It’s been awhile since the last blog (SORRY HIRSH!) because I’ve been closing up shop and prepping for my return home. However, I should mention that George Weir (an alumnus of Phi Psi OH Epsilon at Case) arrived in Ghana last week and we’ve met up twice. George and his wife Kathy founded an NGO called Tomorrow’s Stars, and they’ve been supporting three schools in the Elmina area for several years now. Before the trip, I knew Tomorrow’s Stars as that organization that my chapter of Phi Psi raises money for via the annual soccer tournament. However, since spending time with George in Ghana, I’ve come to appreciate it so much more.
Last Saturday I met with George and Kathy to attend their friend’s mother’s funeral. Because it’s Ghana, we arrived an hour late and thus right as the ceremony was beginning. Ghanaian custom mandates that those in attendance to a funeral wear all black as a sign of mourning. But don’t let the black clothes fool you – the funeral was more a celebration of life. The family was cheerful and smiling as they greeted people. This may have been because the mother passed away two months ago, and she was kept on ice until a lavish funeral could be arranged. Needless to say, the casket was closed.
The family rented 5-6 large tents to cover about 200 people in attendance. It was a Pentecostal service, so of course there was lots of dancing and worship. There was a live band with the same instruments as the church service I attended: a keyboard, drum kit, bass guitar, and bongos. We were given the best seats in the house, smack in front of the pastor and family.
Then the casket came out. To say it was garish is an understatement. The body was large, rounded white metal, with a chrome Jesus on a cross at the head and large chrome handles. Clearly the deceased was taking a 60’s vintage Cadillac up to heaven.
There was a thirty minute procession in which Kathy, George, Rudolph and I walked behind a marching band and the junior cadets (kind of like a mini-ROTC with wooden guns) through the hot African sun, dressed all in black. The cemetery they buried her in was pleasantly disorderly, filled with overgrown brush and crumbling headstones. Many graves had collapsed in on themselves and the whole scene probably would have been much creepier at night, but was very pleasant during the day.
We took a taxi back to the funeral site, where I sat two seats away from the regional chief surrounded by his assistants, mightily holding his gold staff (yeah, we had good seats). There was some kind of donation/auction which I didn’t understand at all, and a band was setting up behind the auctioneers, soundchecking over their speeches. There was a high-life (a blend of reggae and hiphop) concert from which my ears are still ringing, and we decided to head out.
As we were trying to make an inconspicuous exit, George was called up to the mic to make an impromptu speech. He was introduced as “the obruni from Europe and his lovely family” (he’s from Pittsburgh). He explained Tomorrow’s Stars and how it has helped the schools in the area, and then we went on our merry way.
The second time I met up with George, he gave me the grand Tomorrow’s Stars tour, visiting all of the schools it supports and explaining the history. We started at Edinaman Secondary School, which looks like a small university (secondary schools are the equivalent of high school). In ten years, the population has increased fivefold because of its increase in academic standings. It now has a population of 1200, about 40% living in dormitories on campus. The computer lab had fifty computers, more than I’ve seen the whole Ghana trip. The school is built on a hill, meaning there’s a mega-hike to get to classes without the handy-dandy elephant stairs, but there are some great views of the beach and salt mines around the area.
Rudolph joined us and we headed over to Christ Cares, the original T Stars school. It is a primary and junior secondary school, like elementary and middle school. Since George has started his support, they have built a water tower and a two-story building, tripling the size of the school and providing much needed supplements like a computer lab. T Stars provides a scholarship to 25 Christ Cares students to attend Edinaman, and the scholarship has easily proved its worth from a simple examination of some of its recent graduates, like Rudolph. Rudolph is a curious, intelligent student with passions for Chemistry and Biology, and he’s starting university this week. At the Elmina festival, during our walk at the funeral, and on our hike down Edinaman, Rudolph fired off question after question about the sciences. As I would begin to answer, he would fill in the gaps and completely understood my responses immediately. I know he’ll succeed and go far in life, and hopefully he’ll pave the way for other bright students.
The last school we visited was Bantuma Primary and JSS. Richard was in the process of painting the school so that it would comply with the government-regulated colors of tan and brown, colors that would inspire any student to buckle down and learn. Bantuma has a good sized library filled with English children’s books as well as two computers.
It was great to finally see the impact T Stars has created on the education of so many students in Elmina. It was also a point of pride to know that a Phi Psi brother was responsible for kickstarting the organization, and that Phi Psis continue to donate and fund the programs. After the grand tour, George and Kathy graciously hosted me, Rudolph, and the librarian Solo to dinner at Coconut Grove. We said our goodbyes, and I wished Rudolph happy travels on his university adventures.
I’m going to Accra today, and will stay the night. I board my plane tomorrow to go home. This has been a truly fantastic adventure, and I’m both saddened and excited by its closing. Thanks for following my blog, and I can't wait to see friends and family!
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