← Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Segment: Ghana Isn't Paying Western Salaries - Unless You're Recruited, Expect 90% Less.
00:09:36
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Transcript5 lines
- [00:00]
A
When it comes to Africa and Ghana specifically, people get this emotional bond, especially people who come from the diaspora, the historical diaspora, which is the term that I've heard the, the Diaspora Africa Forum use. And the Diaspora Africa Forum is the only embassy for the diaspora and they've been recognized by the African Union and they are based in Ghana. They're located behind the Dubois Center. And I know that they have spoken about the historic diaspora being people who are of African descent who may. Who were taken away through the transatlantic slave trade, whereas you have the African diaspora who have actual connection to the continent through birth or through parental lineage, grandparent lineage. So the experience is different for both. That's what I see. That's my, my, my observation. The diaspora who were taken in the transatlantic slave trade are the ones that tend to have more of the emotional decision making when they come because of what has happened, the disconnect through centuries and always having that feeling of not knowing where you're from and wanting to connect with a home, which would be Africa like, because that's where the DNA is coming from. And to know that I can go to Africa and I can be connected with my people and not worry about the experiences that you have as a black person living in a society where white people are controlling it, where you have the, the systems that are designed that hold people back. People of color, black people and other races face challenges because of the systematic racism that exists. And the desire is, I want to go back to Africa because Africa is where I'm not going to experience those things. So the pressures that you feel through systems that are built on the foundation of racism can be so painful that you want to go somewhere that you feel like you're going to be home, you're going to be with your people, people who look like you, you know that you're not going to turn around and someone says, I don't like you because you're black, because everyone else is black. So you have this emotional thing that you want to go back to Africa. And plus, many of them talk about feeling the spiritual connection when you land. Some people kiss the ground. People have gone when they go to the site where the Door of no Return. Yeah, go to the Door of no Return. You go to the Cape coast, to the dungeons there, to Elmina, to the dungeons. People go. And they talk about feeling the spirits of the ancestors in there. People feel it, you know, when you go to Asen Manso, to the, the Slave river, which was where the last bath happened of the people who were captured and Enslaved. And they were bathed there for the last time before they were taken to Cape coast and Elmina to be shipped off. People have talked about feeling the spirits there in the water. One Ghanaian camera guy that I work with, when he was in the water filming some diasporans who came and he was standing there filming because people go and they want film their experience, he said he didn't get it at first, but that particular day he said he felt like there was somebody grabbing his leg in the water. And he was like, he felt like that was a spirit that he felt grabbing his leg in the water. He was like, I never thought anything of it until that day. And I'm standing there filming and he felt and he looked and he's like, there's nobody there, but he feels like somebody's holding his leg. And so many have that spiritual feeling when they come and when they get that spiritual connection, they feel, this is the land I need to be in. And so you're not thinking about the logical side of how will I make money when I'm here? How will I build a life when I'm here? How will I take care of my children when I'm here? Those thought processes don't come in when you're thinking about the emotion. Just like when you're in a relationship, a woman's in a relationship, she's like, oh, I love him, he's so wonderful. He's so good looking. He does this, he does that. And then they ignore some of the bad things about this person, of what they do and how they treat them, because they're looking at that, oh, he makes me feel good. Oh, he makes me this, he makes me that. But yet there's some negative side that supersedes that emotional thing. So sometimes we don't look at the logic. If you're coming to Ghana, I always say, yeah, there's going to be some emotion in it. But don't let the emotion only be the reason you come look at the logical side and ask those questions of, okay, so if I go, what business can I do? What job can I get? And I think some people go into business not because they want to be business people, but because they recognize after they're here, Ghana is not a place to come and look for a job. I get people sending me messages on social media that say, can I get a job in Ghana? You can come and get a job. But most of the jobs, like 90% of the jobs, you are not going to be paid the same as you were being paid in America. And Canada, the uk. Like, if you come here to Ghana and you're going to go and work at an office where, you know, maybe you're the secretary or you're, you know, you have an admin job, you're not going to be paid the same as you were being paid paid over there. You're not. That's the reality. And I think a lot of people don't realize that. They think they're going to come and get the same salary that they were getting back home. But the only way, and I always tell people the only way you're going to get a job that's paying similar or close is if you are recruited and you have a high level position. Because I know people who come here, they end up getting a job as a country manager. If you're a country manager or a big corporation like Ogilvy or, you know, Nestle or something, if you're a high level person that they've recruited, your salary will likely be in your foreign currency because they've recruited you and you have a negotiating power. If you are sitting there in New York and a company in Ghana has reached out to you on LinkedIn, they want you to come be a country manager or manager of West Africa. You have negotiating power because they've come to you while you are sitting in your home country and you can tell them, well, I need to be paid in my foreign currency, you need to get me a place to live, you need to get me a car. And I know people who that's happened with. They've been recruited, the company pays them to move. The company has paid their rent for a couple of years and also provided a car for them and then they're able to live a comfortable life in Ghana because they've got that opportunity. But if you just come to Ghana, land your bags and now you're sending CVS places. Good luck. Good luck. You're going to come and get a job that's like paying you between 2,000 to, I don't know, 6,000 cities a month.
- [06:24]
B
What was your own experience looking for a job when you first came in?
- [06:28]
A
So mine is a bit unique situation because when I came in 2011, I wasn't looking for a job, I came as a getaway and then I got offered a job and it showed the power of networking. Both jobs that I got showed the power of networking, which is why I always stress to people the importance of not being afraid to go places and meet people. So I was working at SOS College, I was in charge of The Creating Writing Club, the Writers Center Writers Corner Club after school. And I got that because I was at a birthday party and I was talking about what I do. Someone asked what I do, and I spoke about the fact that I was writing. I wrote a fashion column in Canada, and I did public speaking. I did a lot of writing in general and had an article published in a newspaper there. And so this man overheard me talking, and then he invited me to his office, and it turned out that he was the principal of the school. He invited me there to have a discussion, and then I got offered the job. So I wasn't officially a teacher of certain classes, but I was teaching students after school in this creative writing club. Using my experience as a writer and as a speaker, I was able to impart on them some of the knowledge and understanding of things for writing, which was really a great experience because I got to teach these young people about writing. And some of them thought being a writer is because of. My first question when I started, the first day was I asked them, what do you think of when you think of a writer? And they all said, writing books and writing poetry. And I said, is that all? And they were like, yes, that's all. I'm like, are you sure that's all? Yes, that's all. And I was like, that Calipo juice box you're drinking. Someone is a technical writer. Their job was to write what's on that box. The billboards you see when you drive through town, somebody's job is a copywriter. They wrote that text that's on that billboard. When you watch movies, the things the actors are saying, Someone is a scriptwriter. They wrote those scripts. Watching the news. Somebody is a scriptwriter and wrote the script for the news. People, if that news person is not a scriptwriter themselves, everything you. You see most things, somebody has written it. And they were like, wow. So I took them on field trips. I took them to a TV station to meet a TV program director to learn about how you write script in news and other productions. And they were fascinated because we went to the studio. They were like, the studio is smaller than we thought. When we watch it on tv, it looks so big. And I took them to book readings to meet authors. So I wanted to expand their mind. So that's what I was doing with that job. The pay wasn't what I would have wanted, but I also wasn't looking for a job at the time. I was like, okay, I'm here. Might as well do it. It's an experience.
- [09:09]
B
You think that happens a lot with people. They come in, they're not looking for jobs, and then they spend all their money, and then now they either have to look for a job or go back.
- [09:17]
A
That's possible, yes. Yeah, that's possible. I also think people don't really know what the country has to offer when it comes to work and careers and stuff, because they haven't taken the time to research and they're just coming. Connected Minds Podcast.