Ghana, Africa

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May 9-16, 2009 I had the opportunity to travel to the West African nation of Ghana. It was my third time to this great country. On previous trips I assisted the Ghanian Armed Forces in Public Relations and "working with the media." I was the ND National Guard Public Information Officer then. Ghana is our partner nation for the ND National Guard. It's called the State Partnership Program and almost every National Guard state has a partner nation.

This time I went as the Director of Service Member and Family Support for the ND National Guard. Our team of NDNG State Youth Coordinator Tonya Sigl and one of our family executive council members, Connie Sprynczynatyk made the trip to give a week long workshop on how to set up Family Readiness Groups (FRG). The Ghanaian military have been conducting Peacekeeping missions for over 30 years with 6 month and one year deployments very common. Our training was the first step in helping them set up and grow their FRG groups so that families left behind during the deployment are able to cope with the long timeframe and work together to form a support group.

The followng story was written by Connie and I'm sure you will enjoy it very much. The pictures are mostly about people...that was the reason we enjoyed Ghana so much.
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TOUCHING THE AFRICAN SKY

Michael Ashalley-Neequaye smiled and lightly waved outstretched hands over his head as he described the excitement a soldier feels toward the end of a deployment, thinking about returning home to family and friends.

“You want to touch the sky,” he said.

Seth Bodu agreed. “When you are nominated for deployment, you are at first so excited and happy. You do not know what new things you will see and do and you are busy getting ready and soon it’s time to go. Then you finally get home and…”

But I’m getting ahead of this story.

In 2004, North Dakota entered into a partnership with Ghana, a country only slightly larger in land mass but with many times our state’s population. The State Partnership Program is funded by the United States Department of Defense and its goals are to develop and strengthen democracy. Programs begin with a military-to-military focus, although as a program matures it is common to include civilian partnerships.

Over the last five years, more than 200 people from Ghana and North Dakota have participated in 75 events on topics ranging from emergency medical services, aircraft safety and maintenance, NCO development and emergency management, to media relations, engineer training and, this year, family support.

“IT CHANGES YOU.”

Rob Keller, Director of Service Member and Family Support for the National Guard, SPC Tonya Sigl, State Youth Coordinator and I (representing the Family Executive Council) found ourselves in a family program seminar in mid-May surrounded by new faces, wilting in a steaming hot environment and enjoying a blinding flash of the obvious: The issues, challenges, laughter, excitement, dread and fears our airmen, soldiers and families experience are common no matter where in the world you live.

The Ghanaian military forces frequently participate in United Nations peace-keeping missions and some of our seminar participants had deployed to Lebanon, Congo, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire. The record among our group was seven deployments and the longest one we heard about lasted 16 months, although six months is more common.

A veteran of several deployments, Tubman Mawunea said, “It changes you.”

During pre-deployment, Ghanaian service members experience a flurry of requirements similar to ours.

“There are medical processes and paper work and sometimes training,” Tubman said, "But you are on your own to prepare your family."
Spouses chimed in with a list of stress factors that sound familiar: worry about safety, paying the bills, school and work, disciplining the children and the vacuum in the household when the service member is gone. Sometimes, another participant suggested, there can be a desire to “Just go, just leave the worries behind.”

LEADER OF WOMEN

Let me confess some ignorance. Before our trip, I understood our five-year partnership had come to the point where the partners had agreed on an area of need. I assumed Rob, Tonya and I would be conducting a family program seminar because the Ghanaian military had little or no family program and we’ve been developing a strong one. True? Only partly; their support system may not be a twin of ours, but there is support when families encounter problems.

Meet the Magadjia. The word means "Leader of women." She has years of experience, she is willing to work on issues and she rises to this special position in the unit because the other women choose her.

By way of describing the Magadjia’s role, the group explained about allotments. When a service member deploys, he/she carves out a certain amount each month that is supposed to take care of all bills and family emergencies. The husband and wife are expected to negotiate this but sometimes, Joana Avevor said, "It’s not enough. If the wife cannot agree with her husband about the family situation, she can go to the Magadjia. If the allotment is not correct, the Magadjia can talk to the commander.”

Intrigued by the Magadjia pyramid at unit, company and battalion levels, we decided to explore other components of the Ghanaian support network for spouses and families. We had some idea of their pre-deployment period and the similar challenges our families face during a deployment, but what about post-deployment activities? Do they, we wondered, have something like our family readiness groups, send-offs and welcome home events?

THE SAME, ONLY DIFFERENT

We broke into small discussion groups to learn more about Ghanaian family support and we heard familiar themes. There is a network of friends and family, the wives told us, that women rely on just as we do in the Family Readiness Groups. While the send-offs are conducted within the families, there is a public event upon return. Representatives of the families dress in the unit's colors and line the square. A ceremonial bouquet is presented and there may be a parade. After service members return, stress can appear.

In the small groups, we heard about participants' experiences with post traumatic stress and their observations of issues friends had dealt with. Inability to sleep, alcohol abuse and problems among family members were mentioned.

What is different between our range of services and theirs, we learned, is a formalized reintegration program. Seminar participants were intrigued by descriptions of the approaches we take to reintegration.

"IT LEADS THE FAMILY TO GROW"

Lest you be tempted to think about the negatives at this point, let me convey the sense of optimism we experienced. After hours of discussions about problems, one of the participants proposed a different way of looking at the challenges of frequent deployments and the sometimes too-short intervals between. "It leads the family to grow," he said, and heads around the room nodded agreement.

While the optimism was comforting, by the end of the seminar it was clear the participants also saw opportunities for program growth. When their commander, Maj. Gen. Peter Blay joined our Adjutant General for a visit with the seminar group, Esther Golomeke asked if this event would be continued or if it was "…just a one-time thing?" Both commanders agreed that support for the families is too important not to continue.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

It was a privilege to learn from our participants something about the Ghanaian culture. We discussed foods and marriage customs. They asked as many questions about North Dakota as we asked about Ghana.

For example, our group included Mary, Grace, Samuel, Veronica, Isaac, Richard, Elizabeth and many other names familiar to Americans. I asked whether they all had another traditional name and we heard a chorus of "Yes, of course." It turns out there is a first name given to you, depending upon the day of the week on which you are born. We became Kojo Rob Keller, Akosua Tonya Sigl and Ama Connie Sprynczynatyk.

On the last morning with our seminar group, we celebrated the week's work. We showed clips of news stories by Donnell Preskey, a reporter from KXMB in Bismarck on the 957 homecoming, last summer's prairie fires and the Missouri River ice jams. We showed them our photographs of Accra, Takoradi and our week with them. They presented us with a taste of palm wine from a tree Tubman had tapped that morning. The women in the group gave us wood plaques cut in the shape of Ghana.

Best of all, the Ghanaians named us and welcomed us warmly, without reservation. What a gift, to find new friends in the neighborhood -- only 6,437 miles away.

THE WAY AHEAD

Threading through airports and waiting for long flights to end, Rob, Tonya and I discussed the future of the family program partnership. Based on the Ghanaians’ interest in the services we provide to returning service members and families, reintegration may well be the focus for the future.

For those who follow up the work we began, be prepared: Touching the African sky can change your world.
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Thanks Connie for your encouragement and this story. We are so blessed.

Signing off....
"Kojo" Rob

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Photos

Classroom at Burma Camp
Everyone was attentive and willing to learn from Connie, Tonya and Rob

Connie Presenting
Connie Sprynczynatyk, former teacher, was in her element during the instruction.

Magadjia: Leader of Women
Tonya and Connie with the Magadjia...they were the leader of the women and acted with authority during their spouses deployments. Everyone loved to have their picture taken.

Tonya with her new friend
Theodora, Ghana Air Force, became close friends with all of us, especially Tonya. There is something about "women in uniform and a connection."

Rob with the military members
I definately felt out of uniform with this group but they sure made me feel welcome. Many have been deployed multiple times on peacekeeping missions.

Elmina "Slave" Castle
On our way to Takoradi, we stopped at a "slave" castle that was built in the 1500s. During the lifetime of this castle, out tour guide said that over 1.5 million Africans were sold to slavery...just from this one castle.

Elmina "Slave" Castle
Through this small door (door of no return) over 1.5 million Africans were loaded onto awaiting ships.

Holding Dungeon
This is the view from one of the dungeons where the men and women were housed prior to boarding the ships. Our guide said upwards of 200 to 300 people were housed in this area.

View from the balcony to the courtyard
In the background and in the courtyard is a church for the military members who manned this fort and castle.

Old cannons guarding the Castle
For more information on the Elmina Castle go to; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle

Always the Tourist
The Gulf of Guinea is in the background and the ocean breeze was refreshing...although at the time this picture was taken I was not feeling too well...it must have been some of the food I was sampling!

Elmina , Ghana
Elmina city s just outside the gates of Elmina Castle. The harbor provides lots of fish for the local markets.

Takoradi "African Beach" Hotel
Rob, Connie and Tonya stayed at the beautiful African Beach hotel right on the Bay of Guinea. Looks can be deceiving...the grounds were beautiful, but the rooms left something to be desired. :(

How do they do it?
The mode of travel is walking and the mode of carrying was balanced on your head. I think the most unusual item our group saw was a man carrying a lawn mower on his head.

US Ambassador to Ghana
US Ambassador to Ghana Donald G. Teitelbaum and his wife Julianna made Dave and Connie Sprynczynatyk feel at home during a short house visit while in Ghana. The ambassador is a motorcycle rider as well.

Parting Gifts
The members of our class gave all of us a parting gift...a wood carving of the outline of Ghana along with a pouch with the Ghana flag. "We came as strangers but left as friends".

Rob drinking?
As one of the parting gifts, Naval Officer Tubman tapped a palm tree and drew fresh palm wine. It was still warm and had not fermented so was rather palatable. :)

Tonya misses her children
Tonay sure enjoyed a new way of carrying children. She said she would try this at home. Was it comfortable Tonya?

Rob's good friend
I am posing with Col. Nibo, the director of Public Relations for the Ghana Military. I met him on our first Public Affairs mission to Ghana and became instant friends. He even came to one of our PA conferences in Alaska. Talk about a 100 degree change from one continent to another. Col. Nibo, you are doing an awesome job. Keep up the great work.

To make a long story short
Well, you can interpet this however you want :)

Gulf of Guinea Sunrise
Africa is a beautiful continent with so many different geographical areas and settings. It was well worth the early morning jaunt to catch this sunrise.