Out of Africa

From the age of ten years old to seventeen years old, I lived in three different West African countries; Ghana, Niger and Mali. My father worked for Agency for International Development (AID), which is a branch of the United States State Department.

Ghana is on the coast of West Africa and has green vegetation like a tropical rainforest throughout the country and white sand beaches. Niger and Mali are north of Ghana and further away from the coast of Africa. The Sahara Desert spans into both Niger and Mali. The weather for all three countries is very similar, but very different from most of the United States. In the hot season the temperature ranges from 120 degrees to about 135 degrees in all three countries. The heat is considered a dry heat with low humidity. If Americans had to endure this kind of dry heat, there would be a heat advisory everyday. In West Africa there are no public broadcast systems or news stations that warn the public about the high temperatures. West Africans just endure it the best way they can.

In the West African countries where I lived there was not a Farm Fresh or Food Lion grocery store. My mother would take me to the market to buy meat. The meat that we would buy would be hanging from the rafters of the market. The meat would look coal black due to the flies covering it. The embassy had given us strict guidelines on how to prepare and cook our food. All meat had to be cooked well done to kill bacteria. All vegetables had to be soaked in iodine to kill the parasites that came from the water which was used to cultivate them. All water had to be boiled and filtered to prevent dysentery.

American citizens do not realize how lucky they are. Americans have large companies that safely process their food for them. Africans have and are still dying from diseases such as dysentery which can easily be prevented by proper food preparation.

The atmosphere of an African market is totally different from the atmosphere of the American Midwestern farmer’s market. African markets are usually loud with constant bickering among buyers and sellers bartering for the best price. It is not uncommon for physical fights to breakout among merchants and patrons. Women in the market, also known as Mammies are not only more in a supervisory role than the men, but they handle almost all of the manual labor. The Mammies in the African market are also the security patrol. If a theft occurs in the market, you will see the women of the market chase the perpetrator down, not the men. They will also decide on the punishment. In contrast, in an American Midwestern farmer’s market there is bartering but usually the prices are not subject to change. American culture has set a standard that men do most of the manual labor because they are physically stronger than the women. If a theft occurs in the farmer’s market the men are usually the ones to catch the perpetrator and law enforcement would be called. The thief would be punished not with a beating, but with a day in a courtroom.

Music is a universal language no matter what country it comes from however; how a group of people congregate to listen to music does differ by culture. In the United States there are many concert halls, amphitheaters and auditoriums. These structures confine the celebrating group. Americans come dressed in all sorts of attire ranging from the wildly bright to gothic black. Food and beverages are sold and depending on the musical venue a person has to be a certain age not only to enter but to purchase an alcoholic beverage. In West Africa on the contrary, there are very few theaters. Amphitheaters, concert halls and auditoriums are practically nonexistent. Almost all venues are in wide open areas so that there is plenty of room to sing, dance and celebrate. Africans dress for their musical venues in bright bold colors and their clothing usually symbolizes what the event is about. Most events are by invitation only and the host usually supplies all of the food and beverages. If the venue is in celebration of a specific occasion such as a christening, palm wine is the celebratory drink which is an alcoholic beverage that everyone partakes in including children.

African culture is very different in many aspects, especially in the sense of nudity. A woman in the United States would never sit on a bench topless and breast feed her baby, nor would that baby be naked even if the climate was perfect. Nudity, never mind breastfeeding are still controversial issues in the United States. In West Africa nudity is a very common sight to see and accepted among the African community. Breastfeeding in public is not controversial at all because sometimes this is the only food a mother has to feed her baby.

My time spent in West Africa was not only educational but humbling. Before this experience I took a lot of things that I had as an American for granted. Today I have an entirely different outlook on what is important to me. Material possessions are no longer a “must have”, but a nicety. I am now grateful to have good health, food and a roof over my head. Appearance and materialism is the backbone of American society. Humility and practicality is the heartbeat of African society. Backbone or heartbeat, which is more powerful?

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