ThankYOuComeAgin

Thanksforcoming..I hope we can enlighten eachother on this thing called life and enjoy Jesus at the same time!



Tuesday, August 17, 2010

What Is Your Father's Name?

That's what the tall ebony complected man asked me. He spoke in a language called Twi (pronounced tree). I had to answer in English because my limited vocabulary did not permit me to speak in his native tongue. I had to say that I didn't know. That I was from the United States, and that all I knew is that Someone Somewhere came from Africa. The words bu as they escaped my mouth. It felt like the spotlight was on us, our conversation. Today was the first time that I actually felt lost, and unaware of myself. Why is it that I do not know where I come from. What is my father's name. To say Craig would be erroneous. He looked at me and told me that I looked like a Ghanaian, he said I had  the skin color and the shape of my nose was a dead giveaway. I'm not sure how accurate he was but it was nice to have a home for a brief moment in time. I almost felt embarrassed that I didn't know my people. Here in Ghana, your name and clan is everything. It determines everything from your last name to the language you speak at home, even your inheritance. It is filled with such rich tradition that I long to be apart of. That's why I changed my name to Akosua ( Aah-co-See-ah). It's based on the day I was born, Sunday. Most girls have a name such as this as the middle name. All of this makes me really want to trace my family's history. I understand that it won't be a hundred percent accurate because of the unfortunate circumstances that African slaves were placed under. Families were separated, languages were lost, and somewhere down the line the blood of white slave masters was mixed in. But it would be nice to a have a general idea, so I don't have to falsely claim an identity. Its nice to pic a place on the map and decide that I want "pretend" that I am descended from any particular place. But that's just to compensate for the fact that I have no idea at all.

That's all for now,
AJ

Afrika The Beautiful

I Know I'm already two weeks in but work with me here. My computer has finally decided to cooperate with me and I'm not complaining. There's so much to say about this beautiful Continent I'm on, about this country that I'm in. First off the weather here in Accra is phenomenal. Accra is on the coast so there's always a great breeze. The breeze alone makes me want to stay here forever. It beckons me into the night and gently rocks me to sleep. I admit that I had notions about the motherland before I even touched down. Many of which weren't too positive. I think I expected it to be far less industrialized. I think I expected to get here and think "This is Africa!", if that makes any sense at all. But the time I entered the country, to the drive to my hostel, I realized that Accra was just another city. I say that with as much positive intention as possible. People weren't running around in loincloths and spears chasing lions. Most Ghanaians dress with a strong western influence. Esp. the men. They walk around in dress pants, collard shirts and really nice shoes. What I'm trying to say is that Ghanaians, Africans, are just people. But we all know that right? I know people that refer to Africans as if they are some sub-human species. I wonder where they do that at?