Summer Serve and Learn 2011: Build Ghana

 Football* is taken very seriously in Ghana.  I’m sure there some sort of football game is happening at least every hour in Humjibre, whether it’s some kids kicking a ball against a wall or an intermural league game…there’s a ball being kicked somewhere. 
*You’ll notice that I refer to it as 'Football' and not 'Soccer' despite, according to Google Analytics, the majority of you being in the U.S. The rest of the world calls it this, get over it…

I got a small taste of just how serious people take their football here when I was reminiscing with someone on the Ghana Black Stars unfortunate loss to Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup quarter finals.  Minutes before the final whistle of overtime, Asamoah Gyan had a chance to win it with a penalty kick. It hit the crossbar and broke millions of hearts in Ghana and worldwide.  I mentioned this moment at a spot in Humjibre, and the man I was conversing with immediately broke in: “Don’t talk about that! Nobody speaks of this!”  Then someone from the table beside us asked my friend what I had said in Sefwi, and then this guy responded just as aggressively: “Be quiet!  Asamoah Gyan is a great man!”  By now, all the patrons were pelting me in English: “Shame on you!” “Boo!” “Where is your respect?”, as well as with words that sounded like very colourful Sefwi.

Happy and Saga pump the ball in prep for the mighty afternoon of footballing

In this fertile territory, GHEI and the Serve and Learn: Build Ghana session volunteers have started a football camp in the Humjibre community.  It seems like a no-brainer in terms of outreach in this community, but the goal of this camp is not to fuel football fervor.  The goal is to communicate an equally global concept: teamwork, fair play, sportsmanship. 
 

These volunteers are also conducting computer training for GHEI staff in the library, as well as taking part in the standard Serve and Learn activities. The “Build Ghana” concept sounds like a fairly standard volunteer endeavor in Africa, but in reality it’s about building something deeper in the community than a cement building: It’s about building teams and shared skills. 

Warming up. Watch out little kid!

 So, on Wednesday afternoon, GHEI staff and volunteers assembled on Humjibre’s dusty football pitch.  The pitch has a slight downward angle, and is strewn with small red rocks that are angry towards balls and bare feet.  The pitch may be in a sad state, but the levels of exuberance among the footballers here isn’t.   Humjibre boasts an already impressive collection of boys’ and girls’ teams that regularly compete with teams in neighboring villages. 

Around 3 P.M., after a ball was kicked around for some time in the casual way that happens every hour here in Humjibre, the camp began.  Four local teams took to the pitch.  Calisthenics and stretching exercises took place next, the coaches leading with frequent blasts of his whistle.  After some small sprints and a suitable cloud of dust, the footballers collected themselves in a circle. Then, with direction from Happy, they assembled themselves into a massive line, one facing another.  What sort of wild undertaking was this?

The Epic Paper v. Rock v. Scissors Showdown

A paper/rock/scissors tournament of course!  Once one had lost, they stood behind the next person on their side of the line to support them and cheer for rocks to smash scissors to cut paper or cover rocks…All the teams were divided, some faced their teammates, and some faced their opponents.  In the end there was only one conqueror, and that was Frank.  When he won he took off across the field, arms wide as wings, blowing kisses skyward, a football cliché perhaps, but for a P/R/S victory as sweet as his, it seemed right.

TOTAL WIN!

SSL volunteer Tola Emiola describes the activity: “The purpose was for the players to practice moving between being a competitor and being a supporter for your competitor.  It went well, everyone had a lot of fun and it was actually a lot more organized than I thought it was going to be.  The whole event seemed chaotic at times, and there were like a 100 people there and little kids running around added to the madness.” 

After a quick debrief, the next lesson was on working with a partner directly, the three legged race brilliantly personifies this theme.  Much rowdiness (and dust! So much dust! White t-shirts were a poor choice!) ensued. 

Perhaps you’ve noticed that these games are quite familiar to anyone who’s been to camp in North America.  But these games (even the idea of highlighting teamwork) are new to all the kids in Humjibre. Volunteer Poranee Arthaukti reflects on this: “If we were to do this in the States the activities would have to be something they haven’t done and be more exciting or they’d be bored. Here everyone’s really involved!  They love that we’re introducing these new games, and I think that’s part of why it’s so popular.”  

Indeed, everyone seemed to be out at the field that afternoon, even the ones not on teams.  After everyone hydrated with their satchets of water (and Happy quelled an impromptu water fight) the football drills happened, but at this point, an actual football was superfluous to what football camp is really all about: involving, sharing…building a team together. “I loved that we are really involved with the kids and the community.  I’m having fun and I think they’re having fun too!”  says Poranee.

So come to Humjibre and you’ll see passionate football fans and dedicated football teams working together…just don’t ever mention that thing that happened in 2010…that moment that we no longer speak of…Although, I just blogged it.  Uh oh…

Check out our facebook page for more pictures of the ongoing Football/Teambuilding Camp at GHEI

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