(no subject)
7 March 2006
I will readily admit that the title of this email is rather contrived, if not absolutely ridiculous, but when four things which begin with "f" converge on you at once, see for yourself if the temptation isn't grand enough. All in all, things in the Volta Region are good, with the exception of a few disturbing things that are going on, the least of them not being the brutal weather that makes the American South seem like a dry desert. The air is so thick that you are better off wearing flippers to get from point A to point B (I hope by now that you have gotten used to my inexcusable talent for exaggeration).
While I was rumagging through the stacks of books at the PC office in Accra, I came across a collapsing old copy of "The Collected Works of William Faulkner." I figured it would be worth giving the old bard a shot, so I sat down last week, brewed some tea, and began focusing on his shorter works. I know it doesn't need to be said too loud (he did win a Nobel Prize for Literature), but William Faulkner is absolutely incredible. Reading his works is like being wrapped up in the creative fire of Genesis; his decriptions are like birds swirling out of a bell tower during its crash at noon. I can't even begin to explain how impressed I am with the depth of the characters and their cameos in his other stories...
Yesterday was Ghana's forty-ninth birthday since it won its independence from England on March 6, 1957. All of the JSS students marched through the streets of Guaman banging drums and clapping their hands. It was a rather impressive display of patriotism followed by a complete submission to palm wine and local liquors. Happy Birthday, Ghana. Now kick Nestle out!
On a completely different note, I have noticed a rather severe problem with Christian fundamentalism in Ghana. The landscape here is sprinkled with what I like to call "mushroom" churches. These are churches that seem to blossom beneath some shady tree overnight. If you are at all familiar with Pentecostal churches you may have an idea what the services consist of. Members become possessed by the holy spirit and convulse on the floor, speaking in tongues and losing control of their senses. Of course, none of this would be a problem if it wasn't for the intensity in which SOME of these churches evangelize. And evangelism isn' t a problem either, if it is done in a fair and appropriate manner. But these churches tear into local traditions, other Christian churches, and the local marketplaces like they are bastions of the devil himself. I have seen behavior that one would associate more with rioting than evangelism. For example, my community used to be comprised of some 20 or 30 churches, but at least 15 of these have been subsumed under the guise of a popular Pentecostal church by the name of Assemblies of God. Furthermore, the fury with which these people are converted causes them to give all their time and money to crusading and building new churches, taking necessary funds and energy out of farming, teaching, etc.
On a more light note, everyone in **** is doing wonderful. I have made some of the nicest friends I could have ever hoped for. One of the benefits of living in a small community (of about 700 people) is that you see the same people everyday and learn to laugh and converse with them. I have a handful of very good friends who have helped me through some of roughest times and who have helped clarify some of the more confusing experiences I have had in Ghana. God bless them. I know that a year and a half from now it will be horribly difficult to leave **** and head back to the U.S.
Much love,
Douglas
I will readily admit that the title of this email is rather contrived, if not absolutely ridiculous, but when four things which begin with "f" converge on you at once, see for yourself if the temptation isn't grand enough. All in all, things in the Volta Region are good, with the exception of a few disturbing things that are going on, the least of them not being the brutal weather that makes the American South seem like a dry desert. The air is so thick that you are better off wearing flippers to get from point A to point B (I hope by now that you have gotten used to my inexcusable talent for exaggeration).
While I was rumagging through the stacks of books at the PC office in Accra, I came across a collapsing old copy of "The Collected Works of William Faulkner." I figured it would be worth giving the old bard a shot, so I sat down last week, brewed some tea, and began focusing on his shorter works. I know it doesn't need to be said too loud (he did win a Nobel Prize for Literature), but William Faulkner is absolutely incredible. Reading his works is like being wrapped up in the creative fire of Genesis; his decriptions are like birds swirling out of a bell tower during its crash at noon. I can't even begin to explain how impressed I am with the depth of the characters and their cameos in his other stories...
Yesterday was Ghana's forty-ninth birthday since it won its independence from England on March 6, 1957. All of the JSS students marched through the streets of Guaman banging drums and clapping their hands. It was a rather impressive display of patriotism followed by a complete submission to palm wine and local liquors. Happy Birthday, Ghana. Now kick Nestle out!
On a completely different note, I have noticed a rather severe problem with Christian fundamentalism in Ghana. The landscape here is sprinkled with what I like to call "mushroom" churches. These are churches that seem to blossom beneath some shady tree overnight. If you are at all familiar with Pentecostal churches you may have an idea what the services consist of. Members become possessed by the holy spirit and convulse on the floor, speaking in tongues and losing control of their senses. Of course, none of this would be a problem if it wasn't for the intensity in which SOME of these churches evangelize. And evangelism isn' t a problem either, if it is done in a fair and appropriate manner. But these churches tear into local traditions, other Christian churches, and the local marketplaces like they are bastions of the devil himself. I have seen behavior that one would associate more with rioting than evangelism. For example, my community used to be comprised of some 20 or 30 churches, but at least 15 of these have been subsumed under the guise of a popular Pentecostal church by the name of Assemblies of God. Furthermore, the fury with which these people are converted causes them to give all their time and money to crusading and building new churches, taking necessary funds and energy out of farming, teaching, etc.
On a more light note, everyone in **** is doing wonderful. I have made some of the nicest friends I could have ever hoped for. One of the benefits of living in a small community (of about 700 people) is that you see the same people everyday and learn to laugh and converse with them. I have a handful of very good friends who have helped me through some of roughest times and who have helped clarify some of the more confusing experiences I have had in Ghana. God bless them. I know that a year and a half from now it will be horribly difficult to leave **** and head back to the U.S.
Much love,
Douglas