Day Eight and Out – Transcendence

Last full day on The Continent, for now. I am down in time for the Coconut Grove Regency (CGR) goes-with-the-room breakfast, omelet and butter white bread sandwich and brewed coffee. I hail brew as West African coffee of the 00s was strictly instant Folgers, imported from America. Coffee at least used to grow here, until rubber and palm oil became the plantations of choice for notable profits.

Sitting just there is a circle of Black Americans (accents are the give-away), evenly male and female. Also, one guy’s wearing a Hendrix t-shirt, with dreads. Yep, obviously this a somewhat aging U.S. reggae band, touring Ghana once again, but this time with their wives, Nigeria next stop. Obviously.

Since reggae is one of my Spotify jams – and whatever, just curious – I introduce myself. This is a Kent State professor, the Chair actually, of the

Department of Africana Studies guiding his eight or so U.S. tourists, none of whom have been to Africa until last night. Yep, that’s me, super-perceptive.

They are headed to the Volta Region tomorrow. Child sale and trafficking not uncommon there. We shift to Liberia and the American Colonization Society, The 1619 Project, and related bits. A lot of this appears news to them. Wait, don’t all Black people know all about this? I don’t love my fixed, knee-jerk assumptions, but it’s definitely fun to spot and obliterate them.

Today’s last round of meetings begins with Kofi Asari, head of Africa Education Watch, an analytical outfit. On my outline of aims and Study Tech’s possible relevance, he clarifies he’s not an educator, he’s an observer. OK, ‘nuf said, for now.

Member of Parliament and lawyer Francis Sosu comes by CGR in the afternoon. We first met in D.C. last November, part of Sammy Jacob Abbey’s (SJA’s) first annual Global Institute dinner. Francis has also headed Youth for Human Rights in Ghana. Our conversation ranges over his practice and legislative work. His district is in north Accra, one of the largest constituencies in the nation. FS is results-oriented, pressing for death penalty abolition and LGBTQ rights in a country with

severe cultural resistance to such notions.

He is outgoing, outspoken and going places. Evidence: one of the receptionists spotted and did a little swoon over him as we walked him out. Ah ha, a bit of a celeb here man. Courage and intelligence can and should be inspiring.

We last meet – in the fading light and weekend imminent -- with Antwi Clement, the head of National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Ministry of Education (MOE). Another interested and well-positioned individual and yet another facet in the forming pilot.

We have a partial Saturday in mind, probably some “cultural center” haggling negotiations (aka shopping, Ghana-style) by day, flights out in the evening. Easy, smooth.

Yet, come 3:00 a.m. and the body is announcing a new plan, dealing with an angry alien intestinal invasion. I’ve brought the stuff that knocks this sort of intrusion out flat but it isn’t instant.

So, after a low-energy wrap-up meeting in which water sips are my sole solace, Jay and Richmond are deputized to head down to do battle with the African mask vendors on my behalf. I sleep off most of the day. They return full-handed.

The digestive contention is largely quelled by flight time, even a hint of hunger another few hours later here somewhere over the Atlantic.

Disagreeing with convention, challenging common wisdom, venturing into uncharted waters (and, yes, eating some dicey pepper sauce) necessarily entail risk. Yet, as humanity persists on the hope of betterment, of justice, of triumph, we have no choice but to dare, come what may.

We work in Africa not because it’s painless and eternally pleasant or because others might admire it. We strive to help make a difference here because we like the odds, no matter how insanely stacked they might be.

The venture to establish – without losing integrity -- that we and them are us is as old as time. Is this a fool’s errand? Yet, the wrong thing to do is nothing. And so, we work. Until the next round …

Tim Bowles
July 31, 2022
Over the Atlantic, westbound.