Beyond Borders: Libby Deshaies, Ghana

By:  Libby Deshaies

From the moment you step off the cool, sterile plane onto the warm, muggy tarmac you can feel the joy in Ghana.  Through the airport and onto the street you find all of Accra is on the move: everyone is dancing, laughing, selling, and shouting.

View of Cape Coast

These people have a reason to be so happy, to be so proud.  Time after time Ghana is held up as the poster child for successful development in Africa.  Following their independence from Britain in 1957 (the first sub-Saharan country to achieve this), they have enjoyed relatively stable and continued democracy. Ghanaians live in beautiful landscape:  the country is nestled into the Gulf of Guinea and is lined with breathtaking beaches. Development indexes measuring health, education, demographic, and economic standards consistently place Ghana above its neighbors.  And business is (relatively) booming.

In 2009, when I arrived in Accra for an undergraduate semester abroad, it was clear that Ghana is a country on the move.  The recent discovery of oil, in addition to various other resources (cocoa, gold), could be the push they need to jump ahead.  Of course, many look to neighboring Nigeria and other countries who have suffered the dreaded “resource curse” that comes with such a discovery.  Luckily, Ghana’s economy is diversified enough that they should be able to avoid some of these complications.

Ghanaian culture is steeped in perseverance and optimism at every turn.  The history books know Ghana as the “point of no return” for slaves leaving Africa for the Americas, and colonial slave forts still dot the coastline. Today, many African-Americans visit Ghana to connect to their roots, and a strong reggae culture has developed that celebrates the people’s ability to rise up against such horrific oppression.

Harvest Festival in Cape Coast

This attitude carries over. The poor, and getting poorer, life of the farmer is celebrated in traditional song and dance.  Ghanaians never beg; they will sell you a rock they find, but most are too proud to take your money out of pity.

This strength is exceptionally easy to recognize in Ghana’s women.  I had the opportunity to work with a women’s legal resource center called WiLDAF: Women in Law and Development in Africa. From the women I worked with it is clear – with all the changes coming, Ghana’s women want in on the action!  Women across the country are trying to reconcile the rapid changes happening in their society and their traditional paternalistic culture.

Women in Ghana face a culture of polygamy, domestic violence, trafficking, inadequate health care, and discrimination. Yet slowly but surely the women of Ghana are claiming their leverage. Health care, education, and employment of women are major indicators of a society’s development and stability. The U.N., U.S. Department of State, and many other influential players are targeting programs for women and girls on these grounds. Essentially, the world of diplomacy sees women as a smart investment, and these women know it.

WiLDAF Affirmative Action Rally in Accra

When I left Ghana, in December of 2009, WiLDAF was drafting their demands to Parliament, which was due to begin a review of thenational constitution. President John Atta Mills had promised to enact affirmative action legislation to raise the female employment rate by 40%.  Pair these with the influx of resource wealth starting to pour in from the oil discovery and it is easy to see the potential for really inspiring change – or a tragic disappointment.  The road to a more equal and prosperous nation will no doubt continue to be a struggle for all Ghanaians, but they will continue to smile and to dance, to marvel at the novelty of tourists, and to rejoice in every new day. And that is the best lesson I could have walked away with.