What is the course you teach at NYU Accra and what kinds of students take it?
I teach a course called Accra’s Global Connections. It is designed to teach students about the growth and urbanization of a middle-sized African capital city. We look at the beginnings of Accra in the 14th century, and trace the development and growth of the city until today. We xamine all factors that have influenced it – the first contact with Europeans, slavery, colonization, independence and its aftermath – and consider how these things affected city’s population growth, migrants, politics, and economy. By the end of the semester, students have a pretty good idea of what makes contemporary African cities tick.
All kinds of students take my course. Some are interested in contemporary urban studies. But the course also has lots of historical information and looks at contemporary governance issues, so some students come with backgrounds in history or political science. Others take the course simply because they want to get a sense of what Accra is like. Some think that if they are going to spend three months in this place, they want to know something about it.
We take a lot of field trips during the semester. Accra is not exactly the most written about, researched city in the world. So after a lecture, I often take the students out to the area in the city where what we were discussing took place so that they can see the impacts of events from 100 or 150 years ago and what is happening today.
I understand that you studied architecture at Howard University. How was your experience studying in a foreign country?
I don’t know what it is like for students these days because the world is so much smaller than when I came to America. When I came to the U.S., I had to book a phone call home two weeks in advance. And then the phone would ring in the middle of the night and the static was so bad you spent five minutes screaming “Hello, hello!” at each other and that was all. Curiously, just hearing your mum’s voice was enough.
Now the students call home to ask how to butter their bread or cook some rice and their mums will indulge them. It’s a totally different world.
Going to U.S. was an adventure. It was not so long after independence and the indoctrination we received was that we would study abroad, go home, and help build the nation. I knew that I would go home. It took me close to ten years to leave, but I did return.
After Howard, I continued my studies at the Pratt Institute in New York (Brooklyn). I actually stayed at Christopher and Bleecker St, not far from NYU. I worked for awhile in New York and in Canada, and then returned to Ghana.
How does your course help foreign students understand Accra?
My course literally exposes them to every aspect of Accra, from the worst slums to the highest riches of Accra society. We visit the slums because due to rapid urbanization a number of citizens in West African cities live in very disadvantaged conditions. You cannot understand these cities until you see the slums. People assume the slums are violent places, but here they are not. The people are desperate to make money and want to get out, so there is reasonable social stability. Of course there are other parts of the city that are testaments to change that I need to show the American students.
I understand that you were the Mayor of Accra from 1994-1998. How has that experience informed your approach to teaching?
Tremendously. When I talk to students, I don’t speak purely from a theoretical point of you. I know the practical implications of various policies that we have tried and when I speak to them about events, I can draw on my experience and really explain things.
Cities are a complicated business, especially African cities. Like Accra, which has one foot in the 15th century and one foot in the 21st century. You have people here who believe in ancestor worship and people here who are talking to people on Skype with someone thousands of miles.
After having served, you have a greater sense of the limits of governance. When you haven’t had to make decisions that effect the lives of millions of people and deal with the consequences of it, you can be quite cavalier. When you are teaching students, you need to have a great sense of possibilities; you don’t want them to the think the world is their playpen, but you also don’t want to give them limitations.
I am particularly enthusiastic about teaching these American kids. I was in high school when JFK sent the Peace Corps to the developing world. I was 17 or 18 when the Peace Corps came to Ghana. Later, I was pleased to see that many of these students ended up working in the US government or in corporations that have dealings with Africa. They are more sensitive in dealing with the developing world.
I look at the students I am teaching now, and I see that in twenty years they will be in similar positions making decisions that will have implications for Africa. So when I am teaching them, I try to prepare them for that.
I also understand you are currently working on a book about the history of Accra. Can you describe this project?
Being mayor of Accra was an absolutely fascinating job that I enjoyed tremendously. After my term, I was deciding what to do. I was trained as an architect, but I was kind of bored with that profession. It was hard to go back to after I’d had a whole city to run. So I decided to research Accra’s architecture and found so much material and I am now turning it into book.
What has been most rewarding or surprising about teaching NYU students?
My classes have ranged in size and have different feels. With smaller classes, you really feel as though you are engaged in a dialogue.
Every now and then you come across a couple of brilliant students. The most rewarding thing is when you read a paper and you nod your head and say, “yes, this is it.” I sometimes copy the paper and keep it to use in future courses. The students come to the class without any prejudice or background because they usually don’t know anything about West Africa, so when they offer something and it is good, it is very rewarding.
How do you feel about NYU’s global efforts and its presence in Accra?
I am absolutely thrilled that Accra is part of NYU’s global network because it is the future. The day will come when the world will be even more connected than it is now. I am happy to have had a part of it. NYU is a pioneer for something that is going to happen more widely.
What could you tell those of us who haven’t visited about Accra? What are your hopes for the city?
It’s a very vibrant city. It says a lot about the future of urban centers in the whole continent. I would like us to get better at governing it. I would like to find ways to have the various communities understand and talk to each other more. You have to handle a city very, very carefully. I believe that the future of African culture lies in the urban areas. I would like the governing authorities to pay closer attention to the new culture, the developing culture. I believe that Accra will do it. There is a base of stability here that has so far survived the test of time.