Ah, to be a new blogger and know the joys of realizing important bits were left out of one's very first blog! Since I was very young I have been fascinated by Africa. I was always excited to watch shows about Africa, read books about Africa and listen to music from Africa. Africa was in my heart before I even recognized its pull on my life. I dismissed my interest in Africa as merely a hobby for years, and I lived my life much as you might be doing even now. I did various jobs over the years but never felt truly excited about what it was I was doing until right here, right now as I type to you right this very minute.
Why Ghana? This is perhaps the most frequently asked question I've had to field since I shared with you that I was going. I honestly cannot believe I failed to blog the answer in my first post! I will tell you what I tell everyone, I did not choose Ghana, Ghana chose me. Back in January, I shared with my family a desire to go to Africa to serve the least, the last and the lost. I recognized that there was a need, I acknowledged for the first time what the "Africa in my heart" had been telling me since I was a little boy. Thinking about going to serve the people of Africa is deceptively simple, I'll save you the time and tell you that many, many questions follow. I didn't know where I would go in Africa and I didn't know when I would go to Africa, I only knew that I really wanted to go. My father directed me to check some on-line resources like the International Mission Board and the Peace Corps. I checked with these and others and saw the volunteer needs I could apply for but I quickly grew discouraged. The volunteer needs were mainly for agricultural or irrigation specialists, English teachers and other areas of expertise and I simply didn't have the training or experience necessary. What's more, I still had my job as a 9-1-1 Communications Officer at the time and the volunteer needs were for twelve, twenty-four or thirty-six months, durations I knew I could never and would never get time off from work. So I put Africa back into the box of my heart for a while and then the days turned into weeks and it seemed as though going to Africa was just a confused dream.
One day sometime around March I received a call from an unfamiliar number. I answered the call and was greeted by an unfamiliar voice speaking with what would later become a very familiar accent.
"Hello, this is Boyd."
"Ah, Hello"
"Hello?"
"Hello, my name is Charles. Your dad is my professor."
"Oh, Hi! How are you? (still not knowing who this was)"
"Good. I am good. Your father has said you are going to Africa."
"Ugh. I'm trying to go."
"That is good. When are you going?"
"Aye yi yi. I don't know. Maybe the fall? Hopefully soon. Maybe around September if I can."
"Ah! That is good. Yes. Where are you going in Africa?"
"Ugh. I don't know yet. I'm looking at some websites that have volunteer jobs in Liberia, Niger and other countries but I don't know yet. All the needs are for farmers and stuff that I just don't know how to do, so hopefully I'll know soon."
"Wonderful. Have you thought about Ghana?"
"Umm, I think they may have listed Ghana. I don't know. (I didn't even know where Ghana was on a map)"
"Ah-hah. Well I am from Ghana."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Wow. That's really cool (I'm pretty sure I actually said it was "cool")"
"Ah-hah. Well I have spoken to my home church back in Ghana, and they would like to host you if you will go (to Ghana)."
I pulled my car over to the side of the road in disbelief. Could it really be that simple? All I had to do was say, "yes I'll go" and so I did. Saying yes in that moment changed my life forever and I am still humbled by the power of the experience. I have come to know the man that called me that day as my friend, my mentor and my Christian brother. I've included a picture of the man I've come to know as Kwame Owusu and his family. Pastor Charles Owusu, his wife Valentina and their children Julia, Priscilla and David have become my Ghanaian family here in the United States, they were the first Ghanaians I ever knowingly met and they are now my great friends.
Who is Kwame? First I need to tell you about the Akkan. Ghana basically has four ethno-linguistic groupings or "tribes," the largest by far is the Akkan. The Akkan people regard a person's soul to be linked to the day of the week on which one was born. Because of this tradition, most Ghanaians' first name is not a "given name," but one determined by the day on which they were born. It is the child's "second name" that is chosen by the parents eight days after birth, and it is usually the name of a respected family member. I must have been Ghanaian from birth because I was born on Saturday, so my name is Kwame, and my given name is Boyd, in honor of one of my father's closest friends! You have a Ghanaian Akkan name too!
Ghanaian Birth Day Names are:
Day................Male.......................Female
Sunday...............Kwasi............................Akosua, Asi, Ese
Monday..............Kwadwo, Kojo...............Adwoa, Ajao
Tuesday..............Kwabena, Kobina..........Abena, Araba
Wednesday.........Kwaku..........................Akua
Thursday............Yao, Ekow.....................Yaa
Friday.................Kofi..............................Afua, Afia, Efua
Saturday.............Kwame, Kwamena........Ama
I will never forget how incredibly excited the Ghanaians became when after several phone calls to my parents I discovered that I was born on a Saturday. Ghanaians seem to consider their "day name" somewhat like a sports team and when a new member is added and their particular name group grows by one member, it is reason for celebration!
So, what is your Ghanaian name? Message me and let me know!
Ye frewo sen? What is your name?
Ye fre me _______ My name is _______
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