February 4, 2001
Dispatch No. 1
(Snake Climbing the Raffia Palm)
This is one of the many Adinkra symbols that are ubiquitous in Ghana, in cloth, in carving, on signs and buildings. During orientation, we were asked to choose a symbol that appealed to us, without knowing what it meant, and I chose this one. It has an interesting meaning: it is normally very difficult for the snake to climb the raffia because it's very thorny. The snake that does so performs an impossible task. This Adinkra symbolizes steadfastness, prudence and diligence.
We had a week of orientation, getting ourselves prepped for work, which starts Monday (Feb. 5). One day was spent driving all over Accra and beyond to visit our eight partner businesses. Mine was the last we visited--so they got their first impression of me after I'd been in a tro-tro (a kind of minivan shuttle) all day with the guys, sweating, driving around with the windows open, getting dusty and having my hair blown around all day. (Valerium: would you like to open a salon in Accra??).The company is called TSS Software, and they specialize in information management software for hotels and hospitals. I'll be helping them develop a marketing plan and also do some training in web site design techniques. They have a nice office in downtown Accra, which is the most urban of the places we've been to, office buildings, stores, marketplace, etc. The main tenant of the building is Unilever. It was the first time we rode an elevator all day.
The office is around the corner from Jah Rah, the (in)famous Rastafarian restaurant for which we searched all over creation as part of a orientation exercise. So now I know at least one place to eat in the neighborhood.
The gentlemen at TSS, my company, were very gracious. The managing director, Mr. Osuo, lived in Vancouver, B.C. and then other places around the U.S. He constantly referred to me as "our lady" and assured the gang that I would be in very good hands. My "shadow" partner is Mr. Francis Hadzah, who is very enthusiastic about revving up the marketing efforts at TSS. I'm looking forward to working there, not the least of the reasons being it's air-conditioned...
We had a nice reception from all the businesses. In the afternoon, each place we visited served us sodas in the old heavy glass reusable bottles that we used to have at home. It got to be rather amusing. I had Schweppes Bitter Lemon, Krest Ginger Ale (bottled by CocaCola), a Coke and a Fanta by the end of the day. No wonder I had a stomachache!
(Photo: At the offices of Africa Express, an ISP run by the Reverend Frimpong (front right), who plans to use it to support his Christian outreach programs.)
It was pretty mind-blowing to be shuttling all over Accra. I realize now how "nice" our neighborhood (Osu) is, chickens, goats, sewers, and all. Beyond the main part of the city, this place is *really* poor. In the U.S., it would be considered one enormous slum, but the American slums don't come close to the level of poverty here. Huge areas with just shanties, no sanitary facilities, miles of unpaved, dusty roads. In the U.S., you'd think you were off-roading, and in a real sense, I suppose you would be. It makes me appreciate our streets here in our neighborhood, enormous potholes notwithstanding.(Photo: The gate to Geekhalla. The security guard is waving from the street. Having 24-hour security is quite common for a place like Geekhalla. Even in this photo, you can see the potholes.)
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