I wrote a story for the "My Partner is a Foreigner" part of Pocket Cultures, a great site which seeks to "be a place to find out about different countries and world cultures: personal observations and accounts of daily life, articles and interesting projects related to countries and cultures of the world."
Here is a small excerpt:
"Godwin: “Who is this Elvis?”You can read the whole story here.
Me: “Elvis Presley.”
Godwin: “Who?”
Me: “You know, Ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog…”
Godwin: “I do not know.”
Me: “Really? You’ve not heard of Elvis?”
Godwin: “No.”
The thing that still bewilders me is that ideas, experiences and perceptions that seem to have been hard-wired from birth—from Elvis to expressions like “pulling my leg”—have virtually no frame of reference in my life here."
Is Godwin familiar with Bob Marley? I'd be interested in testing my theory that Marley--like Michael Jackson, I guess--is one of the rare artists who genuinely managed to transcend cultural boundaries.
ReplyDeleteHi Georgia,
ReplyDeleteYes I like Bob Marley and everybody in Ghana likes Bob Marley. Bob Marley Day is official in Ghana--we have celebrations like a national holiday and every Ghanaian from the politician to the ordinary woman on the street likes him and his ideals.