I was recently speaking with someone
from home and they asked me to share the one thing that had been most
surprising or interesting for me about the trip so far. My initial answer was a
very challenging still birth that I had been involved in during my labour and
delivery placement. This event is what has left the most vivid imprint on my
mind. I can still recall the smells, sounds, emotions, and stressors of the
specific event. But, as I gave my answer to the question, I realized that it
wasn’t the only thing that had been significant about my trip so far. A common
theme that strings itself throughout the most impactful personal moments of
this trip is the culture of Ghana. Ghanaian culture is vastly different to
Canadian culture in almost every way imaginable. As a visitor, it is a constant
struggle to navigate, but learning the intricacies of a new culture is one of
the most enriching pieces of travel. When I examine all that I have learned of
Ghanaian culture over these weeks, religion is the piece that stands out from
the rest. To be specific, the relations between the Christian and Muslim
populations.
I come from a household where the radio is nearly always tuned to
CBC Radio 1 and, consequently, I am used to hearing the world news at regular
intervals. When I think of Muslim and Christian relations, conflict is the
first thing that comes to mind. I am sure that I am not alone in this. The news
that we hear impacts the lens that we view the world through and my
understanding of these two religious groups was tainted by the news of conflict
that I am so used to hearing. Ghana is a country of strong faith, and the
Islamic and Christian religions are the two most popular in the country, but I
have seen none of the conflict that I have heard so much about. Don’t get me
wrong, I understand that this conflict is terrifyingly real in many parts of
the world but what I have seen in Ghana has greatly shifted my lens. I have
seen people of deep Islamic faith and deep Christian faith working and living
their lives side by side in harmony.
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| The Ghana flag |
Ghana is a place where religion is talked about frequently and
passionately, with none of the taboo of Canada. In Canada, if someone were to
ask me what religion I was upon first meeting me, it would be considered a rude
question. In Ghana, I have been asked this same question numerous times. It is
a cultural difference that I am slowly adjusting to. I do not identify with any
religion, nor was I brought up with one. When I share this here it is often met
with perplexity and many, many follow up questions. The individual is not
trying to pry into my personal business but instead is trying to understand my
perspective and my reasoning. As I have said before, Ghana is a country of
strong faith. Religion runs deeply throughout the culture here and it has great
meaning to many people.
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| Walking home from church on a Sunday morning |
On our first Sunday in Tamale, we
were invited to attend the Catholic service at the University of Developmental
Studies (UDS). That morning, I woke up to the call to prayer drifting through
my window on the warm morning breeze. As I lay in bed, I knew that Muslims all
across Tamale were kneeling in prayer. Within two hours of this morning prayer,
I was filing into the Catholic church, warmly welcomed by the large
congregation. Ghanaians live and breathe faith, and with this faith comes many
wonderful things like a close-knit community and a strong and clear purpose in
life. Religion and culture also play a very significant role in health.
We were fortunate enough to have a personal lecture on the culture of Ghana
by Dr. Glover, a professor of social sciences at UDS. Dr. Glover is
known for his thought provoking and sometimes controversial assignment topics.
He isn’t afraid to ask his students the difficult and uncomfortable questions.
During the lecture he brought up a marginalized population in Ghana: men who
have sex with men (MSM). Homosexuality is illegal in Ghana and therefore, the
MSM population faces many challenges and receives inadequate health care. These
men are living at risk everyday. Dr. Glover explained that the men usually come
into the emergency department of the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the middle of
the night. Safety in numbers and under the cover of darkness. He also explained
that they are refused care in many places. During this discussion, there was a
Muslim individual in the room. His discomfort about the subject matter was
visible. He was shaking his head and speaking under his breath. After several
minutes he walked out of the room, clearly having had enough of the topic. I
share this piece, not to shame this individual, but to show the cultural and
religious hurdles that the MSM populations faces in Ghana. Dr. Glover spoke
passionately of the need for health care workers to move beyond their religion
while caring for a person. He spoke of the duty to health and healing coming
first with every single patient. This message is relevant in every culture and
country. Every culture has its own biases. Every country has marginalized populations.
Health care workers need take time to identify their biases and preconceptions
before they will be able to provide the best possible care to each patient.
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| Sophie, Awal, and Camille at the Shakhinah clinic |
I have seen this model of healthcare
in practice at the Shekhinah clinic. At this clinic, people of no faith and
people of deep faith work together to provide wonderful care to any patient
that comes to the clinic. The clinic was built on the foundation of faith in
god, yet none of the volunteers are asked to follow any specific rules or
system of belief. There is only one thing that each volunteer is asked to do
and that is to provide compassionate and loving care. It is a space that
transcends religion and cultural bias. All are welcome, and all are treated
with respect. It is a model of health care based on pure human compassion,
where the person comes before their religion, social status, or sexual
orientation. This is the kind of system that I want to work within.
From observing and learning about Ghanaian
culture I have come to understand that every person comes with their own bias
and that this bias alters the lens in which they see the world. There are
parallels that run between health challenges in Canada and Ghana, even though
at a first glance, the two health care systems could not seem more different.
Health care, anywhere in the world, is about health and healing. It is about
the patients and the care and compassion that they need. Culture shock has lead
me to examine my own culture and biases more closely. While trying to
understand my place here in Ghana I have been given the privilege of distance from
my own Canadian bubble. This distance has lead me to question everything I know
and take for granted back home. I am thankful to have been so thoroughly
welcomed here in Ghana and to have had these open discussions about
marginalized populations and religion. These aren’t always comfortable
discussions to have but in this discomfort lies personal development. Culture
is ingrained in a society and I encourage you to try and take an outsiders
perspective of your own. Try and identify your biases and think of what it
means to move beyond them. Learn to find comfort in the discomfort and to
continue to question what you take for granted.
Blog post by Sophie Garmulewicz, 4th year UBCO BSN student
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