"Obruni, obruni! How are you?"

Irene and Abigail

Obruni is the Twi word for 'white person.'

Wherever I go, the word is yelled at me from all sides. Kids, teenagers, adults and older people all scream it: ‘Obruni! Obruni!’ Kids wave and smile, as they repeat the word. Some variations include: ‘Obruni obruni! How are you?’ ; ‘Hey white lady!’ ; ‘Obruni! Akwaaba! (Welcome).’ Most of the time, the calls won’t cease until I’ve responded to each individual a number of times and, and more often than not, even this won’t do it!

Kids follow me around, often in groups. They smile, observe, laugh, shake my hand, touch my skin, or give me a high five (I once even got a hug!). Frequently, they ask me to ‘snap’ them. Once the camera comes out, countless little people appear, fighting for a spot in the picture.

As I was walking home from the fried rice stand last night, two girls named Abigail and Irene followed me to the guest house. The three of us sat on the front steps. We talked a bit about school and parents, but mainly examined each other’s hair and skin, smiled and laughed. Abi gave me a 'fancy' hairdo. At the end, even though I declined her offer to do her homework for her, she gave me a big hug. Irene, more shy, shook my hand.

At first, all this attention felt strange and a bit embarrassing. And even now, I sometimes wish that I could look less alien, and walk around without creating such a commotion. According to my friends, many people outside of cities are excited about obrunis because while they have heard about them or seen them on TV, they have not come across a live specimen.

Every once in a while, I am ‘Obruni’-ed by a grumpy-faced individual, asked for money, or bugged by someone professing his love to me. Overwhelmingly though, Ghanaians are incredibly welcoming and kind. I have befriended some of the people who live on the street between the guest house and the office, and am greeted daily. One woman calls me “my sister,” the other “my baby.” On Friday night, I was walking home later than I usually do (probably around 9PM!) and one of the older ladies who does not speak English offered to walk me home via a younger translator. I couldn’t believe the kindness.

As one of my coworkers noted, if only Ghanaians received the same welcome abroad!