As I begin my journey to Ghana, I'm thinking about the conversation topics I'm interested in broaching with my journalist hosts and the other Ghanaians I meet.
As I mentioned in my first post, I'm most drawn to issues that connect Ghana with the U.S. and with Texas - but I also want to explore stories unique to this unique West African country.
Ghana is considered among the most stable countries of sub-Saharan Africa. That's in major part because it has had several years of peaceful presidential elections. But the country is still not all that far removed from the days of colonialism - Ghana declared its independence in 1957 - and it is still working to improve its infrastructure, educational system and access to health care.
Other stories that I may gain new insight on during my trip:
- Ghana as a new oil producer - and possible ties to Texas oil
- Technology - the jobs it's providing and possible connections to Austin
- Generational views of persisting tribal traditions
- Ghanians views of themselves - do they identify primarily as Ghanians or as members of certain tribes or groups?
- The role of football (soccer) in the community and in national identity - Ghana is playing the U.S. in the first round of the World Cup this year
- Environmental issues: access to water and the impact of galamsey (illegal small-scale gold mining) on water supplies
If you're familiar with Ghana or West Africa - or if you just have questions about the area - I'd love to hear from you about story ideas. You can send me an email or tweet - my twitter handle is @LauraRiceKUT. I'll also be posting updates on Twitter.
