GHexpat

I found the YouTube clip embedded below pretty interesting.  One of the reasons is because concerning the type of videos they're criticizing, that advertise the relatively-low cost of African living to expatriates, I've participated in a few myself, albeit for another platform.  And besides that, even with this blog I largely encourage expatriation or at least visitation to the Motherland. I understand where the presenter is coming from.  Over the last few centuries, foreigners, most notably from the West, have more or less used Africa as they will.  This often results in exploitation of resources, while natives get the short end of the stick.  And as pointed out in the clip, in the past that standard may have been based more on foreign military superiority.  But now, it revolves around Western currencies being exponentially more valuable than their African counterparts. AFRICAN INTERACTIONS WITH RICHER FOREIGNERS This video has opened my eyes a bit, but ge...

Most of us are familiar with terms like "developed" used to describe wealthy countries and "developing" or even "underdeveloped" to classify poorer ones, including most of those in Africa.  What I've come to realize, living in Africa, is that these description are quite literal.  In other words, you can actually see a country like Ghana "developing", as there's construction going on practically everywhere.  Contrastingly, in most parts of the United States, i.e. a "developed" nation, you rarely see any new buildings going up.  Unlike Ghana, in the U.S. construction tends to be more along the lines of renovation or reconstruction,. I'm sure I've used this blog to complain about noise pollution in GH before.  In more recent times, since I realized I can't escape from it, I've come to accept this fate and embrace it, as best I can. I was recently discussing this with a homey, how I've lived so many parts of Ghan...

There's a lot of "back to Africa" content circulating online these days.  But as for me, I've always been dedicated to keeping it real, as opposed to presenting a falsely-idyllic or commercialized view of Ghana.   That's how a lot of hopeful expatriates become disillusioned, by believing content that they later find out is sugarcoated or flatout false. But these days, I want focus more on seeking funding.  Ultimately, that's the most productive way to move  GHexpat  forward.  There's a lot of ground to cover, and things cost money, even in Africa. HOW YOU CAN HELP One advantage to being in Africa is that foreign currencies, like the US Dollar, trade relatively high over here.  So what I'm requesting is "a cup of coffee", i.e. any amount readers who find value in this blog can share.  Doing so will empower me to get around and collect more information - in all its various forms - for GHexpat . Contributions can be made via Cashapp handle $Seri...

In Ghana, telephone numbers tend to serve two purposes.  Besides their primary function, they're also the means by which most people save and transfer electronic money or "momo" (i.e. mobile money), as it's called in this part of the world. The reason I'm bringing that up is to clarify certain terminology.  When someone speaks of "credit" or "airtime", they're referring to the account set aside for phone calls.  But when they speak of "momo", that's actual electronic cash that can easily be converted into physical money. As of late, MTN Ghana has been siphoning my airtime.  If I purchase credit for phone calls and let it sit for a while, the account will start deducting on its own.  For example, the GH₵1.50 I deposited yesterday has gradually disappeared, even though I haven't made any calls. The logical assumption would be that these funds are being deducted by subscriptions.  But let me state with confidence that I am no...