Power, Privilege, and Continuity in Ghana

I heard once that people go to Ghana to regain their humanity. I can honestly say that I understand this statement after having been here ten days. Being an American makes it easy to forget how young the United States is as a country. The Native Americans are of course ancient societies too, but the fact that their were almost completely annihilated makes them an exception, not the rule.

Being in Ghana has made me realize how ancient Africa is as a society. I have studied the processes of colonization, decolonization, capitalist modernization, "globalization," and the like to learn about the creation of the so-called developing world (I know I'm using ironic collegiate terminology, but it's bullshit and I can't just write these Western notions without deconstructing terms such as "globalization," "Third World," and "development.")

Yet being here, I can't help but think that my presence, the presence of other Westerners, and these new social, economic, and political systems in the developing world are perceived as a finite and incidental by indigenous Africans. Here are ancient societies and ancient traditions of music, dance, trade, commerce, and philosophy. The white man can never hope to entrench himself here the way African cultures have.

I will come and go, Westerners will come and go, but Africa will always be here. If capitalism were to collapse on itself, life here will continue, while a new West would be forced to emerge from the ashes of disaster. Such is the strength of these ancient ways of living. On the other hand, I can't help but worry that something such as global climate change might devastate regions such as Africa acutely. Africa and the rest of the developing world are mostly agriculturally based, and droughts here are far more devastating than in the West. Droughts have increased dramatically in the past several decades as carbon emissions continue to rise.

On a slightly different note, here in Ghana I am forced to comfront my own privilege in unexpected ways. Coming from America endows all but the poorest people with a great standard of living compared to the rest of the world. I know that the statistics imply that Americans work harder, longer, and for less, but relative to most people here in Ghana we enjoy many privileges such as consistent water access (I take bucket showers here, though I don't mind at all), electricity (power goes out here regularly), a strong government that has the ability, though not always the will, to deal with pressing issues, and much more.

I expected to observe this privilege, but I have learned a lot about other forms of it as well. We hear a lot in progressive academic circles about "white privilege." I am very wary of this notion, because it obscures as much as it reveals, but it is undeniable that white privilege exists socially, economically, and in the media in American in some form. This is nothing new either, but I have been forced to confront privilege I have in Ghana that is every bit as tangible as class or "race" (or rather the privilege of being free from racist dicrimination). That is gender privilege.

Ghana is a country with deeply entrenched gender roles, and it plays out in almost every single interaction here. The young woman in this program tell me that there is almost never a single moment without them receiving cat-calls, getting comments, and the like. While I was aware of it in the States, here in Ghana I am forced to confront first-hand my male privilege. The privilege to not be harassed on an hourly basis is one that is easy to neglect to see for most men. Being here in Ghana has helped me understand male privilege both here and in the States. What's scary is not what is different regarding gender roles here and in the States, but in fact what is similar.