A Ghanaian Graduation

 One fine spring day, Miki and Hannah, a married couple who took me under their wing, invited me to their graduation at the University of Winneba, Kumasi campus. Ghanaians are very proud of their educational accomplishments, and take any graduation ceremony very seriously. Getting a laminated certificate for any course is also significant and is considered a great resume-booster. That is very reassuring since, by the time I finish with my service, I will have so many laminated certificates that my resume will be boosted for sure. Now, whether or not I will be able to get a job is another story.

Because we left our market town a bit late, and because of the traffic to Kumasi, we did not reach the campus until about 1.5 hours since the start of the ceremony. But then we were told that it did not start on time (just like all other events in Ghana).

Overall, a graduation ceremony in Ghana is just like the one in the US. There are speeches, singing of the school and national anthems, announcement of graduates, dressed up guests, photo snapping and so on. The only difference is that the announcement of names is read from the list, and not at the exact moment when a graduate receives his diploma. Also, the commencement’s program printed names of graduates under their academic standing, clearly marking not  only those who was in excellent (summa cum laude) second upper (cum laude) standing but also satisfactory and passed standings. 

The most striking thing about the whole day was the fact that the campus was full of freelance photographers who were hunting after happy graduates and their relatives. They set up huge tents with backdrops, printing machines and laminating devices (laminating is the key in Ghana – everything is laminated here so it would last forever, or at least until the next rainy season). Once Miki and Hannah walked with their caps and gowns (blue, white and yellow, rented), we were promptly ushered into one of these tents. A photographer snapped our pictures, and then started to haggle over prices for various photo products, including a “calandar” (a laminated one, of course!). 

After the obligatory photo business, we sat down while Miki and Hannah went to submit their caps and gowns and pay their last remaining school fees in order to receive their real diplomas (the piece of paper tied with a ribbon they got during the walk was just that – a piece of paper). Waiting is the most common state of mind and body in Ghana. People wait for public transportation, church service, appointments and meetings for hours at a time. Being patient is very important – otherwise one can go crazy with all of this waiting. While waiting for Miki and Hannah, I read a book and played with kids. I also taught Gladys, Hannah’s sister how to play a string game – you know, when you pull a loop of string with your fingers and make different shapes. She seemed to enjoy that. Also, while waiting, you tend to buy snacks that are sold from vendors’ heads – seems like an appropriate passing of time. Thus we purchased some water, plantain chips and biscuit for kids and munched on them. A side note – when I travel I don’t usually eat, but when I do, I buy a bofrut, yam chips or crackers to sustain me.

After more than two hours of waiting (which, if it were to happen in America, would have caused a riot on any college campus), we found out that graduates could not get diplomas on that day. So, we headed back to Western Region. I asked Miki if they were going to have a celebratory fufu at home. He smiled: “Yes, maybe.” A restaurant-going practice in US would not have worked in Ghana – usually a home-cooked meal is much better welcomed (and much more affordable) than the food from either an over-priced “obroni” restaurant or a local chop bar where food is served in semi-clean plastic bowls.