The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep Brays Oaks Students Learn West African Culture from American Field Service Country Director

March 09, 2011 by Sarah Straub

"So... if I were a part of the Akan tribe, my name would be Wednesday?" asked one of Sarah Straub's 6th grade students.

Kwame Otchere, Country Director for American Field Service (AFS) in Ghana, came to YES Prep Brays Oaks to talk to our students about West African culture and traditions. "Kwame" means "Boy Who Was Born on Saturday" and the tradition is for each member of the Akan to receive three names: 1) The Day of the Week When They Were Born, 2) A Strong Family Name, and 3) A Name That Shows Their Role. "Otchere" means "warrior" and Kwame said that this was because he has been fighting his whole life for cross cultural understanding.

Kwame taught us about his life in Ghana and even Google-earthed his home in Accra. He said he painted his roof blue so that he could always see it when he missed home during his travels.

The main purpose of Kwame's talk was to express how important global awareness is. AFS is an international, voluntary, non-profit organization that "provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world."

Just like YES, AFS has its own Core Values: Allowing people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding; acknowledging that peace is a dynamic concept threatened by injustice, inequity and intolerance; affirming faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures; encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or social status; and, valuing dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance.

Having Kwame come visit our students provided them with a real life example of what our goal is for YES Prep Brays Oaks as an international campus. Even though our last names might not all be "Otchere", that doesn't mean we all cannot be warriors for cross cultural understanding, too.
 

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