Time spent away from home has a way of stretching itself. It’s a consistent theme here in Ghana no matter what it applies to. The mere three and a half weeks I’ve spent here have felt more like months. This most likely has to do with the my ability to quickly adapt to the country’s culture and customs. The growth has been substantial and this can be applied to my work completed overseas.
I’m in the midst of my third week at Joy FM, but the integration process is occurring at such a speed to where it feels like I’ve worked here for months. The station has kept me on my toes every day from 7 a.m. to whenever I go home (it technically should be 4 p.m., but we all know journalism doesn’t work like that). The company has been gracious enough to give me work based on my personal interests. In my short time here I’ve become heavily involved with the sports culture locally and globally.
The tasks are endless, but nonetheless important in my development as a journalist. I’ve supplied live commentary on several World Cup matches, covered a press conference for the Ghana Football Association, put together news bulletins and match previews and recaps for the morning and midday shows, contributed story ideas and submitted written articles, interviewed management personnel of the local football clubs, and even appeared on television a few times. Joy FM keeps me involved with numerous mediums.
The leadership has been impressive as well. I’m lucky to have some savvy workers in the sports department who have steered me in the right direction. They don’t expect perfection, but they’re not shy in giving constructive feedback either.
It’s not so much the reporting part that has been the most challenging, but rather the communication aspect of it. I’ve been told repeatedly to speak at a slower pace and speak more clearly in order to dispel my accent. I’m so used to my normal speaking patterns that I didn’t consider how it’d sound to Ghanaian ears. Of course, the other side of the coin is that I have difficulty deciphering what they say because of their accents, but I respect their requests nonetheless.
The news room is a truly a hub for inspiration, activity and pure emotion. In addition to brainstorming for the daily bulletin, the newsroom occasionally hosts riotous debates that would normally warrant violence in other countries. The news department often engages in intense shouting matches over political and social issues that threaten to rip the staff in two, or at least it would appear. The funny thing with Ghanaians is that they love to display emotion and embellish theater. While they remain passionate about their beliefs, they hold no animosity for one another. The heated encounters normally dissolve into fits of laughter and compassion as the theater devolves. These types of displays are apparently not uncommon as my house mates have observed similar behavior in their work environments. I can’t help but feel these exchanges would result in egregious behavior in the states with feelings being shattered or punches being thrown.
Because of Joy FM I’ll never hear the word “Charlie” the same way ever again. While it remains nothing more than a name in the states, the word hear holds meaning here as it translates to “buddy” or “friend.” According to my co-workers the term is only native to Ghana. Nonetheless it was incredibly disorienting the first week when everyone is calling each other “Charlie” every other five seconds. I assumed they were speaking of some god or perhaps a higher ranking official in the company. If your name is Charlie and you visit Ghana, prepare for everyone to be calling for you.