Today's blog is written by Ryan and Cinnamon!
On June 4, we started out the day by travelling to a nearby village and getting a closer look at the daily lives of women in the community. We were immediately able to tell that their days were quite busy. The first activity Fredrick showed us was the processing of Shea butter. The women sat in the shade, and for hours, beat the unprocessed Shea until it turned into a light tan color. I (Cinnamon) gave this a try, but it only took about five minutes before her arms were burning. To think that these women sit under a tree literally all day and do this is incredible. Throughout the rest of the tour, we witnessed other female duties such as the cultivation of rice, the grinding of various spices and herbs such as cassava, cooking, taking care of the children, and more.
Although it seems like the women have it rough, the men have to deal with the majority of the work. They have to play football, rest, chop some wood, rest, play board games, rest, stay in the shade, and help populate the village. It was mind blowing to see the enormously unbalanced responsibility placed upon the women as opposed to the “heads of the family.”
Later that evening, the entire group was invited to take part in a traditional dance celebration. Surprisingly, the men did most of the dancing and drumming. It seems to be the only responsibility that the women do not have. Regardless, the celebration was very exciting, and we were able to embarrass ourselves sufficiently. Making them laugh was the least we could do in return for such a generous gesture.
After the traditional performance, we went to a new sports stadium and witnessed a modern Ghanaian Rap/R&B concert. It was shocking to see such a sudden switch from village culture to a somewhat Western production. Most people were dressed in American fashion and acted like typical American teenagers. It’s incredible to think that modern culture can exist so close to the ancient, tribal cultures of the past.
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