Ramey-Estep receives cultural lesson

Feb. 23—RUSH — Students at Ramey-Estep High School filed into class on Thursday afternoon ready to engage in Black history with a special guest.

Heather Deal, a history teacher at Ramey-Estep, recruited a fellow staff member to provide her pupils with an interactive lesson to commemorate Black History Month.

Deal, an educator for nearly 20 years, elected to provide a first-person account of African culture and history to her classroom with the help of David Asiedu, a program manager at Ramey who spent much of his early adolescence in Ghana.

Before coming to the United States in 2005, Asiedu was born in Ghana, a country in western Africa.

Asiedu, dressed in a traditional African top, began his lesson by explaining the extensive, and often locally unheard of, history of Ghana.

Belonging to the fittingly named "Gold Coast," Ghana is Africa's largest producer of gold and the No. 2 producer of cocoa in the world making the area wealthy in resources, later gaining the attention of the British and other European countries.

Asiedu explained the nine main tribes originating in Ghana, their different dialects and cultural differences, telling the students he was born into the Ashanti tribe.

According to Asiedu, the Ashanti tribe came into power in 1670 — with some documentations dating them as far back as 1500. The tribe quickly became the dominating power of West Africa prior to European colonization and the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Asiedu said that while the nine tribes all had their distinct differences, they all shared the pastime of storytelling.

Before TV, radio and Saturday morning cartoons, Asiedu said Africans passed the time, like other early cultures, with telling stories by the campfire.

Asiedu introduced the popular folklore character Kweku Ananse — a spider sometimes depicted as half-spider, half-human but most of the time as a mischievous "trickster" character.

The stories included answers to age-old questions like: "How does a leopard get its spots?" and "How did a turtle get its hard shell?"

After telling two folktales to the students, Asiedu said the character later inspired modern day characters such as Bugs Bunny and Spider-Man.

On top of the story sharing and reminder that all cultures are usually intertwined, Asiedu discussed language and dialects, speaking and singing in his native tongue — Twi — to the students, who were fascinated by the pronunciation of crocodile.

Asiedu spoke of the importance of drums in Ghana, saying the musical instrument is utilized in communication and the emphasis of clothing, dedicating a section of his lesson to the Ghanian textile Kente.

The Kente can be seen worn today at college graduations; the colorful cloth is occasionally draped across a graduate, Asiedu said.

With such a bright and engaging history lesson on Ghana, one inquiring student asked Asiedu why his family relocated to America.

Asiedu called the U.S. "the land of opportunity" and explained to the student that his family chose to pursue a more in-depth education that couldn't be provided in Ghana due to resources.

Following Asiedu, Deal connected the history of Ghana to current topics the class is learning during Black History Month — focusing mostly on "cultural sifting."

Asiedu later spoke with The Daily Independent providing more information about his role at Ramey and how it connects to his past in Ghana.

The family relocated to Columbus, Ohio, in April 2005. "I remember because it was cold," Asiedu laughed.

His pursuit of higher education and a place to play football lead him to the area when he elected to attend Kentucky Christian University, where he later earned a degree in accounting.

However, Asiedu said he worked at Ramey during his college years and never had the desire to leave.

Just like Ghana, Asiedu said Kentucky had a stereotype his friends were apprehensive about when he announced his decision to relocate.

"It's ignorance — if you don't know you'll always assume," Asiedu said, comparing how people may feel about his birth country to where he lives today.

"I want the kids to understand the history, the tribes, the things that went on before the Europeans and how everything really is a melting pot," Asiedu said, adding that prior to his lesson, some students may have assumed that Africa is third world and underdeveloped.

Asiedu said he also uses the grit and determination of leaving a home country to relate to the students he interacts with on a daily basis.

The idea to teach the class specifically about Ghana was credited to Deal, according to Asiedu, stating that the teacher always encouraged him to speak about his culture and thought the timing was ideal, with February being Black History Month, to lead the class.

"If you engage them in the right way, they're willing to learn," Asiedu said, taking note that the students on Thursday were interactive and immersed in learning the culture.

"But I learn from them as much as they do from me," Asiedu said.

Asiedu spoke of the challenges his students face, from drug addiction, running away and other traumas, he uses his own background to remind them it's a starting point towards their successes.

"I take every opportunity to relate to them. I tell them, I started here (Ghana) and look at me now," Asiedu said.

(606) 326-2652 — mjepling@dailyindependent.com