatively well. Much better than it was going when I first started. I now have a clear idea of how they want me to do the work so that it is of the most use to them and the people here. The only problem has been actually getting the raw information I need in order to accomplish the task. If you have seen my blog you have probably seen the picture of the Registrar whom I have to deal with at the Court, who has been trying to negotiate for me to become his second wife in exchange for the court documents that I need…

As part of my work here I need to interview some local leaders in different regions in order to contrast how violence against women is handled by the courts versus by the communities. Last week I got to interview one local chief and one paramount chief as well as a tribal council. It was very interesting, though somewhat discouraging with regards to the responses. I have included some pictures of the meetings here.  This is a meeting with the local chief in Evelyn’s village (see below to know who Evelyn is) along with a couple elders and Godwyn the young man. He is a Legal Literacy Volunteer for WiLDAF – he helped me with translation. 

Here is another photo showing my interview with the paramount chief in another area

and then a picture of our meeting with the tribal council of the same area. In that picture you see the man sitting in the middle in front of the desk – he is the “linguist”. One speaks to the chief, the linguist then repeats what was said (regardless of the language it is said in) and the chief responds to the linguist, who responds to the rest of us. On the floor in front of the linguist you see the two bottles of Schnapps which must be presented to the chief in order to have an audience with him.

Last week I also had the chance to help WiLDAF return a two year old girl to her village in the Eastern Region after a 6 month ordeal in a hospital in Accra. This poor girl had her entire genital/anal region melted away by her father who had been trying to apply a medicinal treatment to her to cure what appeared to be a yeast infection. He apparently did not realise how hot it had become and ignored the child’s screams as mere discomfort. The damage was horrifying to see, but WiLDAF was told about it by one of its Legal Literacy Volunteers in the area. The injuries would have killed her if not properly treated, so WiLDAF staff raised the funds necessary to send the girl to the teaching hospital here in Accra where she has undergone extensive plastic and other reconstructive surgery. She has had to have the area completely re-made and it was amazing to see what the doctors there were able to do to help her. The girl’s father has fled due to fear of prosecution, leaving her young mother and her 6 siblings (the youngest of whom was born only a few days after the incident took place). So this family is definitely in need of prayer and support. Especially for the young girl, whose recovery is still ongoing and whose life is going to be inevitably more challenging because of what she’s been through. So please do remember “Evelyn” and her family in your prayers.

On a brighter note, I’ve been enjoying getting up to Kumasi every other weekend lately. Its been a real blessing to be there and enjoy fellowship and times of worship with the Christians up there. The 6 hour bus ride seemed daunting at first, but with a good book (and by not drinking too much water…) its quiet doable and a good way to catch up on some reading and sleeping at the end of a week. The last time I went, my trotro broke down three times on the way, once for 2 hours, at the side of the highway, in the noonday sun… so I’ve decided not to cut corners anymore, I’m just going to take the “VIP” bus and pay the extra. There’s something to be said for reliability.

I was invited to lead the girls’ teenage Bible class this coming Sunday in Kumasi so I’ve been praying about that. The make-up of the group is quite different than the youth group I was a part of in Agincourt, so it will be an interesting challenge. I’m really looking forward to it, if it goes well and the girls are interested, I hope to keep working with them until my time here in Ghana is over. I am tentatively planning to spend the first study sharing my own testimony about how I came to be sure of the existence of God and then how it was that I eventually came to the conclusion that the Gospel accounts were true and what that meant for my life. Then if the discussion goes well, I hope to talk more with them about how one goes about having a two-way relationship with God and why knowing God matters, since I know that was always a huge mystery to me. But if the discussion goes in a different direction instead based on the interests of the girls, that would be good too. I’m interested to see how God will use the time we have together.

Work with EPAWA (Enslavement Prevention Alliance West Africa) is going well, and I have started to compile the evidence needed in the case I am working on to try to initiate an action against a man who is apparently stealing donor funds from an orphanage while forcing the children to do hard labour and turning a blind eye to the sexual assaults that are taking place against several of the children. It is a daunting task, but I’m glad to be able to be a part of it. This work could definitely use your support in prayer, as it is a delicate situation to deal with and is difficult for me to navigate the legal territory here in Ghana (which sometimes feels more like pioneering than navigating).

Well this update is unreasonably long now so I’ll stop here. Oh, except to mention that the lizard situation in my house is getting worse… there was one in my room last week. I have armed myself with a heavy duty broom, but they don’t seem intimidated so I’ll keep going with the scream tactic and hope that it will eventually convince them to find someone else to terrorize…

I hope you all are doing well! And I am looking forward to seeing you all again in the relatively near future :)

Yours truly,

Genna

We Know Politics II

Two weeks ago I got to attend a discussion/review forum called We Know Politics II. Basically it was a wrap-up of WiLDAF’s efforts over the last few years to increase women’s representation in politics at the local and higher levels. Basically they were finding strategic ways to support any woman who was willing and qualified to run for office in her jurisdiction in an attempt to win as many seats as possible for women (some interesting complications/conflicts-of-interest came up in jurisdictions where there was more than one woman willing to run, jurisdictions where there was already a woman in office, and jurisdictions where no women wanted to run).

I got to interview two of the participants in the program (known as COWIG and/or the Hunger Project etc.) and their thoughts are at the end of this post.

Half-way through the program people were getting pretty tired so we had a quick session of group songs with actions to wake everyone up Ghanaian style (sorry if the videos make you ill, I was trying to film it while participating in the actions!)

The first one was neat, as the words of the song pretty much capture WiLDAF's entire mandate. Hopefully you can pick it out despite the accents:

Here are the testimonials from the COWIG/We Know Politics II project:

Ms. K. M.

Ms. M was appointed to the District Assembly in 2010. The Hunger Project/COWIG helped to bring out qualities in her that she never knew she had before COWIG came in. She says that she can now stand in front of people and talk, she’s not afraid of people she is going to meet, no matter where they are from. She learned leadership qualities and that is why she was able to lobby against the DCE, who had power and money behind it. 

Ms. M is from a Muslim background, born into a family where she received no education. She was the only girl in a family of 11 boys and was brought up by her grandmother who was a very vocal lady. Ms. M became a teacher and, in 2009, went on a study leave. It was COWIG that showed her she needed to get an education to get the qualities she needed in order to succeed. 

COWIG came to her district and she was recommended to it by the DCE and Social Welfare Project in 2009. 

“I wanted [the COWIG program] to continue so that I could mentor girls so that they can also come out with the qualities in them so they can build on their future. What they are, what they’re after, what they have in them”. 

Mrs. J. K.  (also known as "Jubilee Mama")

Mrs. K is a teacher and, for the last 8 years, also a radio presenter on a local radio station, discussing family issues “Da fe a me kpar”

Mrs. K has been a COWIG member since 2009 and a member of WiLDAF since 2009 as a Legal Literacy Volunteer (LLV). 

As a radio personality, she has to project women:

“Being a teacher, I have to bring leadership concepts to my girls. They can become leaders through the training I have through COWIG. Being a church leader, I try to empower women in church to take leadership positions in and outside of church. I use myself as an example and try to encourage their leadership qualities to come out through my preaching. On the radio, I project women through the topics discussed. I invite experienced women and women of substance to my program. The role of women in society, at home, and how their self-esteem should be built into confidence. Women should not be confined to just the kitchen. Society and cultural traditions affect women in my area, so I educate the public – especially men – on these issues. Education also goes to young girls so they can get into positions of leadership as they grow. I also focus on family issues and how women should be empowered in their workplaces. Economic independence should be given to women. Women are vulnerable, especially widows. Education is an agent of change so women must pursue educational programs.”

“COWIG helped me to get in touch with many more women and men who are ‘women-friendly’. COWIG built up my confidence. It helped me break the barrier of lack of confidence to approach people and lobby. It opened many doors. I now attend many gatherings. The COWIG program has also had an impact on my daughters. They are taking up leadership roles. One is now contesting for a leadership position in her college. My daughters seek assistance and support from me”.

Food Escapades

I’ve been appreciating some interesting food experiences that I’ve had over the last month that I thought I’d summarize in one post for today.

Here is a picture of what has become one of my favourite weekly meals… that’s right, its tuna spaghetti with laughing cow tossed about on top… yeah. I’m not a huge fan of tuna spaghetti, especially since I do not enjoy tuna. But my landlady thinks that’s the only kind of fish that north americans are willing to eat so she makes it for me all the time despite my insistance that I’d be more than happy to eat the same fish she’s eating (incredibly happy, in fact) and I don’t have the heart to let her know how much I dislike tuna. So I put laughing cow on it, and that makes it all better. Trust me.

And as much as I am learning to appreciate Laughing Cow, you can imagine my ectasy when my landlady received a block of new cheddar from a friend who had just returned from Britain. I got to take this chunk of it with me to work today an thoroughly enjoyed it :)

Later that same week I had the opportunity to attend a work meeting where we were all given a take-away lunch afterwards. Mine stared at me through the whole meal (I kept accidentally getting my finger in its gigantic googly eyes while trying to eat this dish with my fingers as per tradition)

At that same meeting I had the privilege of finally trying a meat pie, and I was also given a local favourite – a cornbeef sandwich. The kind of corned beef that comes from a can (not sure if there is any other kind). Not sure what the attraction is, though I guess beef is rather a treat here for most.

In Cape Coast I finally tasted fresh cocoa which was quite interesting. It looks nothing like cocoa whatsoever and tastes a lot like a cross between a peach and soursop to me. You suck the white stuff on the seeds. Once its gone (which is in about 3 seconds) you spit the seed out and try another. The seeds are what is later dried and processed to create cocoa for chocolate. Even when I chewed on the seed it tasted absolutely nothing like chocolate. Aw well... that's what Mr. Cadbury and Willy Wonka are for, right?

In Kumasi I finally had the opportunity to try a turkey tail! I forget what the proper Twi name is for it, but a lady at the Kejetia market was selling them and I bought one for the equivalent of $1. It tastes a little like eating a pig tail, but its got a lot more meat to it and is SUPER greasy. But tasty nonetheless. Don’t think I have any need to eat it again though.

Joseph also served me some squid that evening which was quite nice. Pretty much like calimari, but larger and more chewy.

And of course, the weekend in Kumasi with Tina was highlighted by this gigantic bowl of buttered popcorn once again :) can’t put in words how much I appreciated that.

And for Mrs. Kyei's birthday we went out for lunch and Tina finally found a decent pizza in Accra (no laughing cow on this one!) 

The Registrar’s Concubine

So workwise I’ve spent the last 5 weeks or so visiting the courthouse every couple days to again ask the Registrar to provide me with the cases I need to complete my mandate here.

I sit in this waiting area until the Registrar’s secretary raises her right eyebrow at me, at which point I am allowed to enter the Registrar’s office (however, last week I entered following the eyebrow raise only to find that there was already someone else in there… so I hastily went back out to the waiting area where the assistant asked me why I didn’t go in. I explained to her and sat back down. The eyebrow was again graciously lifted about 30 minutes later so I re-entered only to find that there was yet another person in there so this time I told the Registrar that his assistant had sent me in. He told me to wait outside so back I went. 5 minutes later the Assistant came up to me looking quite miffed and demanded to know if it was me  who told the Registrar that she had told me to enter…. Now I’m in her bad books.)

 

 (My friend the Assistant is the one sitting behind the desk with her hand on the gate. Its really hard to monitor her eyebrow movements from where I am sitting...)

So two weeks ago, I took Tina with me to the Registrar’s office at the courthouse to go through my Assistant/Registrar routine. We were there at about 9:30am and when I finally had an audience with the Registrar, he told me to come back in an hour and he would have what I needed.

We returned at 10:30 and, when I finally received the appropriate eyebrow sign I entered, only to be told by the registrar to return at 1 because the list wasn’t finished. So we returned to Osu to have lunch and then went back to Accra for 1pm at which point the Registrar advised me that he had decided that the list really should be typed so he had given it to his assistant to do up for me…come back at 4. Sigh.

So we traipsed around Accra for 3 hours and returned to the courthouse at 3:40pm at which point we were advised by other staff that the Registrar had left for the day some time ago.

So using Tina as a decoy, I was able to convince them to get him on the phone. They called him and told him the white ladies were at the courthouse looking for him. He told me to return the next day at 8am and he would have what I needed. I told him that I was leaving for Cape Coast and Kumasi tomorrow in the morning with Tina, but that I would drop by the courthouse first if he would definitely have what I needed at that time. He promised he would so that was that.

The next day, after my french class I called the Registrar, who confirmed that he was at the courthouse waiting for me. I headed down there and had the following conversation with him.

“I have the list here. I even made two copies of it for you”

“That’s fantastic! Thanks”

“Where are you from?”

“Canada”

“How old are you?”

“…29…”

“Are you married?”

“Uh…what? No.”  (Wrong answer)

“Maybe you’d like to come over sometime”

“No, no, I don’t think so”

“You could be with me”

“No… umm… surely you’re already married …” (the man had to be at least 55)

“Oh yes.”

[Blank stare]

[assistant enters at this point to ask for something, at which time I thought it would be interesting to see if I could get a photograph of this guy by inconspicuously using my iPhone. It would have worked flawlessly except that I forgot I had the FLASH on! …. That could have ended badly, except that neither of them noticed it]

After the secretary left he looked at me again and said

“so… what do you think?”

“About what?”

“About what we’ve been discussing”

“No.”

“Ok.”

He then asked me where the other white lady had gone. I told her she didn't come with me because she was still in bed. He told me to let her know he said hi. 

And that was that.

Yeah.

This is the list he gave me though. You have to admit, it is very nicely typed...all that for one piece of paper though... and I still have to convince the Judicial Secretary to let me actually read the cases listed on the list and once I get his permission, I have to bring it BACK to the Registrar and convince him to actually give me said cases.

The folks at Enslavement Prevention Alliance West Africa (EPAWA) advised me to just slip him 50 cedis if I really wanted to get anything done.  :|