Basketball in China

Check-out this interesting article about basketball in China:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/sports/basketball/23basketball.html?_r=1&hp

More to come on Ghana later.

The Next Obama

Earlier today, I was in a taxi with a very enthusiastic driver named Thomas. He seemed intent on finding me a Ghanaian woman, and our exchange was pretty funny. Here’s my best effort to recreate the exchange:

Thomas: I will find you a nice woman in Ghana.

Me: No thank you. I’m not looking for a woman in Ghana.

Thomas: That is why I must find one for you. If you’re not looking, I will look for you.

Me. [laughter] Really, it’s OK.

Thomas: Are you Christian?

Me: No.

Thomas: No problem. I will find you great woman in Ghana!

Me: Well, that’s really not necessary.

Thomas: You will create the next Obama.

Me: [more laughter]

Rasheed Wallace Is Hilarious

My apologies for deviating from news about my time in Ghana, but check-out what Rasheed Wallace said the other day regarding playing defense:

“When they throw the ball at your man, you’re either going to, excuse the French, [expletive] or get off the stool.”

A Few New Photos

My camera broke awhile back, so, for a good month or so, I could not take photos. However, last week, my boss had to go to London for a meeting, and she bought me a new camera. I’ll be sure to take lots of photos during the rest of my time here. Here are a few from the last several days:

http://picasaweb.google.com/david.tannenwald/GhanaThree#

The Police

Although Ghana has a well-deserved reputation for being one of Africa’s most stable democracies, it has many undemocratic characteristics. Chief among them is the extensive corruption that pervades and cripples many Ghanaian government institutions.

The Ghanaian police force is a case in point. Every night, Ghanaian police officers set-up check-points throughout Accra, including one at a junction near my house. When a driver approaches a checkpoint, the driver stops, rolls down his window, turns on his light, and, if asked to do so, shows the police officer his papers.

It is well-known that these checkpoints serve little to no practical purpose. I suppose the police may catch a few unlicensed drivers, but, beyond that, if someone burglarizes a residence, the police will not be able to ID that person by shining a flashlight in his/her car. In fact, by virtue of having so many officers stuck at checkpoints, I suspect that the police are more slow to respond to crimes when they do occur.

Public safety aside, these checkpoints provide a great way for police to enrich themselves. It is standard practice for a driver to slip a few money notes in the papers he hands the inspector. In fact, I was once in a car where the police officer did not even bother to ask for the papers. She just asked for money.

I am not sure exactly what to make of this corruption. Part of me finds it entertaining. I have seen so many people attempt to cheat others of money (taxi drivers, police officers, nurses, etc.) that, at some level, I cannot help but laugh.

At the same time, it is pitiful and, in some instances, infuriating. Today, I went to the beach and asked if I could play in a soccer game with Ghanaians. They said I could substitute at halftime because the game had already started. After about an hour of waiting during which other people substituted and I grew increasingly vocal that I was being unfairly excluded, someone finally said I needed to give them water money to play. I just walked away, but I was angry. In a pick-up soccer game, a Ghanaian man was looking for a way to get money from me.

What is even more disturbing is that I do not think it will be easy to rid Ghana of this corruption. It is so pervasive that, as far as I can tell, it has become a way of life. I have no illusions about the United States being a beacon of transparency and honesty, but it is nothing like this.

I must admit that, when faced with so many corrupt people every day, I can’t help but feel excited about coming home. At the same time, I am trying to remind myself that I will likely miss Ghana once I am back in the States, this is a unique experience, and I am gaining momentum with the baseball work (more on that later this week).

In sum, I am beginning to drag a bit but striving to remain positive.

More to Come Soon!

I haven’t written a detailed post recently because I’ve been a bit sick (just some stomach problems) and have spent a lot of time working on the baseball NGO/non-profit stuff. However, I’m in the process of writing a detailed mid-trip reflection that I will post soon.

Goal!

Earlier this evening, I scored a goal in a soccer match against Ghanaians. It was a game of 4 on 4, and one of the players on the other team played a slow ball back to the keeper. I charged the keeper, stole the ball after he took a touch, and tapped it into the goal.

This led to chants of “Ebruni, ebruni” (“white man, white man”) from the all Ghanaian crowd and my Ghanaian teammates.

Unfortunately, amidst the excitement, my teammates and I didn’t get back on defense, and our opponents scored the equalizer off the kickoff when we weren’t looking.

Still, it was a really exciting moment!

I just saw Air Force One!

While watching a movie in our living room, my colleagues and I heard a plane overhead. We looked out the door and saw AF One. Good stuff!

Obama’s Visit

Over the weekend, President Obama is visiting Ghana. Sadly, I do not think I will have an opportunity to meet him. Indeed, despite playing basketball at the Embassy every week, I do not think news of my tenacious defense has been a topic of discussion in the Oval Office.

My personal dream of playing basketball with the President aside, the country is in quite a frenzy over the President’s visit. When people see me, they often yell, “Obama” (a pleasant change of pace from “ebruni” or “white man).” In addition, there are songs on the radio dedicated to the President, shirts and skirts on sale bearing his image, and extensive media coverage.

Now, if only he knew about my shot blocking abilities…

Down Time, A Football Match, and Looking Forward

After two tiring weeks of performing research in remote parts of Ghana, my colleagues and I were able to take it fairly easy for the last week. We did not work at all from Sunday until Wednesday, and we worked standard hours on Thursday and Friday. Now, we have the 4th of July weekend to ourselves. It is glorious.

I dedicated my time-off primarily to recuperating after two 70ish hour work weeks in challenging conditions. This meant sleeping a lot, exercising, and eating well.

On the food front, I made another positive discovery, a restaurant called Surfer’s Inn. It has really good food (a lot of Continental cuisine), two pool tables, an in home style theater where one can watch DVD’s, and free Wi-Fi. Definitely a place to which I’ll return frequently.

Amidst the R and R, I went on Wednesday to a professional soccer match between Accra’s club and some other squad. It was an odd experience for several reasons. First, with hopes of sitting as close to the field as possible, we purchased the most expensive seats (about six dollars per ticket). However, it turns out that, for the extra money, one sits at the top of the stadium under a covering. In other words, one pays extra for protection from the rain. It makes sense, but I didn’t expect that.

A second bizarre aspect of the soccer match is that it started about two hours after the scheduled 3 p.m. kick-off. Now, things being delayed in Ghana is common, even par for the course. People like to joke that “Greenwhich Mean Time” (the time zone here) means “Ghana’s Made-Up Time.” However, I did not expect a professional sporting match attended by Ghana’s Vice President and broadcast on national television to be delayed.

While we were waiting for the actual match to begin, we had the distinct pleasure of watching a third bizarre phenomena: two warm-up matches that featured an unlikely cast of characters. The first match was played between a team of former Ghanaian football stars and a squad featuring Ministers of Parliament (MP’s). Imagine lining up a bunch of Congressmen and having them go against former NBA players? Downright odd.

The second warm-up match pitted a sub-set of the Benin and Ghana paralympic soccer teams against one another. In particular, both squads only had little people. The fans found this to be absolutely hilarious and hooted and hollered.

Last semester, my boss at Northeastern was a former member of the U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team, and he has done a tremendous amount to promote access to sports for people with disabilities. Having learned a lot from him and his work, I was pleasantly surprised to see that two African countries wanted to put soccer players with disabilities on such a prominent stage. That is progress. Nevertheless, I have to say that the experience struck me as odd and somewhat sad. A bunch of people were working hard at something on the field and getting mocked by others in the stands.

Eventually, the actual match got under way, and, frankly, neither team performed very well. Regular time ended in a 1-1 tie with both squads capitalizing on a defensive miscue by their opponent. From there, the match proceeded immediately to a penalty kick shootout in which three of the twelve players who shot missed the goal entirely. I think a good MLS team would have won against each side with ease.

To celebrate the 4th of July, I went to a BBQ at the U.S. Embassy yesterday. I was invited by someone from the weekly basketball game I participate in there. The Embassy is another oasis amidst the craziness that I often find in Accra, and it was great to have a burger and toss around a football. Today, I am a bit sick (had some undercooked vegetables last night), so I’ve spent the bulk of the day asleep.

Hopefully, I’ll be feeling better tomorrow and have a chance to head out and watch the Wimbledon Men’s Championship.

In sum, it has been valuable to have some time to recuperate as I approach the midway point of my time in Africa. Hopefully, I can use the rest of this weekend to become healthy again and then focus on how to get the most out of my remaining 7.5 weeks here.