If I were a Guy I would totally date a Feminist!!!

I don't get it when men roll their eyes at the mere sound of the word "feminist". The common perception is that all feminists are bra burning, non-leg-shaving, Doc-Marten wearing types that hate men. Not so! Actually, in this day and age, feminists make men's lives easier! I guess I got all irritated after reading Maureen Dowd's article in the New York Times So let me put on my "dude hat" and see why I would date one of today's feh-men-nysts!

-Yeah, I know your bored, white, middleclass foremothers clamored for more opportunities in the workplace. And you got them! But guess what? Work in the office sucks, and it seems your forebears forgot to ask for one thing....that we men should help out more at home to ease the domestic burdens you were still expected to do on top of doing the workforce thing. Sucks to be you, dude win for me!

-It's not my fault that instead of valuing the work that women did in the home as homemakers and caring for the youth, your forebears devalued it just like the men did. Even though as a man, deep down inside I know I probably couldn't handle the truly hard work it is to raise children and care for the community, it is easier to tell myself and society that what a woman does in the home is way less important than the corporate hunting and gathering I do at the office. You know, so no one expects me to do it. And now the feminists think the same way I do, that home work is beneath them. Instead your forebears outsourced the grunt work of caring for the home to kindhearted (read: exploited) women of color to do the work for them for little pay and no respect. Hey, I should have thought of that myself! Or wait, I did....I think it was called slavery or colonization of colored nations. Whatever. Dude Score!

-Hey, with a feminist I don't have to pay for dates, or open the door, pull out the chair...etc. Little victories, little victories

. -That idea of sexual revolution was awesome. Your forebears were afraid that we menfolk thought of you as just sexual objects, only with that unwanted free-will/opinion/right to say no glitch that the divine engineer in the sky failed to iron out. Now, you've convinced yourself that the route to sexual freedom is to bang as many guys as possible. Most of us men folk think like this when we hear you: Yeah, yeah yea, blahblahblah women's movement woh woh woh freedom from patriarchy woh woh ownership of your sexuality woh woh.."What...honey? Yea, I heard you, I respect you of course!! Now uh....can you hurry and take your clothes off and do that gymnatics trick you said you could do? Youre so friggin hot!!" Yea, now you give up the goods for less trouble than it used to be. (But really, deep inside, we'd still prefer if you didn't give up the goods to 20 other guys before me. Maybe 2 guys max...still gives me a sense of accomplishment if you let me hit it) Dude mega score!!

- (Dude who is the CEO of any cosmetics company, advertising agency, fashion magazine, or any doctor of plastic surgery or corrective procedure) Hey wimin-folk, is it our fault that nowhere between the 1950's and now did any of you launch an effective way for women to truly appreciate and love their bodies in all shapes and sizes? Okay, maybe part of it is. But until you women find a way to inject 250 cc's of self-esteem into yourselves, we menfolk are going to make millions of injecting you with Botox, Restylane, collagen, hot asphalt, South American chincillia urine, or whatever else you think will make you look younger and hotter to us and compete with other women. You've got your own job, so you can pay for it. Because here's a secret, for the most part, many decent men think you look fine as you are with normal diet and exercise and a healthy attitude, so I would never give you money for such things.


Okay, dude hat off. I know many would disagree, but sometimes I think that we as society have not achieved the goals we wanted when it came to women's empowerment. I know things take time, years, generations. But I think we as women have shouldered the burden of our own empowerment on ourselves alone, and not asked men to participate. However, I read statistics in America that suggest things are changing, with men taking a little more reponsibility at home. (I think a generation ago, men did 6-7 hours of house work, and now its getting to be 13 or so. Still women are taking on 17 hours a week or something. I don't feel like looking it up. Journalism fail)

Point is, men prescibed us a male lens from ages untold, and we are still returning generation after generation to refill that prescription. That is, until we come to value our bodies at every shape and age, and respect the work of raising children, education, health, etc. Sure, maybe the frames on those lenses are now cute Chanel ones I saw in Glamour that have the new anti-eye aging function endorsed by Brooke Shields.

Lost In Translation...or wrong dress at the wrong time?

Victoria Rowell

I saw this this dress on the news and it would be remiss of me NOT to post about it. I'm sure many people have seen the controversy over the dress African American soap opera star Victoria Rowell wore to the Emmy Awards Sunday night..




Its the Ghanaian Cloth from Obama's historic visit to Ghana this past July! I blogged about it back then for America.gov (http://ow.ly/15HEud). As someone who has been hopping back and forth between Africa and the United States for a while, I'm finding this an opportunity to take a hard look at two VERY different cultural interpretations of one piece of fabric.

In Ghana, as I blogged, the cloth was made to commemorate President Obama's visit to the country back in July. It was the first trip he made to Sub-saharan Africa as President, and obviously, the first African-American President to visit Africa. It was, oh how they say, kinda-a-big-deal. It is an African tradition to make cloth to commemorate special occasions, and if the person is important enough, the face is often included in the design. Like I mentioned in my guest blog post, the cloth says "Akwaaba", which is Akan for "Welcome" and the golden symbols mean "Gye Nyame" (literally means, "no one but God can do it") and the symbol of the stool, which is a political symbol of governance. The cloth was produced by Akosombo Textiles Ltd, a fabric company operating near Accra. One of the other Fulbrighters was an intern at ATL, and we got to meet the designer of this particular fabric, Alfred. When Obama came in July, Ghanaians in Accra could buy this fabric for about 2 dollars a yard, take it their their neighborhood friendly seamstress and have custom made Obama Couture.

So that's the Ghanaian side. But here I am back in the good ol' Yew-Ess of A and obviously, the good intentions behind the cloth didn't really travel overseas well. I don't really watch soaps so I don't know really who Victoria Rowell is, but this morning, she obviously made everyone's Emmy Awards "Worst Dressed List". Or the "Wtf-was-she-thinking?!!- list".
Check out a woman at Obama's Departure ceremony in July rockin Obama Couture by ATL:

So that's the Ghanaian side. But here I am back in the good ol' Yew-Ess of A and obviously, the good intentions behind the cloth didn't really travel overseas well. I don't really watch soaps so I don't know really who Victoria Rowell is, but this morning, she obviously made everyone's Emmy Awards "Worst Dressed List". Or the "Wtf-was-she-thinking?!!- list".

Not that I think the readers who lurk the dark corners of comment sections on celebrity and fashion blogs are the creme de la creme of American social critics. But just check some of the responses to Mizz Roswell's dress:

From theybf.com, a site that follows black celebrities in Hollywood:

-OH LAWD TAKE ME NOW FOR THAT OBAMA DRESS….when are we going to stop with the madness? I love Obama and Michelle O does too and if she doesnt sport an Obama dress then NO ONE SHOULD!!! LOL

-victoria’s dress is cute but obama face is messing up it.i’ll never wear something with someone face on it.it messes up the outfit all the time.
if the dress was more elaborated with no one face on it, it would fit the event.
plus only african women can wear nicely african fabrics. cos when i see some non-african people wearing african fabrics, it’s always look a mess!!

-Victoria= looks like a thristy groupie. fall back with that Obama bedroom set that you wrapped around yourself.

Im VERY VERY upset that Victoria had the nerve to wear that dress! I mean Im just as happy as the next person that Obama is in office as our Prez but does she have to be so tacky and extreme with it??!! Not at all!


Now I found the debate on YBF's comment section interesting. There were some who supported at least the IDEA of the dress. Looks like we had some fellow Ghanaians throwing their two-cents into the mix:


-The fabric Victoria’s wearing is extremely popular in West Africa. In addition to Obama’s picture, it’s decorated with Ghanian Andinkra symbols.It’s so easy to not be ignorant people… Google it and learn something!

-I can appreciate the African fabric but maybe not for an Emmys dress.

-yeah i actually dig the dress. i thought it was a clever choice and i got it. african style dress with an african on it and adinkra symbols on it. i think what would have elevated the dress more to couture level is if it hand some sort of organza or toule (sp?) fabric underneath and ruffles and more sculpture to it, but i can appreciate the black conscious effort statement nonetheless.


Again, YBF caters to a mostly black readership. But the comments on TMZ took even wilder shades of crazy, many of them descending into debates on Obama's race:

Typical. Hey, i'm black, Obama is black, let me prove a point by being a stupid black attention whore. What's the point? That black people actually did something.
Wow.Posted at 9:26PM on Sep 20th 2009 by stanley roper

If the president was white and she voted for him, i am sure his picture would not be on her dress....The only reason he is on her dress is to promote that he is black
Posted at 9:26PM on Sep 20th 2009 by RACISTS,RACISTS,RACISTS

7. OK We get it, you're a black women who is loving it cause we have a black president,you can quit campaigning now. So Stupid Posted at 1:06PM on Sep 21st 2009 by penny green

I agree that the dress is a) ugly and b) cult-like, but there's no cause to bring her race into this like so many of the posters above. I don't know any conservatives with such ignorant views, it's so offensive I'm inclined to believe they were posted by sock puppets who can they say 'hey, look at all the right-wing racists!'. Sort of like the democrat who vandalized the democratic congressman's office, or the liberal professor who hung a noose on her own office door.

People, people, people! She simply wore a dress, that SHE liked... on HER body. So she supports President Obama, so what alot people do and they aren't all black. I simply will never understand all the hate in this country. Yes he is black and white...but you dont care you just want to bring him down because of the part of him that is black.

So, if I were to do a brief analysis of the comment pools of the two different sites, in a nutshell I would say that the debate largely boiled to whether the dress and the print were nice enough to wear to an event such as the Emmys. Africans and those who had traveled to Africa did their best to try to explain the significance of the cloth in Ghana (maybe Mz. Rowell's PR peeps should have done the same). But TMZ, which has a large multicultural audience....well...it looked like an online race war.

I have my own opinions on the dress as fashion itself. I love the cloth, but the sewmanship is terrible. It does hang on her like a political bedsheet. My seamstress should have hooked her up.

I don't expect ordinary Americans to know anything about Ghana and its traditions. I don't really expect Americans to know much about anything going on outside of the U.S. borders, sorry to say. So I won't cry about how ignorant Americans are....I don't have high expectations. Plus what goes in one culture doesn't always go down well in another. Thats fair.

But honestly? Would she have raised so many eyebrows a year ago this time? When everyone from Kim Kardashian to Halle Berry to Spike Lee and Beyonce were wearing Obama's name and face on everything? Is this just a case of bad fashion? Or a young actress trying to get press attention?

Or does the reaction mark a representation of Obama eroding popularity with the people and the American media? Perhaps this means deep down inside, the race issue is something that is all too easily brought to the surface by seeminingly innocuous gestures....?

I dunno. Its kinda sad. I still have my cloth, and lots of it. Funny how one cloth can represent a historical acheivement on one continent.....and on another, deep seated racial tensions and the end of Obama's honeymoon.

xoxoKaren

Ghana Fashion Week

Ghana Fashion Week + Backstage Press Passes + Front Seats = Awesome.

Ghana Fashion week kicked off with designers from Ghana, Nigeria and Benin showcasing their talent in what can only be described as a night of music, wax cloth, heels, hip-hop, and all around fierceness. Check out some of my photos from the Night. And Ill upload some interviews I had with the designers backstage!

Internet Fraud in Ghana- A socially protected practice?

Every sunday, I help to host a show on a new station on Y FM Ghana, 107.7 FM on a show called "Fresh". The show is designed to target the Ghanaian youth, and we combine hip hop music and discussions about matters that affect the youth in Ghana. While I have been working on the show, we have discussed everything from sexual harrassment, to youth unemployment, to the "Sugar Daddy" phenomenon affecting young women. Listeners are invited to text in with their views and thoughts about the topic for the day.

Yesterday, we had a discussion about the practice of internet fraud, commonly referred to as "sacawa". People who use the internet to defraud people are often known as "sacawa boys" . Now the interesting thing about the use of the word "sacawa" to describe internet fraud is the fact that, from what I gather, " Sacawa" means "blood money" or the practice of using juju, or witchcraft, to get quick money. So the view is that many internet frauders use juju to defraud Westerners out of thousands of dollars of cash, whether it be through posing as females on internet dating sites to get money from western men, or by using email scams, or using stolen credit card numbers.

The facts are that internet fraud is on the rise in Ghana, and it is a practice that is blamed mostly on the youth. Unfortunately in Ghana, numbers of unemployed, out of school youth are very high. Thus, it comes as no surprise that many young people relish the opportunity to make quick money.

Many of the texters to our show echoed this idea. "Leave the sacawa boys alone!", one text said. Another said, "We dont hve jobs and cant afford school, so what else should we do?" Yet others said sacawa is actually HELPING the economy and is reducing crime on the streets. And many others yet said that internet fraud was a way to repay white people for the crimes they had perpetuated on Africa and blacks in general. Some of my friends in Ghana have thought about going into internet fraud but are afraid to use witchcraft. I've heard of young men buying flashy cars, computers, homes, and expensive clothes with stolen money. Even myself, I see internet fraud all the time in the cafe across my street. Young boys will come in, gather around the computer, prowling dating sites and sending messages to Western men pretending to be girls. One time, the cafe operator asked if he could use my voice to talk to one of his victims to prove he was an American girl!!

There are talks of a cyber crime bill going through Ghanaian parliament right now that would inrease jail penalties for those who are caught. But would it really work? In a society where jobs and education are denied for a large number of youth, and importance on money and Western style consumerism and materialism is growing, it comes as no surprise that internet fraud seems to be a supported practice by those in the youth. If the government really wants to combat this problem (if they see it as a problem at all, since most of those in government live plush lives anyway) there needs to be more jobs and opprtunities available to the youth.

Overwhelmed

I dont even know where to start. Yes, im here in Dallas, for two weeks while see my bro graduate....I have until June 3rd to submit a report for the embassy and June 4th to submit for a project im doing with AUCC in Adabraka. OVer the past few months while ive been away from this blog, ive experienced more sickness, more computer crashes...more trips to other regions...etc etc. But now im supposeed to write something? I have massive amounts of recordings I have to get through. There could stand to be some more interviews I could conduct. I just feel like this has crept up on me so fast.

And sometimes, I feel like I'm an amateur at all this. Maybe its because ive nver done something like this before, but I wonder..."Will anyone find this interesting/useful?" "Could I publish this?" Is there a way I could continue this in the future?

And obviously being back home for a while, Im glad to see friends and family, but I have a strange neutral feeling about being bacvk home. None of that culture shock I expected, but really I do feel like I have two homes, one in Dallas and one in Ghana. I was super sad to leave a special someone behind....but hopefully Ill see him again in Malawi in July...

THAT IS, AFTER OBAMA'S visit!!! :D

I do have some things I wish I had done differently on fulbright...I wish I hadnt worked so hard at my internship, in a sense...I think I found myself doing catch up with my own work, after doing everyone elses for them. I wish I had BACKED UP MY FILES!! I wish I had travelled more. I wish I had done an attachment at a radio station. I wish I had learned more Twi... But I mean, overall its been a great experience...I cant even process everything ive been through in the past months. Maybe thats why im bad at updating.

I really do have a passion for media and development. I want to see media stand up for the populations that cant stand up for themselves. I heard the CNN African Journalist of the Year for radio's entry, by Joy FM's Israel Laryea, about a girl who was being abused and how the community responded to it. Features like this need to have more prominence in Ghanaian media , as opposed to politics dominating the airwaves. I know I studied communications, but if I do go to school, I want to go back and learn more about broadcasting...

Now I am in the point where I have to decide what to do post fulbright..do I stay in Ghana? OR do I come back to the states and apply for school? Honestly, I would love to get a job at an organization that works in radio for development, anywhere on the continent...(well, the english speaking ones). I know I need to learn some more languages...perhaps French and Swahili....

Life decisions.....

Heylo Peoples...

Life has been going okay. Unfortunately around Valentine's Day, I became really sick with some sort of fever from Malaria or something. Not cool, because Valentines Day here in Ghana is apparently a really big deal, and I wanted to go out and have fun! So instead I stayed in and watched DVDs instead. But a very special gentleman helped to brighten my day by bringing in Red orchids! Going to the hospital was terrible for malaria. I was having chills and aches, like I said. I went to Akai House near CDD. Immediately I was put on IV, but the terrible thing was was that the doctors couldnt get the needles in right! It took four tries to get a vein. By this time I wanted to kille everyone in the room. I had to get blood taken, as well as some painful injections in my bottom (OWCH)!! I couldnt walk properly for a day and a half. But the drugs helped. I was given some artesinate and painkillers and thankfully I was better in about 3 days or so. But getting sick here is terrible. Besides feeling terrible, I hate not being able to get work done. I lost about a week due to being sick. So now its only this week that I am catching up.

Wait, did I mention I went to Kumasi three weeks ago?? No? Well I had to go after losing my recordings. I went to Kapital Radio 97.1 with Drew. On the good side, I had a wonderful trip. Andrew and I went and talked with the crew at Kapital Radio and they are the nicest people on this planet. In fact, Kumasi people are amazing. Kumasi is not as loud, as smelly, as busy and in general as crazy as Accra. I need the break, the change of pace. Even though I went to Kumasi to try to recover recordings as a result of a technological disaster, I did gain more insight into what broadcasting is like in other parts of the country, in particuluar, what went on during the elections. They were even so nice as to give me some of their recordings from around election time which will help greatly. Andrew and I even recorded promos for the station using our voices, lol! It was so much fun. We toured the national cultural center ( had to deal with annoying french speaking tourists who totally disrespected teh tour guide by talking and wandering around and complaining) and went to Kejetia Market and bought cloth, ate strange intestine like foods.... I got a chance to practice my poor twi a lot as well. Kumasi is a beautiful place. My father's family is from there, but unfortunately, due to family drama, I was forbidden from seeing them. Its a sad thing I have to deal with here. I dont like the fact that due to reasons beyond my control, Im restricted from one half of my identity. Here I am, half Ashanti, and I have to learn about my own culture just like a regular tourist? Its not right. Here I am with family, and I have to struggle to find a hotel or lodge on my own? It doesnt make sense. But all that is for another post.

Right now, I spend my days running interviews with journalists, media trainers, and the like, and in the evenings, I signed up for a radio and tv presentation course at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. For 150 Ghana Cedies, Im learning how to use my voice in Queen's standard English. This is the first time in my life where Im being told that my American English is not English, but slang!! What?! I was elected assistant Class Prefect, lol, meaning I have to take care of the class and voice their concerns to the professor when necessary. I dont know how I end up in these situations but I do. Partially Im doing this for my research. I want to find out how journalists are trained.

But on the other end, perhaps a part of me wants to improve my voice to actually work in the media....(DUN DUN DUNNN)

Stay tuned!
-Karen

New Year, new direction....

Ive been on holiday from CDD for the past two weeks or so, and Ive realized Ive had so much more time to focus on my own project. Ive gotten more contacts at Radio Gold (Pro NDC station) , more contacts with others in the media, gone on interviews, etc etc. Ive been contacted by the African University College of Communication to come on board with a project that is being funded by the World Bank to look at coverage in the media of developmental issues during the election period. This could be something really huge for me to do, and its right in my research interest alley. But I have to remember not to overload myself. I did get an opportunity to take a little bit of a break to visit one of the other Fulbrighters in Cape Coast not too long ago. She took me along on some of her interviews and I was inspired by how passionate she was about her project and about the future plans she had for her work. Not that Im not passionate about the media, but I think for the past months leading up to the elections, I was distracted by alot of things. CDD has been a great place, but honestly, a lot of the (hard) work I did for them had nothing to do with my project. I got so caught up with elections, I didnt really have the time or the space mentally to focus on my own project. So Ive decided to reduce my time at CDD drastically.

So now, Im trying to make up for lost time. Im trying to go on more interviews, more recorded interviews, for sure. I dont know what my problem is, but sometimes, I dont record my interviews and just resort to taking notes. And then I look back at my notes, and Im like, what was I doing? Im going to do more in terms of getting quality audio, just so that I can transcribe better.

Im learning that I have to really be an independent self starter with this project. Its not like college or high school where you have professors or teachers checking up on you like "How is your paper coming" or "Remember there is an exam coming up". Here there are no deadlines, no tests, no one checking up on you. I bet the whole time could pass by before someone from my family or friends is like, "Oh yea, by the way, what did you find about about phone in radio?" Sometimes I get discouraged. There is sooo much to learn about the media here. I didnt get my degree in journalism, and there are times I feel like im in over my head.There are also times where I wonder, what am I doing this for? Do I want to take all this research and go back to the States and get a MA/PhD and just begin the academic track? Do I just want to leave here and go back and use the Fulbright as leverage to get me into a good law school? Or do I want to stay here in Ghana, and work more in the media?? Because honestly, fam, this is what Ive always dreamed of doing. Doing research abroad....in radio? Its been something Ive wanted to do since high school. And I beleive in my heart that media and communication will be the thing to study in Africa and other so called "developing nations".

Not only do I really need to buckle down on getting a decent project, but I need to think about my future....

I mean, Ive gotten a lot of information. Theres no way I dont have anything. But will it make sense? Am I missing something? But all I can do is do my best and pull out all the stops right?

xoxoxKaren

THANK GOD THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER...

Ive emerged from the election abyss......

NDCs prof. John Evans Atta Mills was declared the president elect on Saturday, the 3rd of Jan, after a long drawn out election. For those of you who dont know, Dec. 28th was the runoff between Atta Mills of the NDC and Akufo- Addo of the NPP. Though the Dec 28th polls came through with Atta Mills with a slim lead over Akufo-Addo, 1 constituency, Tain in the Brong Ahafo Region did not vote. Thus a reelection was held in Tain on Friday the 2nd. Even with Tain's results, it was clear that NDC gained the mandate of the people (look, Im becoming Ghanaian....using "mandate"). I think the NPP made some key tactical mistakes in their campaign and took the electorate for granted. People were ready for a change, that is for sure.

I spent the good part of the week "embedded" at various radio stations. I was there at the station when Joy FM made the controversial projection for NDC. I was there when Citi FM was going around reporting from some of the polling stations. I was at the Electoral commission when the results were finally announced. I was there with pro-NDC Radio Gold immediately after the Electoral Commission announced, and masses of NDC supporters surrounded the station, singing, dancing and jubilating.

Im so glad and thankful to God the elections were peaceful. Its true, vicious rumors, inflammatory statements, and allegations did make their way onto the airwaves. If I could do a cursory grading of the media, I would give it a C+/B-. Various stations and print houses were obviously biased, airing unsubstatioated rumours, using militant rhetoric and playing music that was obviously used to rally the people for a particular party. Its true, even my being at the radio stations during this sensitive time was not 100% safe. There were reports of journalists being attacked and beaten by angry party supporters who viewed their media house as being biased for calling against the NPP. There were rumors of threats against radio stations, notably the threat to burn down Peace FM, and the allegations that police were coming to shut down Radio Gold. I tried to stay away from the EC for the most part, and chose not to go to Tain, just to make sure I would be safe.

I have so much audio to go through and transcribe its not even funny. So many interviews to go through.... I just want to take a break and travel...sit on a beach, hike a mountain, swim, see an animal park....I dont know....just to get out of Accra.

Wow, its been a month...

Hi people...

Its been a long long time. Things are good, finally. For those of you who didnt know, Ghana had a little election about some 1 and a half weeks ago. The election was preceeded by a lot of political tension, excitement and fear. People were wondering...would the elections be peaceful? Would voting go smoothly? Would there be any rigging? Would the losing parties accept defeat?

December 7-9 came and went with little reports of violence or other election mishaps. However, there shall be a runoff on 28 December, as the two leading presidential candidates failed to achieve the requisite 50% + majority. Thus, there shall be no Christmas for me!

During the elections, I was privileged to have access to the CODEO (Coalition of Domestic Election Obserservers) headquarters. CODEO is the largest election observation team in Ghana, comprised of 4000 members and headed by CDD. So for about 4-5 days straight, I helped with organizing the various press conferences, comprising media lists, etc. It was hectic!! The night of Dec. 7th, I was up for 24 hours straight with Joy FM, trailing the radio journalists as they traveled from poll station to poll station, and was up with them as they compiled the ballot counting from their regional correspondents all over the country. I was lucky to be with them, as technically, I didnt have Election Commission accredication to be at the polls. The second night of the 8-9, I Was with Citi FM up all night with them as they covered the figures coming in from the country. I ended up sleeping at the house of one of the morning show presenters!! And then on the 9 or 10, I cant remember, I was back to another Press conference as CODEO announced the results of their observations.

A runoff, no holds barred. For my views on the runoff and the election, thats another post

Crazy crazy. And I have to do it all over again in about 2 weeks. Which is why I took the last 4 days off to do my nails, my hair, get a facial, sleep, and eat and chill. And then I will restrategize for my own project all over again. I think that I have been focusing too much on CDD, and not enough on my own project. I hope to correct that for the runoff. Otherwise, things are okay. Still dating a certain Malawi radio personality, but my dealings with the men here is a whole 'nother post. In fact I need to post about:

• People's reaction to my identity (Am I American? Ghanaian? American-Ghanaian, Ghanaian American? Diasporan? Ashanti? Ga? Yoruba?)

• My failure to assimilate sometimes (So what I like being able to get manicures and pedicures and eat hamburgers and sushi??)
• Pluses and minuses of staying with family

More updates coming soon!!

xoxoxKaren

Heck-Tick, Heck-Tick

Alright, so im hitting a bit of a rough stretch until the elections so bear with me. The elections are in about 25, 26 days or so. This week, what am I doing at the CDD?

• Helping to organize a press conference for those who will be involved in election observation for Dec. 6th
  
• Helping to Prep the election observers spokespersons for dealing with the press and media
• Helping to organize the Parliamentary candidates' debates in Accra for next week
• Travelling to Tamale again next weekened with the Media Policy project for a review session with the journalists

And then theres still my project with the radio. When I can, I go to the radio stations to interview/observe. Every morning, I try to record audio from the phone in shows, but lately its been hard, so I am a little concerned about how that is going to work. Last night I went to observe the presidential debates from the CITI FM newsroom, but I was so tired I couldnt really think straight to take good notes or offer any good feedback. Tonight, there is a press dinner I will attend hosted by Nana Akuffo Addo, the NPP candidate for the presidency, and the incumbent. I mean, its awesome that I find myself having access to some of these things. .

But at the same time, its a lot of work. I'm gaining a reputation for being a work-aholic! I dont have time much to spend travelling or with family and friends. I'm banking that post election time will be less hectic. Im doing what I can to stay healthy and full of energy to push through the next 3 weeks or so.

Part 2....

Barack Obama.......

Nov. 4th, 2008 was a day I will never forget. Chicago, Washington, New York, we were watching you here from Accra. We here in Ghana, Ghanaians, Americans, Europeans, every one of us, we were watching. We cheered with each state Obama picked up. We were beyond elated when Republican strongholds such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio went to Obama. When CNN projected Obama as the winner, I saw people hugging, kissing, and crying. Then the crowd rushed to the front of the large projector screen and began to dance to Blakk Rasta's Barack Obama song. It was incredible. When McCain conceeded, we hushed to listen. Although some members of the crowd attempted to boo, the majority of the crowd hushed them up. I wanted to hear McCain's speech because in a democracy, elections are just as much about the losers as they are about the winners. I found McCain to be more gracious and classy in defeat than he ever was duiring the campaign. Although members of the audience were obviously upset, you could tell that McCain had had enough of the negativity from his own party. And when Obama took the stage, we cried. When the crowd in Chicago chanted, "Yes we can!", we in Accra were chanting, 200 strong, right with you. When Michelle and the kiddies came on stage, we squealed and clapped. When you guys in Chicago applauded, we were applauding right with you. It was truly a moving moment, a global moment, and I was so so so proud to have the opportunity to watch it from across the Atlantic, in the continent of Obama's forbears.

I was ALSO SUPER GEEKED TO BE A GUEST ON JOY FM'S election COVERAGE PROGRAM FOR THE NIGHT! I was also a guest panelist on Citi Fm's show the next day....giving my analysis of the election results and what it would mean for Americans.

In the eve of Ghana's elections, I see that Ghana views the US elections as an example of change coming to a country. Every politician with the obvious exception of the incumbent party sees themselves as the "Obama" candidate." The NDC, the main opposition party is allegedly is using Obama's image on party paraphanelia.

I have the pictures and video to prove it, but not the fast internet connection to handle the transfer......So check my Facebook page for now.

LONG TIME.....and so much has happened.. (Part1)

....that much is obvious.

Let me start out by saying that my schedule has gotten even crazier. I have really been meaning to take time to write and digest all thats been going on with me here in Ghana. There are times that I am at the CDD til 7 pm at night. But let me begin by detailing the past two days, Nov. 3 and Nov. 4th, days I will never, ever, ever forget and I can say that I am truly blessed to be alive during these times.

Nov. 3rd- I got a call from the Embassy to give a presentation on Election day, Nov. 4th. I was asked to speak about my perspective as an American comparing the Ghanaian and American debates. I agreed, excitedly. I went to work in the Afternoon, and attended an election reporting conference in the evening. I didnt get home until 9 pm, and I did not have much time to prepare. I think I was up until 3, 4 am.  The next day, I went to the office in the morning to print my notes and make some changes. I left for the Embassy at around noon. I was thinking this event was going to be a small, in-house embassy discussion. 

Boy was I wrong. 

I got to the room where the panels where and immediately saw TV crews, radio personnel, and reporters from the Ghanaian media crowding the room. At the front of the room, the panelists sat with microphones and recorders. I immediately freaked out and ran to the Internet resource center to really prep my notes, since I arrived early. Why the Embassy failed to tell me that the "in-house discussion" was really a media centered event escapes me. But I was glad I did it. I sat on the panel with Jean Mensah, director of the Institute for Economic Affairs, the organization that organized the Ghanaian Presidential debates, and Ebo Quansah, with the Ghanaian Times, who covered the debates in Oxford, Mississippi. I was nervous at first, but I got through the panel. My mother, fellow Fulbrighters, and CDD colleagues were in attendance. But that was only the beginning of my 48 hour minor celebrity status in Ghana.....

Sorry, its been a while...

Its been a while since I updated, partly my fault, for Ive been super busy. But also BLOGGER"S FAULT, since it deleted my post >:(. But a lot has happened in the past week, being my first week at the CDD!!

I love it so far. I really like the people, and Ive really come to realize that I've been blessed with this opportuinity to work with the media Monitoring project. In a nutshell I get to travel with the Media team to different parts of the country to train the journalists on covering more political issues more effectively with the upcoming elections. Last week, I was in Accra. Yesterday evening, I traveled to Ho in the Volta region to observe the presentation the CDD gave to the journalists this morning. It was quite nice, having an all expenses paid trip (hotel/food) to go and do research, in a sense. I took notes on the proceedings, and I will spend tomorrow, a holiday (Eid al-Fitr, I think?) typing the notes. This Friday, I will make a looooong trip all the way to Tamale to do a workshop for the media there. Ive never been to the North before. I hear that the North is a completely different world than Im used to here in Southern Ghana. Its about to bne a real eye opener.

Outside of work, things have been good. I hang out with the other Fulbrighters, going for dinner, concerts with the Embassy and the diplomatic contingent, plays, shows, and the like. Ive found a gym, so I can keep in shape, which is nice. I'm slowly getting used to waking up hella early like everyone does here.

So far, no marriage proposals coming my way, haha.

Otherwise, I have been keeping a close eye on whats going on in America. All these banks are falling like a house of cards! I often find myself fielding questions about what is going on with the banking crisis, especially with the people I work with in the media. "How did this happen?", "How will this affect Americans?", "Is this because of greed?" Questions like that. I also field a lot of questions about the elections. Of course, if Ghana could vote in the US elections, its easy to think who would carry here. I field a lot of questions/comments like, "Why do Americans like ignorant people (referring to Palin)?", "Are there still racists who wont vote for Obama?", "Obama will be much better for America, he is an inspiration, a sign that Americans arent stuck in their ways!" I know that if Obama doesnt win, or if the vote is really close, I will have to answer a lot of difficult questions. But I do the best I can.

This Fulbright thing is shaping up to be more fun than I expected! I'm really picking up some of the language, getting used to the food, learning my way around, and making a lot of new friends. Now that I'm figuring out my schedule, Ill send more updates.

Hope all is well with you guys!

xoxoKaren

PS Omg, pictures this week, I PROMISE!!!

And on another Note

DID THE U.S. JUST INVADE PAKISTAN WHILE WE WERE ALL WATCHING THE RNC?!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26522492

"US Confirms Incursion into Pakistan"

Lord, help us all. This would be major news if it wasnt for Palin's speech, right? Is..is this the true reason why Bush and Cheney stayed in Washington? *SMDH*

3 days left....Why does the Republican National Convention make me want to Leave the US sooner?

Hey lovelies,

So I have a few days left in the US of A. Three to be exact. I find myself in a weird place emotionally with the departure. On one end, I find myself reminiscing about college, and about the good times I had at Northwestern with my friends. I'm going to miss the late night heart to hearts, wasting time in the Library, spending way too much time in the Black House, the Foster, Noyes, and Davis El stops, and Sashimi Sashimi. I find myself looking at my old coats and thinking that I'll even miss the winters (gasp!). At this point, Ill have to adjust to being without the more, uh, shallow things in life, like Gossip Girl and America's next top model, and Sephora. I should live, right?

But watching this Republican Convention I realize that both Ghana and the US share one thing:

SUPER HEATED ELECTION SEASONS!


I dont know if any of you watched the speeches tonight. Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin both delivered speeches that went heavy on the attacks on Obama and his experience. Giuliani said, and this is not a direct quote: "Here we have a gifted man (Obama), Ivy league educated, and he goes into community organizing?!" * Laughs derisively* The audience also begins laughing.
Palin threw similar barbs concerning Obama's service in South Side Chicago.

This is probably the first time where I have been furious as a result of politics and inflammatory rhetoric. I took the words personally, to heart, as if someone had insulted me and what I believed in. If it was not for Fulbright, I would be a community organizer, with the Chicago Federation of Labor, a position was excited about! How DARE THEY! My stress response levels still havent come down. My cheeks were burning! What was going on?

To a certain extent, I understand why politics can cause so many problems in other parts of the world. After watching the speech, I was furious with the Republicans. I felt my mind morph into an Us/Vs them mentality. I couldn't help but think that these people were against everything I stood for, which is social justice, anti-war, and diversity. So I gathered my weapons and fought back. Meaning, Im blogging, AIMing, Facebooking. I'm voicing my discontent online. In other parts of the world, Ghana included, people resort to other means. Violent political rallies, jailings and assasinations can be the fallout from politics in other parts of the world. Usually we think that its underdeveloped, barbaric nations that resort to violence during heated political times.

But sitting here, listening to some of those speeches, I wished I could deliver my pink gloved left hook to some of those right wingers.

Politics, like religion, can stir up something deep within us. Both say something about the fundamental way we organize our lives, how we manage resources, how we manage our bodies, our property, and how we manage ourselves in relation to others and society. I regret that we in this country have succumbed to partisanship, the exact thing that George Washington feared when delivering his farewell speech. After the speeches today, I see that this election will be nasty. Whoever wins and is sworn in in January, there will be a lot of hurt feelings to assuage. It makes for great TV and media coverage, but I dont know if this is what is best for the country, such divisiveness.

Looks I have another angle to view the Ghana elections with.

xoxoKaren