A couple of commercials, and good news! :)

Hello family and friends! :)

My one new thought on Accra (prompted by a newscast on the topic) is that the city was rather clean while we were there, the result of months of cleanup. The citizens just hope that it’ll stay that way. It seems that some layer of government has finally hired sufficient sanitation crews, and the TV news, at least, reported favorably that soon after the celebrations, even the venues and streets used were once again clean. I thought it looked ok, but then again, I usually felt like we were in hip parts of Accra. I don’t know what the proportion of hip parts to non-hip parts would be there either, alas.

I would say that the hip part of Cape Coast is either the University or Kingsway. The University is kept nicely, but Kingsway has all the nice amenities. It has the Areeba (cell phone service) store, the main banks, Melcom (the only real “store”), Oceanview (the best internet café), and at least one hip NGO which also runs a clothing store and a restaurant.

OK, time to share some observations: Ghana uses commercials to communicate general, long term announcements. They’re all music videos, to some degree, and use catchy tunes. I suppose that you could call them propaganda (and for certain ones, I’m sure that the opposing political party would) but generally they are well-received and say genuinely useful things :) A few lyrics and descriptions:

The National Identity Card commercial: A choir singing in high pitches, dressed in Ghanaian clothing, neatly lined up, using British intonation. Beginning lyrics:
Our nation calls for duty now
All for one and one for all
The time is now or never friends
We are called to get involved

The “Ghana” is 50 Commercial, originally in this form, now with variations that include speeches by the President and various religious leaders. It includes pictures celebrating, dancing Ghanaians (historic and current), pictures of prominent people in history, and lots of Ghanaian flags. Also, though the song used was sung by a man, a market woman is the main person mouthing the words… and then, at the “mark of fresh beginning -> reflect on our history” is a man in traditional clothing. “Osagyefo” means something to the effect of “Savior”, & was a title given to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. Lyrics:
On the 6^th of March 1957
A great nation was born
In West Africa
In Africa, called Ghana
We had our Independence
Which brought us freedom and justice
Oh yes, we wish to proclaim
(Ghana!) Ghana is 50
(Ghana!) Congratulations!
(Ghana!) Ghana is 50
Let’s all celebrate!
A mark of fresh beginning
And rebirth of our nation, yeah
So this is the time
To reflect on our history
(Rap section)
Osagyefo! Dr Kwame Nkrumah we salute you!
(Dr Kwame Nkrumah giving famous speech): Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever!
(cheering)
A new Ghana!
Championing African Excellence!

There are also some awesome videos around lullabies of the various languages of Ghana, which I’ll try to describe later. The commercial for the currency change will get some attention in the future too, as will the phenomenon of sing-along true commercial advertisements ;) And the nation’s national anthem & pledge are particularly telling of the patriotic feelings, so I’ll post them next time.

I am amazed that none of these videos are in the internet (or at least anyplace where I can find them). In a completely different direction, here’s an article that has to do with power issues in Ghana, climate, water, industrialization, coal-using power plants, and even Alcoa, the company with the huge plant in Badin, NC, which makes that town so bizarre ;) O so relevant and interesting. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=120841

So… other things that have been happening: I’ve been sick. I got sick last Thursday night, and am still trying to fully recover (but don’t worry, I’m nearly there :)). I went to the hospital, which people here use much as we would use a doctor’s office and/or emergency clinic, and they gave me Malaria medicine without bothering to do labwork, because it’s just so common for foreigners to get Malaria and my symptoms *kind of* matched ;) in hindsight, I probably didn’t have it, but at the same time, taking the medicine, which makes one incredibly tired, has been a trial which has ultimately brought me closer to Mother, so in the end that’s the greater good. Because of the timing of my illness, I’ve been missing church, but not school. I should be completely back on a regular schedule now.

Classes are still occasionally frustrating, but I’m also making more friends in them, so it’s ok. I can definitely handle it. I’ve also had a couple more good conversations with the Dean, my host father, which is really nice. I have trouble following his precise train of thought when he preaches, but I like every single thought he touches upon along the way ;) And the seminarians continue to be a solid, caring group of friends. I don’t know most of them as well as I’d like to, but they really do care despite how busy and specific their lives seem to become.

Also, I have one big piece of news: I got a full tuition scholarship plus $3000/year scholarship from Candler! :-D It’s so exciting! I’m actually going to grad school, and I really won’t have to be deep in debt. I know that I’ve been working hard for much of my life so that I could partake of these opportunities when they came along, but at the same time I know that I am still extremely lucky and blessed to have received this. These scholarships are so competitive at this level, and for this kind of schooling. I’m also blessed to have had rich life experiences, and to know how to write about them, making this scholarship possible. Not to mention how fortunate I am to have family that looks after me & my education, and a sister who will relay mail for me while I’m in Ghana ;) I find it wonderful that my older two sisters were instrumental in making sure I went to NCSSM, and that my younger sister has ensured that I can go to seminary so smoothly. Yay family, YAY God, and yay church and friends who have been thinking about me & praying for me. I’m so grateful.

So, this makes it very likely that I will be going to Candler in the fall… I have to let them know by the end of the month. But I’ve talked to my parents and we’re going to wait another week or so, just to see what we hear from the other schools. So :) more definite news to come over the next two weeks. But isn’t this exciting! Everything’s coming together. Even while it’s still tricky, and complex, and worth lots of pondering and prayer, at the same time it’s coming together :)

This week was filled with being sick, preparing emails, and moments of rejoicing, but rest assured that there will be even more about what I’m learning of life in Ghana next week :) I’m actually keeping an organized list now of things I want to talk about, and I’ll try to get all of them typed out & onto this blog before I leave ;) I’m glad it’s so complex, even when it’s hard. The world is really a glorious place.

*hugs* to everyone, and thanks so much for caring!

Love,

Rachel Rose