27 Before 27: Exploring Ghana

Being welcomed by the Winneba elders. They
poured libation on our behalf.

Following my adventures in Cape Town and the excitement of becoming an emerald shellback we arrived in Tema, Ghana after seven days at sea. Like many of the other countries I’ve visited this spring, I had very little knowledge of Ghana before arriving. The only information I had about the country was gleaned from a study abroad program that Central College, my alma mater and former employer, operates in Ghana. I never personally completed this program but through my work with Central, I recruited students from around the country to participate. Even so my Ghanaian knowledge is limited.

Ghana is a culturally rich and unique but challenging West African country. This is the first country on my itinerary in which I did not feel particularly welcomed. The locals I interacted with were not especially interested in assisting me, even when I wanted to purchase something from their shop. For this reason alone, I am grateful I had signed up for a Semester at Sea overnight field program.

The field program I completed visited Winneba, Ghana – a sister city to Charlottesville, Virginia, the home to Semester at Sea and where I lived last fall. We were welcomed throughout the day by many members of the Winneba community including the mayor, teachers and schoolchildren, as well as University of Education Winneba officials.

TOMS shoe drop.

On the second day of the field program we completed a TOMS shoe drop. TOMS is a footwear company and if you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, they will give a pair of shoes away to someone in need. Shoe drops are opportunities for volunteers or TOMS partners to give away the shoes and since Semester at Sea partners with TOMS, we distributed shoes to 2,500 school children. Being a TOMS shoe shopper myself and having purchased several shoes from the company in the past, it was great to see this part of the process and be able to give back while in Ghana. However, the shoe drop was an example that work still needs to be done. For example, TOMS sent a wide range of shoe sizes but we were distributing only to young children. By the end of the distribution, some children received shoes that were much too large for them. I know TOMS will continue to do work in this community and my hope is that not only will ever child receive a pair of shoes but that each child will receive a pair that fits.

The final day of the program included visits to Kakum National Park and Elmina slave castle. Kakum National Park has a canopy walk in which you get to walk among the treetops. I was worried that my fear of heights would prevent me from being able to complete this walk. However, the treetops create a deceiving “floor” so it didn’t seem as though we were very high even though we were 120 feet up! Elmina slave castle was incredibly moving and eerie. We were able to see where the slaves were held before being “exported” to the Americas and the Caribbean and the deplorable conditions they endured. Millions of slaves passed through Elmina castle and one may think this is only Ghana’s history but it is ours too as U.S.-Americans.

Although Ghana can be challenging, I enjoyed my time in the country and found it to be eye opening. If you travel to Ghana, go with an open heart and mind and you’ll learn just as much as I did if not more.