One of the hardest obstacles I’ve faced during my internship with SSNIT is the lack of understanding when it comes to recycling. I know that Ghana has serious waste disposal issues, but it amazes me that despite a ‘clean initiative’ newspaper article here and there or a tagged wall claiming “#KeepGhanaClean” there is still a Read More …
This past weekend I became acquainted with emotions that I didn’t know I was capable of feeling: everything ranging from a deep, gut-wrenching guilt that I still can’t shake, to a profound sadness fueled by frustration at my inability to change the past. I felt primed for our trip to the Elmina Slave Trade Castle. Read More …
Through a camera lens we can only see so much, what is within the frame, what is in focus, what we choose to capture. But what did we miss as we walked through the Aburi Gardens with cameras raised to document every picturesque scene, plant and story. How much have we already missed in the Read More …
On Monday I had the pleasure and privilege of listening to Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo speak about the history of media in Ghana and the current media climate. Gadzekpo is currently a senior professor in the department of communication studies at the University of Ghana. She earned a doctorate degree in African Studies at the University Read More …
Today marks my sixth day in Ghana! I can’t believe the Media In Ghana group has been here for almost a week already. I guess it’s true that time flies when you’re having fun! Besides being jetlagged, exhausted from heat and still being in shock that I am halfway across the world from everything I Read More …
Yesterday Ryan and I got the privilege to take part in a Ghanaian press conference at my work at the Ghana Football Association. With both of us having played college football, we have interacted with the media and taken part in press conferences plenty of times before, so we figured we understood what we were Read More …
Today Esi Benewaaa, a Starr FM reporter, and I went to Old Fadama mentioned in my previous post and elsewhere online as Sodom and Gomorrah. The area within Old Fadama called June 4 was the latest area to be demolished, leaving residents displaced. This is a humanitarian crisis that is leaving over 50,000 homeless and Read More …
It’s one week into my internship at StarrFM and I’ve worked on many interesting stories that were read on air. Writing for radio in Accra is much different than longer feature, profile, and narrative non-fiction pieces that I’m used to freelance writing. It is also much different than academic writing, a style that is far Read More …
As part of my internship I had a unique opportunity to attend the annual President’s Cup here in Ghana. The President’s Cup is a game played on the first day of July, a holiday here in Ghana called Republic Day, between Asante Kotoko Porcupine Warriors and the Accra Hearts of Oak. This was the first Read More …
This past Thursday, I attended a relief event that has proven to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to witness. In light of the emotional aspect of this event, I’m going to try and keep this blog post short and to the point, primarily because finding the words to describe what Read More …
In Ghana, most services and products are up for bargain. In America, there are set prices and those are non-negotiable. You sit in a taxi and the meter starts. You buy a shirt and know exactly how much you will pay. This is not the case in Ghana. In Ghana, you call a taxi, attempt Read More …
It has taken me a while to write about the castles we toured while in Cape Coast. I needed time to reflect on the trip. We toured two castles; Elmina and Cape Castle. Both held hundreds of thousands of slaves before being shipped off to the Caribbean or America. The castles are where the slaves Read More …
Every day in Ghana is its own adventure. When you think this country is done surprising you, it throws another unexpected twist your way. Every day is like a Quentin Tarantino movie, incredibly strange, yet oddly enjoyable. Some quick observations I have made: Toilet paper is called “T-roll” The toilet is often referenced as “The Read More …
About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Ghanaians love Obama. Second, there is a part of them, and I didn’t know how potent that part might be – that will find any opportunity to talk about politics with you. And third, they are unconditionally and irrevocably in love with God (If you understood this Read More …
There’s this episode of the Nickelodeon kids show SpongeBob SquarePants in which SpongeBob, on the way back from visiting a glove-themed amusement park, gets lost in an unfamiliar town called Rock Bottom and has to try to find his way back home to Bikini Bottom. Finding the right bus proves to be next to impossible, Read More …