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Monthly Archives: November 2013

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Xenophobia is a Luxury Ghana Cannot Afford

November 21, 2013 by Obolobo

Yesterday I heard someone say my landlord hates the Chinese.  It was no secret she was referring to me. I find that kind of talk both understandable yet counter-productive. The legacy of colonialism seems to have made Ghanaians suspicious of all foreigners.  We are all labelled obruni.  No one seems to agree on a single definition but it can mean “white man”, “foreigner”, or “from beyond the sea”.  Thus, someone who is European, African-American, or Chinese could all be called […]

Categories: Ghana's Economy, Ghanaian Culture, Personal • Tags: China, China Development Bank, Ghana

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“Operator, can I have the number for the Navy SEALs? I’d like to order a rescue”

November 19, 2013 by Obolobo

Last night I was watching “Captain Phillips“, the latest Tom Hanks movie.  The movie has received universal acclaim from critics and moviegoers.  Since I new the ending before it started, it was just “okay” (6/10).  Rottentomatoes gave it a 94%. Spoiler Alert: In 2009, the Maersk Alabama, a commercial container vessel was hijacked off the coast of Somali by a speedboat containing 4 pirates with automatic weapons.  Captain Phillips and some of his crew were Americans.  For some unexplained reason, […]

Categories: Personal

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In praise of Randall Park

November 18, 2013 by Obolobo

Randall Park was a year ahead of me at UCLA.  Unlike his peers who went on to become investment bankers, doctors, and corporate lawyers, Park aspired to do the impossible: become an Asian-American actor. I say it’s impossible because America has certain stereotypes — geeky, weak, small d***, feminine — about Asian guys.  For instance, why do many local news channels have female Asian newscasters but no male ones?  For some reason there are many Asian male reporters in the […]

Categories: Personal • Tags: Asian American, Randall Park

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“Respecting the dead more than the living” – Babs

November 16, 2013 by Obolobo

In more than two years in Ghana, I have somehow avoided going to a funeral.  I used to say that Ghanaians waste much of their Saturdays on funerals.  That is, until I gained a better appreciation for what a funeral here involves. In the US, you go to a funeral to celebrate and remember the person who has passed.  I have been to some services where only a handful of people attended.  For whatever reason, those people touched a small […]

Categories: Ghanaian Culture, Things to Do in Accra

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“No Money in the System”

November 15, 2013 by Obolobo

There is a widespread belief that the economy is propelled by external sources of funds.  The two most prominent sources of this “money” is the government and foreign direct investment (FDI).  Due to the political concerns over Ghana’s stability during the Electoral Commission Hearings for most of the year, both foreign companies were uncomfortable to invest in Ghana and the Ghanaian government was not in a position to hand out contracts.  Therefore, the knock-on effect seems to be “there is […]

Categories: Entrepreneurship, Personal

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Yes/No by Banky W

November 12, 2013 by Obolobo

Categories: Music

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Crazy #*!$% My Taxi Driver Says II

November 12, 2013 by Obolobo

“First, chop the head off.  Then, skin the animal.  Then cut it into little pieces…” explained Kwesi with obvious delight.  “You put everything in a pot with tomatoes, onions, pepper (spice), and boil in water.  Once the meat is boiling, you throw out the water, then fry the meat.  Once fried, you put the meat back into the pot with more onions, tomatoes, and pepper to make a NICE cat stew.” Yes, you read right.  Cat.  It’s what’s for dinner. […]

Categories: Ghanaian Culture

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Not Playing By the Rules

November 10, 2013 by Obolobo

Yesterday I was reading that someone with a questionable reputation was just awarded a giant contract. God, I don’t get it.  I don’t understand how God allows bad people to get absurdly rich.  They are celebrated, praised, and deified.  When Forbes puts together its billionaires list, how they made their money is not nearly as important as the fact that they are rich.  It seems that societies around the world do not care how you made your money.  The only […]

Categories: Personal

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I’m cooking again

November 10, 2013 by Obolobo

Given the low cost of labor, I’ve relinquished nearly all house chores to the live-in housekeeper/nanny.  I don’t wash nor iron my clothes, mop the floors, take out the garbage, nor wash my dishes.  You can get someone do everything every day for 200 cedis or less. For the last couple of months, I’ve divided my diet between Ghanaian dishes and fried chicken and other fast-food options from the A&C Shopping Center.  Everything was starting to taste the same and […]

Categories: Food, Personal

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Not Afraid by Eminem

November 9, 2013 by Obolobo

Every week is a challenge but there are anthems that help you get through them.

Categories: Music, Personal

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