Public Agenda (Accra)
W.A. Warmann
14 March 2008
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This issue of condoms is particularly relevant given the current scourge of HIV/AIDS. Following some information from one Ghanaian woman who was not directly interviewed one of the Ghanaian woman interviewed said she was HIV positive but had been infected not by a customer but by her own boyfriend.
The women had boyfriends with whom they had unprotected sex. Some of these boyfriends as it turned out were some sort of 'pimps'. They were looked after by their girlfriends in terms of food, alcohol and cigarettes. In return the boyfriends protected them from unscrupulous or violent customers who might try to avoid payment or mistreat the women. Collectively however it seemed the women were quite capable of protecting themselves. On one occasion a drunken customer who could not pay was virtually stripped naked and given a sound beating by a group of women who came to the aid of their "cheated sister".
This issue of boyfriends was also found to reflect another issue, which was the sexual responsiveness of the women to their boyfriends vis-à-vis their customers. The women said (with one exception) when they were with their customers that they tended to "switch off" their sexual feelings. With the white-men however the issue of sexual responsiveness was ambiguous. Some said that the whitemen took their time thus in spite of themselves they tended to respond. They saw having a boyfriend as some sort of status symbol especially when the boyfriend has given them what was termed a "promise ring" - a ring which indicated marriage at a future date however uncertain and unspecified.
On one occasion however a boyfriend gave his Ghanaian woman a few slaps because he said she was being cheeky. This was followed by shouting and exchange of insults. However within about ten minutes all the shouting subsided and the "couple" continued interacting as if nothing untoward had happened. This issue of boyfriends is also very interesting from another perspective. The women especially the Ghanaian and Nigerians tend to have a big ambition and hope - notably that one day a 'rich' whiteman would marry them and even take them to Europe or the US. A 'rich' African was also considered OK but not as high in status as his white counterpart. When the researcher in probing pointed out to the women that such an occurrence would probably never take place, they said the researcher had no faith in God. A few examples of some women who had gone the "married to a rich whiteman route" were pointed out to the researcher. They revealed a faith in God which was probably misdirected. Surely God they said would definitely let their dreams, hopes and aspirations in that direction come to fruition someday. How soon they however could not say. The Liberian women did not exactly share this faith to the same degree. Their hope was mainly that eventually they could go to the US, an obvious reflection of the historical link between Liberian and the US. However their faith was not as solid as the Nigerian and Ghanaians, and they tended to be more pessimistic about their future. They thought their president Sirleaf Johnson was good for Liberia but at the same time they felt they would not begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel for a few years yet.
One interesting issue is the use of alcohol and marijuana by some of the women as a panacea in an attempt to lift their spirits in what is an otherwise dispiriting situation.
The two main clubs in Accra at the moment where 'ladies of the night' tend to congregate at are "Macumba" and what until a short while ago was called "Wakiki". The gate fee is relatively high and range between GH¢4 and GH¢7 depending on the day of the week for Macumba. The rates at Wakiki, are also in the region of GH¢4. Inside the clubs the music is loud and the lights low. The price of drinks are on the high side. GH¢2 for a mini beer or mineral and a little more for Guinness and much more for spirits - whisky, brandy, gin etc. In Macumba for example I am told a small bottle of champagne goes for GH¢50.
Consequently in the vicinity of these night clubs there are clubs which may perhaps be seen as glorified drinking bars. Again there are also spots which sell mostly low cost spirits. Akpeteshie is available for about GHp5 (¢500 old cedis) other drinks like 'Pusher' which is very popular go for GHp10 (one thousand old cedis). When their purses are rather empty the women as well as a host of others who cannot afford Beer or Guinness go for a shot or two just to perk themselves up. A PK chewing gum afterwards eliminate the smell of the alcohol. The women indicated that they used this cheap alcohol and marijuana to lift their spirits up. It was difficult given the circumstances to determine if there was alcoholism among the women or cocaine, or heroin addiction.
This point about alcoholism and drug dependence are very relevant socially culturally and economically since hard drugs can become a major social problem. Ghana is now said to be not only a transit point but a market for drugs in its own right.
This issue of alcoholism and drugs like the issue of commercial sex worker is one that cannot be wished away. Demand will more often than not result in supply. There are literally thousands of men in Ghana of all colours, shapes and sizes who prefer to patronize the sex workers in spite of other options and possibilities. There have been calls from some quarters for the legalization of the sex trade in order to regulate, supervise and control the supply side. Given that most commercial sex workers tend to live in the poorer parts of Accra, in single rooms, buying water and having to use public toilets and baths, one observation was that in spite of what may seem a glamorous occupation with expensive looking cloths, shoes and other accessories, the sex workers should be seen as victims of a cultural milieu that does not recognize them, despises them and bury's their head in the sand whenever the general issue of commercial sex workers come up. Much has been made of studies that report high levels of HIV among them.
Possibly the use of condoms is not fully appreciated among their customers who given the heterosexual spread of HIV infection are often the main source of infections and spread of infections. Several studies have shown that one group at high risk are married women who contract the virus from their husbands. At this point it can only be speculated as to their (the men's) source of infection.
The Liberian women are here in Ghana because they cannot control their lives in their home country. One Liberian woman who joined a repatriation scheme spent only three weeks in Monrovia because as she put it, even given the difficulty of their lives in Ghana, comparatively Ghana is like paradise to them. The Nigerian women also shared this sentiment and see a return to Nigeria as an annual brief event just to visit their families and children.
Given the high level of teenage pregnancy as a factor in becoming commercial sex workers there must be a lot wrong in "sex education". There are calls for sex education by those who make long speeches all over the place at various functions. As to the exact nature of such education, little is known. Should such sex education not include definite teaching of methods on how to avoid pregnancy? At what stage in a young persons life should they be introduced to sex education programmes? This I contend should be before puberty, so young persons do not become victims in a society where sex and sexual innuendo are widespread in all situations from films to advertising; novels to newspapers. How effective are television and radio as they deliver brief and widely unavailable short clips about the dangers of teenage sex?
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