Letter to the Class

Dear Class, 2/7/2009
Life as an eighteen year old in Ghana varies from place to place and family to family just as it does in the states. An eighteen year old in a rural village is bound to have a very different experience from that of an eighteen year old living in a town or city. In much the same way, as Ghana is undergoing consistent development and change, an eighteen year old whose family embraces more “modern” practices will have a very different experience than one whose family maintains more traditional practices. In Ofosu, the families tend to be slightly more traditional. We are located between two larger towns, so we see the more modern trends, but they’re not always as relevant in our rural, predominantly yam-farming village.
So what does all this mean for an eighteen year old in Ofosu? Well, for one, as farming families, the children are often expected to accompany their parents to farm. This can, consequently, often delay their schooling, according to the common timeline we see in the States. An eighteen year old in Ofosu is generally just finishing junior high school, if they’re going to school at all. They will go to school Monday through Friday, as we do in the States, though they often finish much earlier—usually no later than noon. Teachers usually end school early so they can go to farm, market, or because the weather is just too hot and they don’t feel the students are retaining anything. Their reasoning is not always so valid. There is definitely a teacher accountability problem here in Ghana. However, there’s also an issue with timely payment for teachers as well. Teachers are, understandably so, less willing to teach when their paychecks have not arrived.
Students are expected to fetch water and fire wood for their teachers. On certain days, they are to go to their teachers’ farms to work for them. On Saturdays, all children go to farm with their families. Ofosu becomes a ghost town. As one of my friends put it, “We go to farm on Saturdays. We do not fool with that. About that, we are very serious.” So, an average eighteen year old goes to farm on Saturdays and raises yam mounds, prepares seeds, and digs up harvested yams, cassava, groundnuts, etc. They carry it back to their homes (maybe 2-8 miles away) on their bicycles or their heads. Once they return home, they peel the yams and take them to the mill for grinding [This is a task for females in particular].
Sunday is a less serious day for farmers. If they’re Christian, they may not go to farm at all. However, after church, the average eighteen year old is probably washing their clothes by hand at the river or with water they fetched from the borehole. They have to make sure their uniforms are clean for the next school day.
Life for an eighteen year old in Ghana is fairly routine. When they aren’t at school or farm, they’re just hanging out, playing cards, soccer, mancala (called owari in Ghana), etc. Their aren’t any places to “go,” especially because there are no jobs for teenagers, so they rarely have any money. Many teenagers have never been farther than the next market town.
There are two homes with generators and televisions in Ofosu. On certain nights, they play dubbed Nigerian films. Occasionally, if a teenager has money, they’ll go to see one of these films. There are also a few youth clubs that pull money together to rent speakers and host small dance parties. These clubs require fees, however, so the teenager must have some sources of income to join.
As for dating, it doesn’t really happen—at least not publicly. Men and women aren’t really expected to have that kind of contact until they’re married. This is a rule that is increasingly broken, as evidenced by the increase in teenage pregnancies. All of this, however, is kept very hush-hush. I find when I enquire about the marital status of some of the younger mothers I know, I am rarely given a straight answer.
I think that pretty much covers it. Questions are welcome.

Sincerely,
Ama Cynthia