Nkrumah's mausoleum was weird and fascinating. The most important--or I should say impact-full--tidbit I learned there was that Nkrumah came from humble beginnings. Seeing the photos of his hometown really higlights where this man's mentality came from. More so than that I think it shows that he believed we are all people--deep down we have simple desires which can be easily achieved through communication and cooperation. The place from which Nkrumah came primed him to accept the ideas he received abroad and allowed him the clarity and the determination to translate it home. In short, a rich man could not have thought this way. Experiencing the mausoleum was important because it reveals just how formative this man was to Ghanaian national identity. Our tour guide spoke unlike any other tour leader I had ever experienced--he has a deep, personal connection with Nkrumah and his legacy. So much so it almost takes away a lot out of the good work Nkrumah did by mentioning him in a near demi-god light. In America, our guide would have been dismissed as a fanatic--he wasn't just doing his job, he was drinking the kool-aid--but in Ghana our cultural distance allows us to accept him and listen to what he had to share. Aside from the oddness the attitude of our tour guide represents the historical perspective of what I assume to be that of many Ghanaian: Kwame Nkrumah got it right. Also, my son was born on the same day he was sworn in- 50 years later.
The lecture from Dr. Antwi-Danso was outstanding. I could have listened to him for three straight hours. For me, everything he had to say was important because understanding Ghana's political economy is essential to understanding Ghana's national identity. One thing that was mentioned early on echoed a saying the tour guide mentioned meaning "learn from the past but don't repeat it." Dr. Antwi-Danso said we must move forward and to do so we should ask "how do we deal with what has happened, not why did it happen." This sentiment reflects the mentality in the excerpts from
Nkrumah we read for today. Nkrumah in his introduction explains his purpose in these terms. He is most clearly trying to pull his fledgling nation out of a cleverly laid trap by telling his people to move forward: " and when we attempt to deal with them in ways which, having regard to all endeavor to maintain the internal unity upon which our viability and progress depend, we are misrepresented to the outside world to the point of distraction. If that outside world refuses us it's sympathy and understanding, we have at least the right to ask it to leave us alone to work out our destiny in ways that seems most apposite to our circumstances and means, human and material as well. In any event, we are determined to overcome the disruptive forces set against us and to forge, in Africa a Ghanaian nation that will stand our as a shining example before the rest of the world of the Africa's ability to manage his own affairs." Dr. Antwi-Danso's lecture illustrated how Nkrumah attempted to give the African's this ability, how he attempted to free the Africans from the intellectual corner the Europeans had painted them into. How stark driving around Accra is, because the inevitable that Nkrumah envisioned is all over; Ghana is living it. Dr. Antwi-Danso explained how this happened in rapid and excited detail. The city is trying to move forward but is all over held back. It is like a giant beast, capable of rousing an inner store of energy, held captive by millions of tiny ropes. Seeing the markets filled to the brim with life, teeming with expectation and necessity, spending so much time in a cycle of poverty created not only by forces unseen but also oblivious to their plight, is heartbreaking. This exact situation is what Nkrumah foresaw--the Ghanaian people again enslaved by foreign powers through consumables, ideals, ethnic separations and educational setbacks. Did the Sodom and Gommorah slum exist while Nkrumah was president?
Apart from this, today was exceptional for me. Our guide from The Aya Center, Niitette, is so knowledgeable and fun and I feel privileged to be getting this personal view of the city from him. The market where we exchanged money was, as Hartman describes, a "terrible beauty." This is the perfect term to convey how I felt at the sight of it. It was unbelievable. The smells when we stepped off the
bus pushed my nostril cells to their limit. I don't think they have ever had to process so much information at once, which was probably a good thing because nothing was too overpowering. I can only imagine what it is like in the summer... It was such a moment stepping into this world, feeling like such an outsider yet being met with smiles from everyone. All cities are dangerous--no matter where one finds oneself--but everyone I have encountered has been kind and welcoming, even if they have not spoken they have never been outright rude or even looked at me with disdain. In the arts market after the mausoleum I had a marvelous time. I noticed that most of the merchants had Anglo names and I wonder how common that is. When we drove into the market, I knew I was going to be overcome by the pretties, plus I was nervous about bartering for the first time but honestly these people seemed well-intentioned. I waste money at home on so much that I don't need-- if I overpaid here then hopefully I am helping someone directly. At home when I shop I usually feed cash into a machine, but today, I learned how to play a jimbe--taught by the craftsmen themselves--and was welcomed to Ghana by a circle of smiling drummers, dancing children and a fe curious birds. Also I ate fried goat. It was crispy and delicious although the skin was too thick to chew (I am sure I was doing it wrong). The meat reminded me of carnitas only less greasy. It was the most flavorful dark meat I've ever tasted. Thanks, Chez Afrique.