The "Culture" of International Adoption in Ghana

Today at church our pastor was talking about "culture." He was talking about how as a very young church we should think about what kind of culture we are creating. Who are our heroes? What is our "folklore?" How will we retell our history? What flavor do we want people to have in their mouths when they experience the church for the first time? And lots of other aspects of what make a "culture."

Later, during the sermon, our pastor was talking about the parable of the persistent widow. You may not remember it. A widow is being wronged by someone in her community and goes to a local judge asking for the wrong to be made right. The man doesn't care about what God things and doesn't care about what people think, so has no inner urging to "help" the women. But she is so persistent--going to him over and over and over again--that he finally gives in and gives her justice to get her out of his hair!

Our pastor asked us, "Who is your adversary" Who or what is wronging you in an unjust way? Who or what do you battle and wish for justice? He encouraged us to "Pray day and night, and do not give up." Just like the persistent widow, the Lord may choose to reward our persistent prayers with favor.

You know me--most everything is applied back to Ghana. When I asked myself honestly who/what I felt was my biggest adversary in life I knew immediately the answer--the corruption in Ghana. And then I thought about the talk the pastor had given on "culture." You know...right now there are a group of people literally creating what will be the "culture" of international adoption in the country. What a scary and exciting thing!!

If you read my blog last week you know how discouraged I was. It's hard sometimes not to feel like giving up. How can I (and our staff) challenge a long-standing culture that includes what we American characterize as corruption, and build a new culture for international adoption that does NOT include corruption? Well of course, we can't. This is why I must pray day and night, and never give up!

I hear about various agencies and organizations trying to start adoption programs in Ghana. My first reaction to that news is "how great!" but I must admit that my secondary reaction is "how scary!" It's scary to think that less than reputable (or good willed but inexperienced) organizations could come in and get caught up in all of the corruption that is available to them in Ghana. It's scary to think that "dirty" adoptions could very easily be completed and that Ghana adoptions could get a reputation for being corrupt at the US Embassy.

It's for that reason that I hope that organizations doing adoptions in Ghana will put aside the spirit of competitiveness that so often occurs in countries, and work together to build a TRANSPARENT adoption culture in Ghana. And until one day when we might succeed at that venture, I will continue to pray day and night, and will never quit hoping that Ghana itself will do away with the corruption so deeply ingrained in the culture.

Anita
P.S. I want to clarify that in Ghana what Americans see as corruption is not always seen as corruption. Certain actions are written into hundreds of years of culture that in today's Western society are seen as corruption but in Ghana are seen as good relationship-building. I don't want my Ghanaian friends to think I don't respect Ghana's culture. I do. I'm just perplexed with how to meld our two cultures to satisfy the ethical standards Americans have to work within.