November 2, 2023

Any Westerner who spends any amount of time in Ghana, especially a person with a Caucasian skin tone, will pretty soon hear the call “Obroni!”.  People on the street, people in the market, and especially children will call out “Obroni!”.  Although “Obroni” is the word used in a large part of Ghana, such as my worksite, my understanding is that each local language has an equivalent word.  The meaning of the word is open to some interpretation, kind of like the word “gringo” elsewhere.  I’ve read that it is a colloquialization of the word for “foreigner”.  I’ve also been told that it means “white person”, but without any connation intended (i.e., an innocent, if clumsy, way to identify someone by skin tone).  Outside of big cities there will usually be only one Obroni in the crowd.  It’s not hard to get the impression, though, that the word could be used as the equivalent of the N-word in the US.  At the very least, it’s not hard to imagine something along the lines of “white oppressor”.  The word is ubiquitous; I mean, children barely old enough to walk and talk know “Obroni”.  That suggests to me that it is commonly used throughout society.

One chooses one’s own interpretation of the word based on circumstances and context.  The children who run up to me with big smiles, waving vigorously, and shouting, “Obroni! Obroni!” harbor no ill intent and I can’t take offense – they’re just children.  I’m happy to be the entertaining oddity that has arrived in their midst.  I greet them with a big smile and a wave; I almost always ask (in English) “How are you?”.  From their earliest schooldays they learn the script (in English): “I am fine” (some remember the next line: “How are you?”).  After which I might ask their names or where they go to school.  I have learned that some are curious but shy about my skin tone.  I offer my hand for them to shake; sometimes we do a high-five as well.  That’s part of my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer: to introduce them to people from USA and let them get to know us a little bit in whatever way we can connect with them.

Likewise, I gather that the senior citizens who use the word Obroni have been so conditioned over the years that it’s just a useful, innocent word to them.  It seems pretty clear to me that most people have encountered very few Westerners / white people.  Given that they are truly curious about me and also happy to have someone from the US here to help them, the word Obroni carries no opprobrium.  If anything, they assure me that God blesses me and the work that I’m here to do.

There have been only two instances so far where the intonation of the word made me proceed with caution.  One afternoon I walked down what you might think of as an alley where a group of eight or so family and friends were hanging out.  The group ranged in age from school kids to a senior citizen.  Among them was a young woman (mid-20s?) lounging on a bench.  Of course, my whiteness precedes me (even at dusk, I was shocked to learn one evening).  Long before I could open my mouth to initiate the standard greeting, the young woman said “Obroni” in a loud voice and in such a way that it carried the message, “Obroni, what are you doing here?”  I initiated the standard greeting (in the local language, Twi).  By the time I got through that standard greeting, the young woman literally sat up and took notice.  As I continued to rattle off my standard introductory script about who I am and what I’m there to do, the young woman said something along the lines of, “Holy sh*t, this Obroni is speaking my language!”  Others in the group were smiling and/or giggling at my awkward way of saying things and mangled pronunciations.  When I mentioned (in Twi) that I will be here, in this community, for two years to teach, the young woman stopped me and repeated in English “Two years?” just to make sure that I knew what I was saying and that she had understood me correctly.  When I affirmed (in English) that I will be here for two years, she got happy and excited.  Between her limited English and my limited Twi, we had a short conversation about the needs of the community.  I was quite curious about her less-than-enthusiastic comments about China’s involvement in Ghana, but I didn’t have time to pursue the conversation with her.  I hope I can meet her again and learn more from her.

The second instance felt a bit more intimidating but had a similar result.  I was walking through town one afternoon when I nodded to a group of young guys (age 18-ish?) hanging out in front of a ramshackle bar about 30 feet away from me, drinking and smoking weed.  I wasn’t inclined to stop, especially after one of the guys called out “Obroni!” in a tone that came across as “Yo!  White dude!”  But I figured it was better to greet them and introduce myself than to blow them off.  As I approached, they started asking me for money, asking if I wanted to smoke, and offering me a local alcoholic beverage.  I did my standard greeting and got pretty much the same response: they sat up and took notice, the white dude was speaking their language.  I explained that as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I don’t have any extra money to share with them, thanked them for their offer of stimulants, and begged off.  They were not expecting this Obroni to speak to them in their own language – it seemed to change the equation for them.  By the end of our interaction, they were pretty respectful.

In both cases, I credit the response I received to the Peace Corps philosophy and training.  I was just doing what PC had trained me to do (i.e., making a conscious effort to meet people, following the cultural norms, and speaking the local language).  By doing that, I had made a connection with them.  I had gone far beyond what they expected from an old white man who suddenly appeared in their town.  Now I hope I can live up to their heightened expectations.

Two years?

As mentioned above, part of my spiel when I’m introducing myself to people in the Twi language is to say that I will be here for two years.  Almost invariably they will repeat, in English with a tone of disbelief, “Two years?” just to make sure that I knew what I was saying and they had understood me correctly.  When I affirm that I’ll be here for two years, invariably they are impressed.  They’ve heard of different organizations / NGOs coming here for two weeks or two months, but never two years.  The clarification is often followed by the question of whether I’m here as part of a church group or mission, so I’m quick to say that no, I’m just here to teach, and I talk about Peace Corps, its mission, and my background in engineering.  Experiences like that give me confidence that Peace Corps has prepared me well to integrate into my community.