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Hang up the Tilley hat, drop the day pack with all those Canadian flags pinned to it and get over the desire to photograph every child in Africa. It’s only then that you experience, rather than simply visit, Africa.
I was fortunate to participate in the Nkabom project as part of Project Overseas in Ghana. Nkabom means coming together, which describes the program where teachers from underprivileged schools gather for professional development. My cotutors and I provided ideas about how to engage students in more activity-based learning and curricular integration. It was a powerful experience to learn about the incredible work these teachers do with almost no resources.
I was constantly reminded of the importance of maintaining a critical lens through which to view my experiences. It’s my belief that anyone who’s able to describe his African experience has truly not opened his eyes to see beyond the stereotypes of cultural identities. I ask myself how it is that when conducting a gender equity exercise in the Volta region, 90 per cent of the male teachers said they thought that men should take a more active role helping in the home. How is it that one of my female cotutors is unmarried, lives alone and operates a pig farm in addition to teaching? Why do tourists find it acceptable to tour extremely impoverished areas to take photos of the squalor from the comfort of their air-conditioned tour buses?
My wonderful adventure has challenged me to cast aside my preconceived ideas and stereotypes of Africa and to enjoy and reflect upon the diet of new and often contradictory experiences.
Lyle Watling is a counselor/teacher working with students with complex needs in the Aspen Program, Edmonton Public Schools.
