Di wo fie asem in twi translates as Mind Your Business in English

The first time I had a bagel in Smithfield, Rhode Island, no one cheered me on as I ate my first bite. You think this is funny? My auntie married an Australian tourist. We called him a tourist because no one knew his profession. He just pranced along the Labadi beach with his flip flops and backpack all day long. Locals were usually fascinated by such tourists many years ago. Of late, they have become a nuisance since they are not what they seem. They are not rich.  The first time my aunt brought Dennis home, my grandma made fufu and light soup with the hardest goat meat in all of Accra. As Dennis indulged, my grandma kept cheering him on “Obroni Obroni (white man) you eat the fufu” in what sounded like a long stretch of words. My cousins hurriedly took photos and posed with him as he took his first bite. This still happens today. A white man or woman speaks our language or eats our food and it's news on television. Meanwhile, I am yet to receive a pat on the back for eating a bagel. It is conditions like these that make missionaries come to Ghana always with the notion that people need saving. We welcome them with open arms and hearts because to be honest, our own people won’t do it unless it’s time for an election or they stand to gain benefits. These acts of generosity if done by our own people will most likely be accompanied by significant media coverage. If no one saw you, did you really do it?

My high school offers the International Baccalaureate program which has an important feature called CAS (Creativity, Action and Service). In addition to school work, students must complete 50 hours each of creative, action (sports) and service hours through the clubs and organizations in order to graduate. It was during this program that I understood the need for community service. On one of my trips with the World Reader Program, I noticed that the children preferred to be around my white counterparts. They wanted to be in the same reading groups as them because they were fascinated by their accents, the texture of their hair and the color of their skin. Many Ghanaians are not as involved in such programs unless they are helping with translation, giving directions or helping build some kind of rapport between the locals and foreigners. The only Ghanaians who are usually spotted are those with an american or british accent (sorry those are the only accents we like) or those who are biracial. I can’t really blame them. Someone I know recently had the same experience. He went to an orphanage in Accra but he was paid no attention to because it is not natural that a Ghanaian will come to an orphanage without being accompanied by a white man or woman. While he was there, a Canadian woman walked through the doors and she was given the warmest welcome. Why is that?

The issue here is that as a people, we are not as concerned with our own issues. It always has to take a foreigner to do something that we as a people are very well able to do. Are you surprised? Even when we try, our people prefer to be affiliated with foreign missionaries and non-profits because our own people do things for show. Look at Ghana’s national service program. A program that was primarily designed for university graduates to give back to the country as a way to thank the government for subsidized fees. No one wants to be sent to northern Ghana to teach primary school children math. It’s way too hot up north and you won’t have free Wi-Fi. We would rather bribe our way to be sent to a multinational company and do nothing all day long when our talents could be used elsewhere. But who else will do it? We keep leaving our narrative for others to write and then we are upset when that is not what we want to hear.

Last summer, I decided to volunteer at the Butterfly Effect Ghana, an organization started by two lovely ladies that is involved in curriculum development. Whenever I told people I am volunteering they will cheekily say “As for you rich kids that’s all you know.” Indicating that rich people are the only ones who can volunteer. In other words, why should I volunteer when I am trying to make ends meet? Community service should be taught in schools and should not be brushed off as a foreign concept. It is also not always about money. You have talents, gifts and time to share with others especially young people. Spending an hour or two a week teaching kids how to read or teaching them a skill will go a long way. Next time you see a post of a Swedish woman carrying a child in her arms and claiming that the child won’t be able to live her dreams of becoming a dancer, ask yourself what you’re doing to change the narrative. Mind the business in your own backyard.

Please share your thoughts! Chat me in the comments :)