As we know, I've been operating our swish 2,800 sq ft Community Library (that's big for a community library) with its 4,000+ books in 12 categories...etc, etc and open ( a minimum of) 35 hours a week, single-handedly for the last 3 1/2 months and virtually s-h for the prior 3 1/2 months (cue..applause, hosannas, flowers, dancing girls..).
Well yesterday, given the impending arrival of the Library's US NGO President next month who is desirous of meeting with such as the Library Advisory Committee, the community 'leaders' decided to have the first meeting.
Scheduled for 1000 in the Library..are you sure that you guys know where it is, it's not as if i've ever actually seen you in the Library! (..cynic)...it started promptly at 1100.
..and lasted until 1345! About average for a Ghanaian meeting. I wish I'd been here before cell-phones. They're chiefs, they might have more than one, and no-one would ever excuse themselves to take a call or not take one.
The meeting was conducted in Ewe..fair enough..and sitting beside Michael, my PCV 'supervisor' in the community (every PCV has a 'counterpart' and a 'supervisor' in the community) he would fill me in on decisions, general drift of conversations.
You wouldn't think it would take 2 hours to come up with the list of members of a community Library Advisory Committee and to vote in a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer (hmmm ?), Secretary, but it did. And at c. 150 books per member we have some 25 members on the Committee.
There was some discussion as to how often the Committee should meet..quarterly seemed the consensus ..though i did point out that at that frequency their impact on the Library's day-to-day operations would be minimal.
But they all seemed quite happy with the results of their first meeting until....
my friend Victor (i have two, maybe three, Ghanaian people i consider to be real friends so far) who is somewhat scorned because firstly, he is not originally from the community, and secondly, because Victor hauled himself up from his nearby village, got himself through Teacher Training College and impressed enough to have Dr Nkrumah send him on a scholarship to university in the U.S. He graduated there and then worked at SUNY Albany? for a number of years before returning to his native Ghana. Thereafter he was head of the Sociology Dept. at Cape Coast University, the most prestigious in the country, until his retirement.
He has been my friend and advisor thru some tough times for me here..and (perhaps it's the country) i find him to be the a very wise and good man (..and i don't know that i have been able to say that too often in my life).
anyway..Victor glanced over at me and asked in English...so now that we have all the positions filled, what exactly is the Committee going to do?
Victor!!!
i almost fell on the floor laughing..as i had been dying to ask that question..but couldn't, of course (..and not because of the language barrier!).
Pregnant pause-hint of laughter round Victor's eyes. Victor you are bad. You're showing your life's voyage too obviously. No wonder they don't properly respect you here!
Resolution...nah, nothing really; let's adjourn (with the post-meeting prayer) before Victor can think up some other difficult questions!
It's all posturing...whoever heard of a 24-person rural community Library Advisory Committee. But the protocols must be observed, mustn't they?
(mostly i resent giving up that block of time..and them telling users as they wandered in..no, you can't use the library..we're having a meeting!)
..sigh...
