Two faculty members and one graduate student of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries recently traveled to the West African country of Ghana to promote opportunities in aquaculture and fisheries in the country. For two weeks, they worked with partners at Valley View University in Techiman, Ghana on ways to develop sustainable aquaculture systems and enhance aquaculture and fisheries production. While most of their time was spent conducting educational workshops, faculty and staff participants were also able to take part in cultural activities to learn about the people and history of Ghana.
The program was led by Dr. Dayan Perera, assistant professor and Extension specialist, and included Dr. Rebecca Lochmann, professor of aquaculture and fisheries, and Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay, professor and Extension specialist in natural resources for Delaware State University. The team was joined by Hannah Knuckles, one of Dr. Perera’s graduate students working on aquaponics, which is the combined farming of fish and plants in a single system, as well as two other undergraduate students and one graduate student from Delaware State University.
“The great thing about the cultural portion of the program was that we were joined by Ghanian students from Valley View University, who were always willing to answer questions and provide cultural insights,” Dr. Perera said. “This was the first time abroad for most of our students, so having their peers from Ghana on hand to put things into context was very helpful.”
The varied cultural program included visits to Manhyia Palace, seat of the Asantehene, the monarch of the historical Ashanti people in Ghana, as well as to Kakum National Park, where participants walked across 100-foot-tall suspension bridges overlooking a 300-year-old rainforest. They also visited Kintampo Waterfalls, some of the highest waterfalls in Ghana, and the Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, which is home to the black silky colobus and brown mona monkeys, which are considered sacred.
“The local villagers welcome the monkeys into their homes and plant fruit trees for them,” Dr. Perera said. “When a monkey dies, it is buried in a coffin and special funeral rites are performed.”
The most profound and solemn excursion was to the coastal slave castles that were part of the European Atlantic slave trade, Dr. Perera said.
“The trip to Cape Coast Castle was honestly an earth-shattering experience for our students,” he said. “This location was a major part of the trade that involved the forced capture and transport of around 15 million people from Africa to the colonies. Our students seemed shocked they didn’t know the extent of the suffering – that they weren’t taught all the specifics in high school. The visit was a big emotional exclamation point at the end of our trip.”
Knuckles said she most enjoyed learning about Ghana’s rich cultural history.
“We aren’t taught about Ghana and its connection to U.S. history in school,” she said. “Therefore, much of what I learned was a revelation for me. We visited and toured several museums and historical sites where I learned a lot about the Ghanian and Ashanti cultures and their history.”
Having the chance to interact with local university students was a great benefit of the program, Knuckles said.
“Our peers taught us a lot about the culture and customs of Ghana,” she said. “We also had an amazing host, Dr. Eric Atakora, who never got annoyed at the millions of questions I asked about Ghanaian culture. I am so grateful for his kindness and knowledge during this trip as the experience wouldn’t have been as great without him.”
Over the course of the program, Knuckles observed some stark differences between America and Ghana.
“It became very obvious how wasteful we are in the U.S.,” she said. “Ghanaians take great strides in preserving their natural resources, and I think we Americans can learn some very valuable lessons from them.”
Her greatest takeaway is that, in reality, African countries are different than they are portrayed in popular media.
“It is disturbing how the U.S. media still portrays these countries in such a bad light,” she said. “The lack of knowledge the U.S. public has regarding African history and culture is also sad. All in all, my time in Ghana was amazing. Though they may lack some of the comforts we are used to in the U.S., I had everything necessary to have an exciting and productive trip.”
Dr. Lochmann said faculty, staff and students at Valley View University went out of their way to accommodate for the group of visitors from UAPB. For example, during lunches at the university cafeteria, they provided food options they thought would be more palatable for Americans than the local dishes.
“On excursions, the Ghanaian locals were very curious about us in a friendly way,” she said. “Programs abroad teach our students global and cultural literacy – they learn how to interact with people from another culture and to respect their cultural norms. For example, in Ghana, even a trip to the grocery store is more of an involved process than what we are used to in the U.S. You have to be open to different customs, ask respectful questions and always remember you are representing UAPB and the U.S.”
According to Dr. Pamela Moore, associate dean for global engagement for the Office of International Programs and Studies, the program was supported by a grant from the 1890 Center of Excellence for International Engagement and Development, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
“This particular grant was designed to enable the three academic departments of the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences to ‘jump-start’ signature study abroad programs for students in their degree programs. The idea is for our school and university to produce globally competitive graduates.”
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