Law in Ghana - Danica Mullarkey
I tried not to have any expectations as to what my trip to Ghana would bring - reflecting on it now, I can see that that was the best mentality to set off with - literature and TV images cannot compare to the culture shock you experience, in those first few hours, walking the streets of Africa in person!!
My pre-departure concerns as to what clothing to bring, how much money I would need, what food would be available, how adaptable the climate change would be and so forth were soon put into perspective. In a country where any item of clothing is a luxury and money and food are simply unreachable to so many, the happiness, warmth and simple appreciation of life that Ghanaian people are renowned for became apparent very quickly, and was a humbling experience.
By the end of my first seven days I had been made to feel quite at home. My host family would go out of their way to include me in family gatherings, and at the same time allow me to have my own space when I needed it. Walking down the streets of Accra felt like I was out meeting the extended family. Abruni's (white people) are a magnet for attention, but it is welcoming attention and true hospitality. Ghanaian people see a stranger in their country as a privilege, and appear to want to create the best impression of their country - they certainly achieved that for the entire month of my stay! Getting on a tro-tro (local mini-bus) you are greeted with 'good morning', walking past schools children will wave and shout hello. I think it is fitting that the first word I learnt to say in Ghanaian was 'Akwaaba' - it means 'Welcome'. People greet you with this day-in-day-out.
As if the general culture shock of travelling to work everyday wasn't enough - (the confusion of working out which tro-tro to catch, when there are no signs but simply a 'mate' hanging out the side shouting out various names, crowding on to a tro-tro with three to a seat, buying water from the lady with a bucket on her head etc) - the work placement provided me with a sense of purpose of what I had gone to Ghana for.
Placed at The British Council - The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, I was truly made to feel that being a law student from England was of some real value, and not just merely as a volunteer who had come to make the tea! I was able to get straight into making a difference, and got involved in looking into Human Rights abuses by the Ghana police service, interviewing witnesses and documenting their testimonies, and researching material for the state of prison conditions in Ghana. I was also able to attend Human Rights conferences; among the attendees being the Presidential advisor on HIV/AIDS and met parliamentarians to discuss the state of family-planning services across Ghana. - Teaching & Projects Abroad responded to the interests I had explained pre-departure and placed me with an organisation that truly furthered my interests in Human Rights law.
The day-to-day experiences of being in Accra and the work I was doing certainly encouraged me to become more adventurous than I would have imagined before I left England - By my final week I was keen to explore more of Ghana and made a three-day trip to the north of the country to Tamale, and then on-to Mole National Park (to see the elephants!!!). I would advise any volunteer to make the trip as it proved even more of an eye-opener than Accra. I travelled with another volunteer on a tro-tro journey of more than twelve hours; on roads that we wouldn't even send horses, as the surfaces were so abysmal. The conditions that people are made to travel put life at home into perspective. We were cramped on with three people to a single seat. The several stops that the bus made en route were simply due to the fact that the bus kept breaking down. The drive through the mud hut villages was perhaps the most memorable - You suddenly caught that sense that you were so far from home - though it was an experience not to be missed.
By the time I returned to Accra and my host family I was due to fly home the following day. I truly felt as though I was only just beginning to get the best out of the experience and wished I could have gone on to meet even more Ghanaians in different parts of the country. I was truly settled and did not want to leave - My advice to any new volunteer would be - Go for at least three months - five weeks was just not enough!
Danica Mullarkey
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Me and local Barrister, Evans at Ghana High Court
The Ghanaian Supreme Court, Accra
At Mole Park with the elephants
Waiting for the bus
