I Am Because We Are

I am because you are.

These are the words of Ubuntu, a South African word reciting the importance and significance of human connection. Though the word is South African in origin, it is an important term that spans across the continent of Africa. After experiencing Ghana, I am fully aware of what these words actually mean.

As a human race, we are truly connected. The effects of every action we take influences the person next to us, and then they in turn influence the person next to them, and so forth. We are built upon the efforts and sacrifices of others, and to deny that would be to deny humanity. We truly need each other.

Imagine a world where there was no human connection. No smiles. No hugs. No laughs. No words at all.

Would it be possible to survive? Don’t count on it.

The people of Ghana rely on this human connection for survival. All humans need an emotional connection with others, the only difference is, the people of Ghana are conscious of this connection. Everything they do, from the shops they keep to the families they raise, Ghanaians work together to make life bearable in the most dire of circumstances.

Poverty runs rampant in the country, with the divisions of wealth being so apparent that even a struggling man in the United States would be forced to cringe. Everything is brought into reality when a young Ghanaian girl, not much older than 4 years of age follows you for twenty minutes around the streets, begging you to buy her small supply of red peppers for less than a dollar. She is shoeless. Her clothes barely fit her and she looks like she hasn’t eaten in days.

Sadly, you must push her away. You have nothing to give. I had no currency and the next ATM was more than a mile away. What do you do in a case like that? Ideally you’d bring her back home with you and give her what we consider a “good” life. But that’s far from a playable card. So what’s next? It’s hard to think about.

Thankfully, women managing stalls at the market noticed the efforts of this little girl. They called her over and talked with her. It was in the local language, so I had no idea what was being said, but at the end of it, the women gave the girl a small piece of fruit to eat. The girl ate it, and then ran away.

This is Ubuntu. It is caring for those around you, in the most dire of circumstances.

Prior to arriving in Takoradi, Rebecca, an inter-port student from Ghana gave a speech to the entire shipboard community. During her talk, she emphasized the saying that it “takes more than an individual to raise a child. It takes a community.”

We saw that first hand with the little girl. No matter where we were for that span of twenty minutes, each and every woman we saw called to the little girl. Always watching, always ready to defend. They were a community concerned with the wellbeing of their young.

We ran into a number of children along the way- each one with bright, smiling faces and a constant curiosity with these different people coming into their land. Most intriguing was their seemingly sincere appreciation for us being there. It was truly humbling. The adults of the community were the same and welcomed us into their country.

So often we view ourselves as the oppressors, and in turn the “hated” within Ghana. At least I do. It’s hard not to. But this seems to be far from the truth. Though this notion is historically relevant (some of the largest slave-trade operations originated in Ghana), there seems to have been a change in mindset.  To me, it’s mind-boggling. I will not make any other assumptions, however. Nobody can ever know what someone is truly feeling. That’s something only God knows….

So how does this blog relate to my secret? You’re probably wondering about that at this point. Well, let me tell you.

Let me premise this by saying that I still can’t believe it actually happened. But it did. And I’m entirely grateful.

Ok, here it goes.

I was fortunate enough to get selected to accompany Archbishop Desmond Tutu as he was honored for receiving the African Lifetime Achievement Award from the Millennium Excellence Foundation.

It is an award that is given out every five years, and is considered the African equivalent of Nobel Prize. The Foundation has been honoring only Ghanaians for this special award since 2000, but it has only recently been extended to include all influential Africans on the international and continental stage. The point of the award is to honor those who have challenged the status quo and bettered the life of not just Ghanaians, but Africans as a whole.

According to Rebecca, our inter-port student from Ghana, this award is quite the accomplishment. It is an award given only to a select few. Kofi Anan, former Secretary General of the United Nations is one familiar name on this incredible list of African peacemakers.

Archbishop Tutu’s actual reception of the award will be in December, but he will not be in Ghana to accept it. So what better time  to receive this honor than when he happens to stop in Ghana on a journey around the world? Perfect timing, Arch. Well done good sir.

But of course, it wasn’t just me who got to go. Four other Semester at Sea students were also selected. That’s five out of six-hundred and four students. Incredible odds to beat. But we did it. Why did we get picked you ask? We don’t know. Still don’t. That’s why it is a miracle. We were randomly picked and thrown into the mix. It’s something that only a dream can create.

That said, we are all so thankful for being able to accompany one of the planet’s most influential men as he’s honored and adored by thousands of Ghanaians, let alone millions of Africans.

So what exactly did we do with him?  Well, we were technically considered part of Archbishop’s staff (I’ll call him “Arch” for short. That’s what he goes by. Cool name I think… which is a correction from a post a while ago calling him “Dez”). Dean David, Photo Mike, Lucille, Thao, Elliot, Abbi, Bounmi, and me. Only eight of us were part of his SAS entourage. Unbelievable.

Ok. Back to the story. What we did! Righto.

(I’m gonna try and keep it fairly concise…. but we all know how that goes)

All of this happened over a period of two days. On the morning of the September 23, about 15 government and private enterprise officials boarded the MV Explorer for a tour of the ship. These men included everyone from the local Member of Parliament to the owner of the National Ghanaian Soccer Team. Yeah. That’s right. The team that beat the US in the second round of the World Cup.

Whatever. More power to him. Seriously though. Good for him. I’m not bitter.

Anyway, the Archbishop and his wife Leah, the rest of the officials, and the eight of us were taken by motorcade (yeah, that’s also what I said- motorcade) to the airport to board a chartered plane to Kumasi.

After getting off the plane in Kumai, we were then transported to the premises of His Majesty Osei Tutu II- the Ashanti King of Ghana. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a crowd of over 500 people dancing and singing in honor of Archbishop Tutu. A hundred drums overshadowed your voice- no matter your attempt, you couldn’t be heard. It was powerful.  The traditional Kente Cloth garments were intricate, the colors vibrant. Everyone wore the outfits. From head to toe covered in color.

These people came from all over the country to honor one man. Think about it.  A multitude of Ashanti chiefs were part of the mix. Over one-hundred of the most important people in Ghana. All in one place, all at the same time. This is something virtually unheard of.

The King himself was a sight to behold. Wrapped in Kente, he was also layered  with gold rings, gold bracelets, and a gold crown. More gold than you can possibly imagine (For those who don’t know, Ghana is one of the largest gold producing countries in the world). If you can believe this, King Osei Tutu had servants dedicated to holding his arm up because of the immense weight of the gold. They were next to him during the entire ceremony, with men to wipe his face included.  I couldn’t believe my eyes. None of us could. It was the greatest definition of a king you can possibly imagine.  

In the middle of the ceremony, our entire regiment was called out by name. Boumi, Abbi, Elliot, Lucille, Thoa, Photo Mike, Dean David, and myself. All announced to the crowd.  After, we honored the king with a bow and a blessing. Each of us. One by one. It was intimidating, but also liberating. A flying sprit. It was a total rush to shake the hand of the king.

Only in a dream.

During this time, Arch gave a speech detailing the importance of Ubuntu. I will never forget the understanding that filled the crowd when Archbishop Tutu said those words of “I am because you are.” It was beautiful. And I thought our experience couldn’t get any better.

As the ceremony came to an end, and Arch was praised to the fullest extend by the masses, we moved into the most coveted buildings in all of Ghana: we were treated to a lunch at the king’s palace. There were no more than twenty of us in the dining room. According to the Ghanaian woman we were with, this was something people from Ghana only dream of. A true honor. I couldn’t have felt more blessed.

The King of Ghana and Archbishop Desmond Tutu all in one room. Incredible. The king sat in the center, Arch on his right. King Osei Tutu wanted the experience to be as comfortable and homely possible. So what do you do in that situation? You make the lunch buffet style. We ate traditional Ghanaian food, served ourselves, all on pure-gold plates.

I’m serious. Fried chicken. Rice. Gold plates. Served ourselves. It was awesome.

Did I mention that I was wearing a suit for all of this? Nice.

It was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Only a select few ever get this chance. Why me? Only God knows.

The next day we flew to Accra, the capital of Ghana. Though it wasn’t as elaborate the day before, it was still an amazing experience. As usual, we rode in motorcade everywhere we went only to be met by celebrating crowds.

We met the Vice President at the Presidential Castle (would have met the current president John Atta Mills, but he was on leave in China… bummer, I guess VP will have to do ;-) and ate lunch with the top executives at Anglo-Gold Ashanti, a major sponsor of the African Lifetime Achievement Award.  We even met the former president of Ghana, though his name escapes me at the present time. Please forgive me.

After, three ceremonies, four Tutu speeches, and a countless number of photo-ops, we flew back to Takoradi and were escorted back to the ship.

What blows my mind is that, through all of this, Archbishop Tutu continues to keep the most level head of a man I’ve ever seen. He’s the most humble man I’ve ever met, yet the change he’s been able to create has been felt across the world five times over. It was an honor to be with him on this experience. It was a dream come true.

I’ve known about this man since high school. In fact, Archbishop Mitty had a mural of Archbishop Tutu up in our campus ministry. It truly is amazing to see how life weaves the way it does. You never know where it’s going to go. I never thought I’d see this in my life. But I did, and it was beautiful. Two days with Arcbishop Desmond Tutu.

So. Because it is late here off the coast of Africa, I’ve decided to put off writing this blog til now, and we’re actually going to be docking in Arch’s home country tomorrow morning, I’m going to sign off on this one. There is an article featured on the Semester at Sea website if you’d like to read more, but I  am refraining from saying much more now.

(Here it is:  http://www.semesteratsea.org/what-s-new-at-sas-/press-releases/sas-students-join-archbishop-tutu-for-red-carpet-celebrations-in-ghana.php)

I will say this though:

Everything happens for a reason. I firmly believe that. Clearly there is a reason we got chosen for this extraordinary experience. It is more than just two days come and gone. It is a starting point.

But to where exactly? I don’t know, but I hope to use this experience to do better, to act better, and to simply be better. I gotta make something out of this.

That’s the goal. We’ll see where it leads. 

The future is unknown, but I still have the reigns.

Bring in it on South Africa. You’ve grown, but so have I. It’ll be good to see you again. I missed you.

Peace, love, and happiness to all.