and the plot thickens...

Thursday -

Today was great. I woke up early, as I love to do. I went through my usual Ghana morning routine. Dress, daven, breakfast of plain rice (this time hot - what a luxury!) and a malaria tablet. Then I got a hold of one of my housemates' usb modem. I checked Gmail and Facebook and I blogged. I called the Jew-boy from Sydney and I texted Alex from Sefwi Wiawso telling him that I won't be coming to the village this Shabbat.

Then I went for a walk to the local milk-bar to buy some candles and matches for Shabbat. They didn't sell beer but I noticed that they do sell bread that I'll buy for Challot. I know. Scandal. Pat Akum for Challah.

I then planned on going to the market again but when Emmanuel found out he kinda freaked out. Apparently I'm not ready to go out into Kumasi by myself. So instead I went with Steven (he's my favourite) to the university where he was meeting some friends to study. We walked down our street to the main road to catch a lift. On the way he informed me that one of the houses on our street (a very large one with barbed wire all around it belongs to the local chief of the Kwamo area. We took a trou trou to the teck junction and then another one into the university campus. We got off in the middle of the lush campus grounds. There was a running track and a soccer field on our left and on our right a very large library building. We went for a walk through the grounds, past the various faculties until we left the campus to visit the student accommodation areas. We entered one and found a regular dormitory. No kitchen but each room had 2 bunk beds in it and it's own bathroom and a small balcony. I hung out with the guys there for a while watching a silly Chinese film that had been badly dubbed into English. Then a guy called Andy, who was a friend of Steven's came and we hung out so that Steven could study.

Andy took me to the student 'hostel' that he lives in. It was much nicer than my house. Big clean rooms, a very nice modern kitchen and bathroom. You could tell that the boys who lived here were upper middle class. As it turns out Andy is part of the local royal family. His grandfather is the local chief that joins with the other local chiefs to make the Ashanti area under the Ashanti king. Andy explained to me about the traditional religion in the area that his family practice even though he himself is a Christian. He explained that they worship ghosts and smaller gods. So the smaller gods can possess a tree, or a stone or a river and that they have powers and must be appeased. In order to maintain a good relationship with the smaller gods his grandfather offers monthly sacrifices of goats or sheep and water libations on behalf of the tribe for the whole local community's prosperity. I asked him about his Christian faith and it's relationship to the traditional religion. He explained to me that there is one big all powerful good but that the minor gods are intermediaries for him. So is Jesus. But they both have power in this world. But as a Christian he believes that the traditional gods are demonic, that their power comes from Satan and will cause harm to him in this world physically and in the next world spiritually. That is why he chose Jesus. But that many people switch between the two. They are Christians most of the time but because the small gods (such as the local river god) can give judgement readily in this world if there is a conflict with your neighbour or you want a promotion at work then you turn to the smaller gods for quick results. He explained to me that these smaller gods have priests who are responsible for appeasing it with sacrifices. When a priest dies the next one is chosen my the gods. The way you know that you have been chosen is that you start to hear voices and start speaking in tongues. It is never disputed who the gods chose. But with chiefs the gods also choose here via the queen mother but this is frequently disputed. It is alleged often that she is favouring certain family members over others. But it is never disputed for the king. Positions of power are inherited via the matrilineal side. However they are only inherited by the men.

Andy and I watched a Ghanaian movie called the good of days - the story of AA. It's not about an alcoholic. It's about a young boy and girl in love in the 1930s in Ghana. They write letters to each other and then their parents find out and kinda get them in trouble but not really. Basically the parents say don't have sex and stay in school but the letters are ok. But focus on you studies. Anyways the real story is about the boy whose name is AA. Abundi Abaya or something like that. They are the names of the two tribes in the north who were constantly warring and his was named by his father after both of them in order to make a message that they should live together in peace. AWWWW.

After the movie I was shown a short video of a Nigerian comedian. It was standard funny. The usual jokes about the differences between men and women. Watevs, Jews are funnier. But it was interesting to see the connection and cultural similarities between Nigeria and Ghana. Apparently because they were both colonised by the British they have a great affinity for each other. Except Nigeria is a whole lot shitter in terms of poverty etc.

We then watched a short Indian soap. It was shit. So I went home.

I was very happy about this because i got to get a trou trou by myself and i bought dinner by myself. I think what I'm finding most difficult here is my lack of independence.

This morning I had a chat with Emmanuel about it. He's concerned that i will be robbed. Not that i will be kidnapped or stabbed or raped. So I'm not so fussed about it. I can cope with that. It's just the same as in most other countries. If you aren't careful with your stuff it will be stolen.

Anyways so I bought maize paste with red pepper and tomato chutney. Spicy and delicious even though its not that nutritious. I think nutrition might be a bit of an issue here.

Then all the boys came home and we chatted more about Judaism and politics etc. Their favourite topics. I bailed and got ready for bed when the lawyer came home (he gets home pretty late) and came into my room where I was reading and told me that I had to come out to where everybody else is. I came out and he gave me a bunch of hugs then taught me a game a bit like rock paper scissors but with numbers. It had a song in Twi with it too. Kinda cool. Then we got chatting. We spke about how old people are when they get married in Ghana (women 25 men 30) and that they all come from large families we're talking 16 kids per family. Crazy talk. Serge the lawyer suggested that we get married and have 10 kids. I said 1. we settled on 5. i explained that as a white girl I'm not made for that many babies b/c i don't have childbearing hips. They didn't seem to agree, but I think it's pretty self-apparent. Also - if i want to be a lawyer 16 kids is going to take up a lot of my time.

Then Serge and I were speaking very quietly amongst ourselves in the corner about marriage and love etc. We spoke about how he' a Christian but he doesn't go to church very often. Maybe 4 times a year maximum. This is very unusual in Ghana where most people are very pious and attend church multiple times a week. I asked him about when he's going to get married. He dodged the question and we talked about other things. Then he asked me what I think about gay couples. I knew that Ghana is pretty homophobic so not wanting to go on a rant and offending his Ghanaian sensibilities I said that I know many gay couples and that they love each other. So that even if I'm not attracted to the same-sex I can understand that they love each other just like I love. And that I respect that. He asked if they can get married in Australia and I said no. But they live together and adopt babies together. He said what's the point if they can't get married. That it's not the same. Anyways then the other boys in the house heard and came and asked me about gay couples in Australia. Serge left the conversation. The other boys told me that homosexuality is illegal in Ghana. We had a whole discussion about same sex couples. I think because they are religious they couldn't separate their religious belief from a reality. I.e. they couldn't believe that people are really gay. That they are just pretending for attention. And that even if they do exist it's an abomination and they should chose not to practice it b/c in the bible it's only Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Adam. They didn't believe me when I told them about the love they have for each other. And more so they didn't really care for my argument that from a legal perspective even if you don't hurt anybody else then the law should have no opinion on your behaviour. And since gay couples don't hurt anybody else in their actions that it's none of the states business what they do in their own home. But apparently since it's an abomination that's it. It must stay illegal.

I realised at some point during this conversation that Serge is 36 and never married. That he doesn't go to church. He started the conversation with me but left when the other boys joined and started their homophobic rants. He's gay. I nearly cried when I came to that realisation. Imagine living in a country where not only can you not marry but your very love is a crime (I know that sounds cliched - but it actually is). If you act on your emotions you will the prosecuted and punished. It's worse than usual standard societal disapproval, it brings it to a whole new level. Particularly in a religious country where you are punished in this world by your government and in the next by your god. I just wanted to hug him and tell him to leave this place to go somewhere that he could find love. But let's face it, Ghanaians can't leave here. They aren't likely to get visas to emigrate to a liberal democracy any time soon.

And so on that note. I bailed n went to bed.

Today I might go to the market if Emmanuel is cool with that. If not then it'll probably be the university campus again or maybe the swimming pool if I can get somebody to come with me.

Then shabz. We'll see how that goes.