Today was an exercise in Ghana time. Joey and I were up and ready for our pick up to Parliament at 6:00am, as instructed by Charles the night before. The van arrived at 7:10 and off we headed. Turns out the first bus arrived late, reminiscent of more than one FWP field trip. The second bus never made it so half the kids weren’t able to come – I can’t imagine the disappointment. Field trips are a rarity. Greenie helped get everyone organized and loaded on the first bus.
Because we were running late we took a lot of back roads to save time. It’s hard to imagine that bouncing slowly through the crater-pocked dirt roads was actually faster but it was an experience. The Accra morning traffic is outrageous! Four lanes merging from opposite directions into one lane – cars lined up beyond the horizon line. It was crazy. Between the van and the school bus ahead of us zig-zagging through traffic, people darting out and across the street, traffic signals that were more like suggestions than actual requirements….it was a harrowing trip.
We arrived at Parliament at 9:00, were directed to our seats in the observation gallery and then we waited. The session was called for 10:00 so around 10:30 we figured the MPs (Ministers of Parliament) would arrive. Nope. 11:00 came and went, then 11:30. The man who was our liaison told us we’d be leaving at 12:30.
Inside the Parliament building
Greenie sitting with the press corp - the woman has skills
at getting herself in the right place at the right time
for the benefit of the school.
At that point the kids were really getting antsy, which was completely legitimate. They were hungry, thirsty, cold (the AC in the room was really blowing – Greenie and I were loving it). And bored! 12:08pm and the Speaker of Parliament, the Honorable Mrs. Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo (Africa’s first female Speaker) was announced. They approved the vetting of a nominee by President Atta for the western region and then debated, at length, this:
The Hon. Member for Amenfi East, Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo made a complaint about comments allegedly made by Mr. Kofi Wayo on CIti FM radio which were published in the Monday 5th July, 2010 edition of the New Crusading Guide that Parliament is useless and most Members of Parliament are criminals.
The Minority leader had brought this issue to the Parliament yesterday and today many Ministers waxed eloquent on the matter. The second person to speak noted that “to forgive is divine” and encouraged the other members to let it go. Another Minister, the majority leader, said that to chase after this matter, to pursue Wayo would be foolish. He quoted an African story, “If you are in the bathroom bathing and you are naked and the crazy man comes in and takes your towel you do not chase after the crazy man. Because although he is in tatters he has your towel and you are naked. It is you then who is the crazy man, running naked through the streets.” We left at 1:00 so we missed the final decision.
Charles and Joey reading the daily Parliament report
Out in the lobby, a government representative came out and talked to Tuskegee and another school about the various roles and responsibilities of the Parliament and its members. An MP walked up to the group and introduced himself to Charles. They know each other from working together years ago and the man was quite gracious and spoke to the entire group of students. He told them that he had missed out on the type of education they were receiving, that he had to work at home and help his mother. He encouraged them to keep up their studies, to work hard and become teachers and doctors and Ministers of Parliament. It was a great moment.
The Parliament representative told students about the responsibilities of Ministers
The Minister joined the Parliament representative to talk with the students.
At this point the kids were pretty much done. We walked across the grounds and up onto a grassy area by a fountain. It was a long day for the forty students and they had 30 minutes of bone-rattling drive home ahead of them. They were really resilient – it was impressive.
Charles took Greenie, Joey, Ken and me to the artisans market. Haggling. Haggling. Haggling. Pretty stuff but sensory overload. We left quickly, had meat pies and Fanta and then took a back route around Accra. We saw the new overpass being built that will hopefully alleviate some of the traffic congestion in the center of town, as well as a huge market area. Homeward bound we drove by the city’s garbage dump; the smell was indescribable.
Tomorrow night we’re having dinner with the family so tonight was our final meal of chicken and rice at the hotel. It was delicious even though I threw my plate in the air when a bug landed on my head. Joey asked me, calmly and trying hard not to laugh in my face, “So, you’re not some one who really likes camping, huh?” Nope.
Tomorrow is our last teaching day.
Kate - thank you so much for your wonderful blog posts. I've been following them, enjoying every one. Today I decided to stop lurking and comment as yesterday's post was particularly moving. Thank you for your honesty about the joys, the frustrations, the good and the not so good. I'm looking forward to talking to all three of you about your trip. And thanks for reminding me that there is always success, even if it initially feels like failure.
ReplyDelete