Schmoozin’ Ghana style

Jordan here:  So now as we get further into our service, we find fewer things that, to us, seem inspirational enough to, literally, write home about.  However as I reflect a bit about a recent experience, I thought it might be interesting to you folks reading this at home.

I was recently in Tumu for a few business reasons.  One of them happened to be me attempting to finish what a Volunteer before me (in a different village) had started.  He had really tried to push for dry season gardening as an important and profitable venture for his community.  He even arranged for a very expensive, high-tech drip irrigation system to be brought to his community.  2, were brought in fact.  After an extensive training with his leader farmers and Peace Corps staff and Volunteers, these systems were left for the community to take over.  Well, some animals were allowed into the garden area and messed up the whole unit and garden.  The equipment was still functional, but it didn’t seem the people respected it enough to be using it.  So like the majority of project equipment here in Ghana, the stuff was locked up and not used.  So I tried to rectify the attempt and move the system to my community’s garden.  That way Peace Corps’ money would not be wasted.

So I needed to get to work.  First I had to contact David’s, the previous Volunteer in this nearby community, counterpart.  This is the Ghanaian he was working most closely with on the project.  After we had a meeting and devised a plan of action, he sounded very interested in helping me acquire it.  Then I had to contact my boss, Nico, to get the go ahead to go and pursue this equipment.  Since this means sending an email, that small step was a week in the planning, since internet is an hour away from us.  After receiving the Peace Corps blessing, I met again with Abass (David’s counterpart) and devised a plan what to do next.  This required its own separate meeting.  He said it would be best to have a meeting with the opinion leader from the community.  So Abass arranged another meeting for the next day with this man.  The chief imam, who has a huge say in what happens in Kupulima, agreed to meet with us over minerals (drinks of some kind) to talk about this exchange.  We all sat and Abass thought it would be cool if I gave a spiel about this project and its potential importance to my community if they agreed to release it.  Better yet, if I could try to do it in Sissali.  I said I’d give it a shot, and it actually went over quite well.  I think I got the main gist of everything I wanted to tell him and explain.  The two of them literally clapped for me when I finished.  It’s just a huge testament of how important respectful communication is to people.  All those months of struggling to hear words and become smooth with delivery of thoughts in the language were put to use.  Not to say I haven’t used the language any other time, but this may have earned our community a valuable piece of equipment. 

Anyway, after finishing business talk, he seemed very interested in helping us out and sensitizing the community.  He would be able to go and explain what we were doing and why.  It would look bad if some white guy and a friend buzz into town, grab a bunch of equipment, and take off.  So, continuing the schmoozing, I bought his Malta (a drink made from malt extracts from brewing beer.  It tastes like liquid Raisin Bran, but most Ghanaians, especially Muslims since most don't believe in drinking alcohol, love it!) and my own drink.  Then we had to arrange for yet another meeting with Abass and me in Kupulima to talk with the community in person and see the equipment and instruct how we want it sent so it will arrive at Tarsor, our community.  

Looking back at this relatively exhausting process of getting business done for this equipment for our dry season garden project, I’m sure it’s the proper process.  Personality, integration, and persistence will (hopefully) pay off.