March 18, 2001
No. 6
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BIN NKA BI
("No one should bite the other")
symbol of peace and harmony
This symbol signifies the peaceful co-existence among people devoid of provocation, retaliation and strife. It cautions people against social vices like back-biting, cheating, etc. It therefore encourages fair play and cordiality which brings about peaceful co-existence
--from Values of Adinkra Symbols by Adolph H. Agbo
Happy 44th Independence Day, Ghana!
Akwaaba, PBSThe week before last was a bit surreal, thanks to the arrival of Joe Rubin, producer and cameraman, who is working on a segment about Geekcorps for the PBS series "Livelyhood." We met Joe back in North Adams, Mass., while we were in training before Ghana. He came a day before we left, followed us around in the snow and cold, and captured our dramatic (or dramatically silly) departure in the enormous white limo. (For the record, we were supposed to be shuttled to JFK in a minivan, which apparently broke down. Really.)
Two days with Joe was pretty fun. He's a good guy, he doesn't ask dumb questions, and he doesn't ask you to do silly things (that is, silly things that you wouldn't otherwise do...). Having him with us for nine days in Accra was a little stressful at times. As much as I wanted to be a trouper, there were definitely times when I wanted to run away to wash my hair or change my clothes. And then there was the little incident with the police...
Joe came with me to work his first day. Francis, the TSS driver, comes to pick me up every morning around 8 a.m. (In fact, he is the only Ghanaian I know who is consistently early! The other geeks usually get to hang out in the morning and have a leisurely breakfast, waiting for their rides.) I asked Francis if he minded having a cameraman with us; he didn't say no, but I could tell he was a bit leery of the prospect.
In Ghana, most people are not thrilled to be photographed by strangers. To be captured on video is even worse. Good cameraman that he is, Joe films everything and everyone until someone tells him to stop. Some street hawkers on the way to work were not very happy to see the camera pointed at them. They started to be a little aggressive, hitting the car and yelling at us. Francis said quietly that it would be better if Joe didn't film the people outside the car. So Joe confined himself to filming me inside the car...As we approached my office, there was some commotion. Francis was waving and yelling to some guys outside the car, who were waving and yelling at us. Guys in black uniforms--the Ghana police. I couldn't understand what was being said, but the concept of "trouble" is pretty universal. Apparently, Francis was telling the police he would pull over at the next corner. This was very shrewd--he was able to pull in to the parking lot of our building. The police followed and started to hassle Joe for his papers and filming permits. Joe had no identification on him--and neither did I! The policeman in charge said we would have to go down to the station. Francis quickly left us to summon the TSS managing director.
I have never had a traffic ticket. I am completely intimidated by law enforcement. I said nothing. Joe did a documentary on resistance movements in Serbia. He has really been interrogated. He does not back down easily. While we are waiting for my boss, Joe argued energetically with these policemen. I was trying to decide whether I should go down to the station when they haul Joe off, or try to convince the police that I have nothing to do with him. :-) I had no way to prove that I was NOT part of the film crew. (I was also wishing I could take out my camera and record this moment. Prudently, I didn't...)Mr. Owusu of TSS arrived downstairs, and immediately took the police to task. "What is the crime here? Ghana is a free country. You are allowed to photograph here. This is not the Castle." (The Castle is one place in Ghana where you are definitely NOT allowed to take pictures, or even get close enough to see it. It's the seat of government. Imagine if you could not even see the U.S. Capitol or the White House. That's what it's like.)
I knew that Mr. Owusu would eventually get this straightened out. If nothing else, the chairman of our company is the new Minister of Economic Planning. I think the police were doing some economic planning of their own--they were probably looking for a payoff from us. They did not wear their badges. Meantime, my co-workers were all arriving and wondering what I was doing as part of this scene. They came over and provided moral support, and eventually, just took me and Joe upstairs while Mr. Owusu insisted that the policemen come up to his office so he can make some phone calls and settle the matter. I did not see the policemen again. (Vincent, my office mate, called them "The Men in Black".)
Needless to say, I was feeling paranoid after that. Joe kindly gave me a break, and said he would come back later in the afternoon to film my class. When he got back, he wanted to walk around in downtown Accra with me. Mr. Owusu sent along Jojo, one of the TSS guys, to accompany us. (translation: keep us out of further trouble with the law or the locals...) Relaxed and natural is NOT what I will look like on camera, I'm sure, walking around the narrow streets of downtown, amongst the hawkers all wanted to sell us something.
At one point, Joe wanted to stop and do an interview on the street. A lady was selling glassware right behind me, and she didn't complain too much about me blocking the sidewalk. When we finished, I said to Joe that I was going to buy something from her, and he handed me some money, since I didn't have anything with me. He starts filming, I pick out a set of 6 glasses (for Tang, of course), and ask how much she wants. She starts at 35,000 cedis ($5). I know this is too much, and I feel it's my duty to drive the price down a little. I start to say that I don't even have 35,000 on me, and get ready to offer her 25,000. Joe pipes up, "Oh, don't worry, I have tons of money." End of negotiation. I gave her 35,000 before she decided to charge us even more! As a film location fee, I think it was a bargain.
Joe (and colleague Heather Love) stayed nine days, and visited many of the offices. They also traveled with Peter to Larteh and went to an Independence Day football (soccer) match. I think it will make an interesting piece. Joe has 16 hours of video, and I think he will only use 15 minutes. There will obviously be a lot of editing work for him. I don't know when it will be finished or when it will air, but I'm sure it will be after we are back in the States, and everything will seem surreal all over again. (When I know the broadcast dates, I let you all know! Not quite on the scale of my sister Judy's appearance on Oprah... and she didn't have to worry about clothes or hair! But we'll definitely try to organize a party or something fun.)
(Photos: Joe captures a snowball fight in North Adams in January, the day before we leave for Ghana; *very* candid shot of me teaching JavaScript window methods; looks like I have nothing more to say for the camera; Joe filming at the Accra Hearts of Oak match--the Men in Black are the military band, and he doesn't get into (much) trouble here at the stadium. It helps that he is wearing the hometown "Phobia" colors!)
e-mail: jean@welltempered.net