The Swamp logo

Ghana & Ghanians Aren't Very Accepting of Anyone Who is Different

From tattoos, piercings, colorism, dreadlocks & sexuality to mental illness, skin issues like vitiligo and albinism

By IwriteMywrongsPublished about a year ago Updated 6 days ago 5 min read
Like
Authors Photo taken in Accra, Ghana

Un-welcome to Ghana a country that uses the term 'culture' to treat others badly. Colorism is at an extreme high and lighter skinned Black Americans have issues being called 'White' at every turn, as you walk through the streets they'll shout Obroni.

If you ignore them they say hey "white woman/man" you hear me? Words from "Black Americans aren't Black people because they're not born in Africa!"

If you openly have tattoos that's another issue, people in certain regions have called tattooed folks witches, when settling in the Volta Region of Ghana, a Black American was refused a residency permit. She had to plead for her case and explained she wanted to start on NGO in the country.

A mother of one of the children she educates at her NGO told her she wouldn't have invited her to her home had she known she was tattooed.

Screenshot from Black American living in Ghana who asked to be included in an article about COLORISM

Dreadlocks aren't accepted in many African countries, there are only 4 African Nations that have made it legal to wear the hairstyle. The miseducation of Africans whom all assume anyone with dreadlocks are practicing Rastafarians.

Meaning they openly discriminate against people who are Rastafarians. Ghanaians seem to have an extreme hatred for anyone whom isn't Muslim or Christian and even then the 2 religions there is hatred.

There are more than enough stories from West Africa to East Africa, to the United States of America about the discrimination faced by those who have dreadlocks. In Africa, this mostly seems to be a ‘religious’ discrimination issue as many who wear them are practicing Rastafarianism.

Source: Medium TB Obwoge

Sexuality is another big no-no in Ghana, yet cheating on your wife, making babies outside of marriage and even things like rape are not shunned. The country has an extreme rape culture and once charged women who were raped $140 USD for reporting their rapes.

The rape culture shuns many women, young girls and children from reporting rape. Rape of a child under 12 years old isn't even considered rape in Ghana, they call it defilement and don't keep accurate statistics of either.

Screenshot from Twitter

Ama Governor was denied by the Ghana bar association, they deemed her to be immoral because she identifies as bisexual and has piercings.

Ghanaian man said that Black Americans just think that they're Black. He went on to say that Black people in America have never suffered like Africans have suffered so therefore they can't be considered Blacks.

He also went onto rant about how Black people in America should build their own country within America, as if that is possible to build and create a country within the United States.

Ghanaians have pointed, laughed and humiliated people in their country living with vitiligo and other skin conditions. They often mock, create memes and laugh and them, most don't know what vitiligo is as shown through the lives of the many people living in Ghana with the skin condition.

As Ghanaian doctors have no idea what the condition is many are shamed and called 'witches', they often turn to herbal treatments none of which stop the loss of skin color.

Walking down the unpaved road I watch as my pink polished toes become covered in the rust colored soil, theres a couple walking by me the woman uses her elbow to nudge the man beside her then points in my direction, they both stare without shame.

The pointing, the staring is a regular happening here in Ghana (Accra) when you look different. Yet I have not seen it so much towards whites, Chinese or Lebanese, here but being a light skin, Black & covered in tattoos it happens everyday more than I can count. I am always told by Ghanaians to ignore it, to ignore most things that happen here especially towards women & foreigners.

I spoke with a 26 year old Ghanaian student named Fuseini Abdul Hakeem who was diagnosed within the last year with vitiligo. I asked him about what he was told about the skin condition, how he feels about having it, how others react to his loss of pigment on his face. Here are a few things he shared with me about living in Africa with the skin disorder.

Currently Abdul is treating the small patch situated on his face near his right eye covering portions of his nose & cheek with herbal medicine.

Source: Ghana Part II Colorism, Vitiligo and Albinism

Living in Ghana means being mocked & humiliated, called 'Fat' or in Twi 'obolobo' meaning fat. Names like 'fat mommy' are not considered rude. They even have horrible names for darker skin people such as "darkie" and "blackie" when I posted this on my Facebook page I was suspended for 3 days. These things are a part of everyday life in Ghana and they consider themselves the nicest people of Africa. When living in Kenya this behavior wasn't normal practice.

Screenshot from Twitter

A Ghanaian women was drugged by her female friend, then she was raped by several men. There was a post on Twitter reporting the rape and showing screenshot from a WhatsApp conversation where the female friend admitted to placing something in her drink. She used the laughing emoji several times during the conversation.

Ghanaian women took to the social media platform to tell the stories of rape and sexual assaults in Ghana. One young lady shared with a male friend how she had been raped, he then raped her and said he thought it was alright because she had already been raped years before.

Screenshot from Twitter

Ghana isn't a home for being accepted if you have mental illness either. The jokes and insults are often. Recently a Ghanaian man completed suicide by climbing an electrical poll, they said he had done so because of the financial hardships of the country, the video was posted and remains on Facebook reels.

Ghanaians took to the comments section to humiliate the man who was not only struggling financially but mentally.

Ghana is pushing for more Black Americans to immigrate to the country also, despite these issues along with extreme xenophobia. Ghanians show mistrust and mistreatment towards other Africans as well, especially those from Nigeria and South Africa.

Recently 90% of Ghanaian doctors said they would like to leave the country to practice overseas. They stated many reasons but mostly for better living conditions and pay.

Thank you for reading 🙏🏽 Please consider buying a coffee for Lacey’s House efforts in Gender Equality & Children’s Rights as it tries to move international.

©️TB Obwoge 2022 All Rights Reserved

activismcontroversiescorruptioncybersecurityhumanityopinionpoliticianspolitics
Like

About the Creator

IwriteMywrongs

I'm the president of a nonprofit. I've lived in 3 countries, I love to travel, take photos and help children and women around the world! One day I pray an end to Child Marriages, Rape and a start to equal Education for ALL children 🙏🏽

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.