Life Elsewhere

In this episode, we speak with law professor Saurabh Siddhartha about the history and future of India.  

References:

1. Language landscape of India – https://www.justlanded.com/english/India/India-Guide/Language/Languages-in-India
2. Brain Drain – https://www.sarpublisher.com/brain-drain-of-india-some-statistics/
3. Skin Lightening – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/23/skin-lightening-creams-are-dangerous-yet-business-is-booming-can-the-trade-be-stopped
4. B.R. Ambedkar – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar
5. Reservation system – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservation_in_India
6. Intercaste marriages – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47823588
7. Arranged vs. Love marriages, Indian divorce rate  – https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-behind-behavior/201511/why-are-so-many-indian-arranged-marriages-successful?page=1
8. U.S. divorce rate – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce_demography
9. Difficulty of measuring divorce rate – https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/what-is-divorce-rate-america/
10. House challenging muslim ban version 2 – https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/house-panel-advances-bill-repeal-trump-travel-ban-200212215733386.html
11. Pakistan/India/non-Muslim population – https://www.news18.com/news/india/indias-claim-about-decline-in-population-of-hindus-in-pakistan-incorrect-says-pak-foreign-office-2428891.html
12. Hasan Minaj – Patriot Act – Indian Elections – https://youtu.be/qqZ_SH9N3Xo
13. Hasan Minaj – Patriot Act – Don’t Ignore the Asian Vote in 2020  – https://youtu.be/zwFr6RX2Y40

In this episode, we are in Cape Coast, Ghana, to speak with Atto, of the Ghana Museums of Monuments board about the history of slavery, reconnecting with your countrymen, and what it is like working in a place of such incredible suffering.  

Life Elsewhere Podcast – Episode 7. In this episode, we are in Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana to speak with Michael and Michael about what it means to be a non-believer in a country of believers, as well as the relationship between church and state; the relationship between religious and political ideologies; and the influence of western beauty standards in Ghana.

Sources:

1. Ghana religiosity – 2010 – “Ghana”. The World Factbook.
2. U.S. Religiosity – 2016 – Newport, Frank (December 23, 2016). “Five Key Findings on Religion in the U.S.” Gallup. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
3. Humanist Association of Ghana – http://ghanahumanists.org/
4. Music – Remission choir – Mensure Hwee – https://youtu.be/DiX9SJlQ1ws

We speak with Eshun Justice in the coastal community of Ampenyi, Ghana, about perseverance and humility.

Show notes

1. Music – Alex Konadus Band – One Man 1000
2. College student homelessness – https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/03/599197919/hunger-and-homelessness-are-widespread-among-college-students-study-finds
3. First generation drop out rate – https://eab.com/insights/daily-briefing/student-success/90-of-low-income-first-generation-college-students-dont-graduate-on-time/
4. Medo Roots Foundation

Accra, GHANA – Joanna and Fati, an emerging psychologist, discuss gender, marriage, and resilience in the diverse Nima neighborhood of Accra.

Sources:

1. US Department of State 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report- Ghana 28 June 2018 (www.refworld.org/docid/5b3e0b364.html),

2. Legality of polygamy and % of Ghanaian women in polygamous relationships. “Gender Equality in Ghana.” Social Institutions and Gender Index.  Genderindex.org.

This week, we spend a day with Joseph Amoah, a 73 year old retired elementary school teacher in the rural village of Asuansi, Ghana.

Sources:

Teacher Jobs – https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/01/about-one-in-six-u-s-teachers-work-second-jobs-and-not-just-in-the-summer/

Attrition – https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Teacher_Turnover_REPORT.pdf

Music – African Brothers Band – “Have African Feeling – Side B.”  Accessed via Internet Archive.

In 2019, Americans spent $550M on coffins. From my limited coffin encounters, they all seem so plain and uniform.  Marble or maple, stainless steel or cobalt, the shapes are relatively uniform the color selection is so limited. For a country that champions individualism and freedom of expression, our coffin game is so weak!

For this episode, we travel to Accra, Ghana to speak with internationally renowned custom coffin designer, Eric Adjetey Anang, who commissions coffins to be made to people’s exact specifications – from cocoa pods to military tanks.  This is by far the biggest name we have, and maybe will ever interview.  He’s been all over the world, and featured on internationally broadcast media like CNN, BBC, France 24. 

Find Eric’s site here: https://www.google.com/search?q=kane+kwei+carpentry&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS856US856&oq=kane+kwei+carpentry&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4195j0j0&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Sources:

Downward trend of coffin industry: IBISWorld – https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/specialized-market-research-reports/life-sciences/healthcare-services/coffin-casket-manufacturing.html

Death Care Industry – Quartz – https://qz.com/948857/funeral-homes-and-the-death-industry-are-undergoing-radical-shifts-toward-diy-death/

Cocoa Industry – 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-cocoa-producing-countries.html

Ghana – Per Capita Income – World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019″. IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 12 July 2019

Life Elsewhere – Episode 2 – Téranga – Dakar, SENEGAL

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We sit down with 4 master’s students at University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, SENEGAL, and talk about school, religion, gender roles, and how the Senegalese culture of Téranga (welcoming/hospitality) can heal the U.S.

Music

Intro – Jaymdel (instagram: @jaymdel)

Live music – Lya Et Sa Guitar (Saint Louis, SENEGAL)

Statistics

The U.S. has the highest prevalence of gun-related homicides among developed countries (2012 Human Development Index)

There are 120 guns per 100 people in the U.S., the highest in the world (Small Arms Survey)

The global suicide rate has decreased by ⅓ since 1990, while the U.S. is one of the few countries to experience an increase (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2016)

Feedback

Please email [email protected] for feedback or other questions you would like us to ask in future episodes.

Interview at Plage de Yoff in Dakar, SENEGAL with Oasmane Diop. The first episode of a new podcast series called “Life Elsewhere.” The premise – to ask basic, fundamental questions and gain perspective on how life is lived outside of the United States. Thanks to Oasmane for taking his time to speak with us and to friend and artist Jaymdel for the instruments. Check out Jaymdel’s soundcloud site here: https://soundcloud.com/jaymdelsims

Instagram: Jaymdel