What it feels like to be half-co in Ghana

Hi Everyone,

I know you were expecting 10 lessons but after writing 7, I've covered everything I wanted to discuss. So how about we hear someone else's voice for a change? 

Today's post is about what it feels like to be half-co in Ghana. Debbie Ahenkorah asked me to post something on what it feels like to be a minority in Ghana, So I got a Baha'i friend of mine to write about what it feels like to be Baha'i in Ghana. Now the half-co perspective is here. Enjoy!

What it feels like to be half-co in Ghana

I was born in Korle Bu to a white American mother and a Ghanaian father. I grew up in Accra, and have lived here for most of my life. As a strong football fan when Ghana played USA in the World Cup I supported Black Stars. I carry both passports but for all intents and purposes consider myself Ghanaian.

So Esi wants to write about what it means to be mixed race, biracial, half-cast, half-co in Ghana. What to write? Hmm… Well I’d like to preface this by saying my experiences are in no way reflective of others of biracial parentage in Ghana. In the same way not all Fantis, Ewes, Gas, etc. are not all the same all mixed race people are not all the same. Secondly while race/appearance is definitely important our lives are affected by multiple other factors: education, class, religion, family, football team, and the thousands of other ways humans have devised to differentiate/segregate themselves. So it’s both inaccurate and unfair to point to any isolated component of a human being and deduce what kind effect it has had on them.

Good. Now that that’s out of the way let me start with the word itself, the most common epithet for biracial people in Ghana: half-caste. I, myself, used to use that word all the time until I came to understand that the word caste (as used in the Indian sense) carries connotations of a racial hierarchy. Interestingly enough this is reflected in Ghanaian society as most half-co people are perceived to be wealthier than “regular” Ghanaians.

Growing up was not particularly memorable in terms of race. When you’re younger you pay less attention to these things, I suppose. But I do recall being more aware of these differences the more rural you go in Ghana.

Also, like it or not many Ghanaians often equate light skin to good looks. Think about it. What’s the proportion of mixed race people in Ghana? Much less than 1%, I’m sure. And now how many half-co Ghanaian celebrities can you name? In the time it takes me to finish this paragraph alone JJ Rawlings (yes, he’s a celebrity…hehehe), Van Vicker, Majid Michel, Eddy Blay, and Dede from Things We Do For Love  all come to mind. The disproportionate representation of half-co people in the jobs where society pays people for their looks says a lot. But it’s nice to have a stereotype work in your favor sometimes, so I no bore . Which makes me think: the fact that biracial actors like Ramsey Nouah, Majid and Van Vicker all tend to be typecast as playboys in every movie they’ve played says something about Ghanaian society’s perception of half-co guys….hmmm.

Now as it happens I do not have an English name. This is often the source of dismay, laughter or even shock to many Ghanaians. I sometimes get interesting reactions from this one - “no, no I mean your real name” – as if a local name can’t be real. So sometimes I amuse myself and provide a name for them. “Oh yeah, I be errm …Mike.” But on the whole Ghanaians are polite and friendly and people will generally not be in your face about race. 

Being able to speak Twi also catches people off guard as most biracial people tend not to speak a local language. This comes in handy: I can listen into society’s nuances like a fly on the wall. I once sat in a Ghanaian taxi driver’s cab in the US, and listened to him berate his girlfriend/wife in Twi “wo saa girl wei kraa adenti na wo ha adwen saa? Wonnim s3 me w) adwuma mu?” I sat there with a straight face and listened to the entire conversation, staring out the window. We got to where I was going and as I got down I paid him and said “me daase”, watching his face gyimi as he fumbled for change.

People often ask me which I think I am: black or white. I rarely provide the answer anyone wants to hear. I think the world is not built in absolutes. As for a sense of belonging I have no idea. I have relatives who look like Lauryn Hill and relatives who look like Ron Jeremy and I get along with both. In fact I often find members on “opposite” sides of my family have more similarities than differences. So although race certainly does matter I treat it like it shouldn’t. Humanity is progressing and people are gradually shedding old prejudices (after race, homophobia will be next).  Hopefully one day we’ll live in a world where race is as important as, say, blood type.

Shout outs to Barack Obama, Bob Marley, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Halle Berry, Lenny Kravitz, Tiger Woods, JJ Rawlings, Rio Ferdinand, Aaron Lennon, Wanlov, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Norah Jones, Nicole Ritchie, Kim Grant, Rio Ferdinand, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Hannah Tetteh and Goosie Tandoh (was he mixed or just fair?).

 1 -Remember her? Mehnn, what happened to that girl, she was really hot.