GOLD = POWER

As has become somewhat of a custom (pleasantly), we listened to the morning news/interviews on the radio in the bus. This morning, with such a long drive from Accra to Kumasi, I was admittedly in and out of sleep, but I was intrigued by what I managed to hear: discussion of the Ghanaian war on drugs. In particular, I found it interesting that the interveiwed person declared marijuana essentially a culturally accepted and permissibly used drug while stating other drugs are rarely used. Instead, this war on drugs is simply being waged to appease Western states, powerful trading and political allies. For example, Ghana's demonstration of its support for this war has garnered favor with the US, as seen through Obama's decision to visit Ghana in July.

I find it interesting that for so many years (and in some ways today) developing states made deliberate efforts to act according to their own interests, without any regard for the more powerful (or even to their detriment). However, now recognizing the connectedness of global politics and economics, developing states have acknowledged their need to blend strateges somehow.

Upon arriving in Kumasi, we visited the Asante hene's (king's) former palace - now a museum. The tour, while informative, raised several questions for me.

We have been informed that the Asantes largely dominate the political arena in Ghana. Any explanation? Is that attributable to wealth, education, some other variable?

Gold seems to be an important cultural symbol of strength and power to the Asantes. Are Asantes today still amassing and hoarding gold, or do they now sell their gold holdings for profit? [Hernando de Soto]

I was surprised at the appearance of the former palace - largely unimposing, unimpressive, not ornate. As Asante culture is so associated with gold, I would have expected gold to play a large role in the palace's decoration.

Next, we went to the largest market in West Africa. I was initially very excited, energized by all the activity there with people constantly and feverishly bustingly about; however, upon entering it, I was overwhelmed by the crowds, the smells, and the overall size of the place. The market was so congested that I feared I would get lost, swept away in the masses, despite Dr. Salls's strategy to keep our group together and just wander in for a few minutes. On account of my nervousness, my perceptions of the people were also different than some others' in our group. People seemed to be mocking us, laughing at our being there and scorning us as snobs.