Disclaimer 1

Before getting too far into my reflections and interpretations of Ghanaian life I wanted to put out a disclaimer. Everything I write on my blog is through my eyes and my interpretations. As a western man, I hold many biases and filters into what I take in. I wanted to acknowledge these, as well as outline the corresponding limitations that come with it.

I just wanted to emphasize that the views I share on my blog are mine, and should not be taken as the standard or absolute truth about Ghanaian life. They are solely what I have noticed through my experiences. Also because I am a westerner, I will be exposed to a slightly altered culture of Ghana. I’ll do my best to break down the barriers that my light skin impose, but I’m certain that there’s a level of Ghana I may never get to know. On top of that, I am only seeing a portion of Ghana. I would hate for someone who had been to Calgary to say that they knew all there was to know about Ghana. While Ghana is not as big as Canada, I just want to leave it open that I will not be seeing all of it.

As I am Western, I can never truly be poor. I can try to alter my conditions to reflect what living in poverty might be, in order to gain a better understanding of the people I serve. But the bottom line is that I am not poor. Even if I were living in a grass hut, without electricity or running water . . . I am not poor. If you remember back to my description of poverty, a key theme was vulnerability. And that is exactly what separates me. I’m not vulnerable. Living in a grass hut with no running water or electricity might be close to those I am serving, but if I get sick with malaria, I going to seek health care that they can’t access. For any volunteers, when the going gets tough, we check out. This being said, there will always be aspects of those living in poverty that I will not be able to empathize with.

Also very important is the second word in my description. Man. As a male, I will only be able to see a certain side of Ghana. Already I can tell that those who I interact most with are men, and those most interested to get to know me or take me in are men. There are a few tools I can use to get closer to this large population of Ghana that I am somewhat screened from. One is trust building, and specifically trying to get to know women. Spending time with them, taking on their daily chores, and breaking down gender stereotypes. Through this I will gain small successes and glimpses of their lives.

The other is language. Learning the local language thoroughly will enable me to communicate with an otherwise isolated part of the population. Unfortunately in many rural parts, education is limited, and with that extremely limited for women. So if the only people who can speak English are men, then I need to find another way of communicating with the marginalized majority.

I will try to communicate these realities back to you, but I wanted to say my limitations explicitly. If I’ve missed some, and I know I have, feel free to fill in the blanks on a post.

(Feb 29)