Lessons from John Ray

Sunday, I experience a completely different Ghanaian enclave, the African American community of Ghana. The event: a memorial service for John Ray, a 77 year old African American artist who had lived in Ghana for the past 30 or so years. The inviter: Theresa Kwekwe, a pillar in the African American community, married to a Ghanaian, and friends with my professor at the University of Michigan. I had no idea what to expect. I was told to not wear black, they were celebrating his life, and to arrive at the Debois Center around 10 am. I wore a bright yellow and orange summer dress, arrived at 10 am, and found myself surrounded by a mix of African American’s and Ghanaians, dressed in Ghanaian styled white cloth dresses. You might say, I stood out.

Finding Theresa, she politely greeted me and sent me off then told me to mix and mingle with others. The first table I introduced myself to was unfriendly and reserved; I moved on and luckily found a much friendlier table that invited me to join them. The husband was Togolese and a professor of sociology at the University of Ghana for the past 40 years; the wife, an African American researcher of women studies. They included me in all discussions, contextualized the event, and introduced me to others. Their kindness and acceptance of me integrated me in a group where I could easily have felt excluded and isolated. As time went on it was clear all the elder African Americans had played a part in the civil rights movement, vague references to the black panthers were sometimes vocalized.  Thanks to the couple I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

The event itself was unique and splendid. We sat at tables facing a stage designed to look like John Ray’s living room. Kente cloth hung on the walls, his iconic photographs hung, his sculptures displayed, but along with his art his common place loved items were shown: his plastic chairs, wooden table, bottle opener, pipe, and empty Star (beer) bottles. It was beautiful. Selected community members came forth, told a story of how John Ray touched their lives, and sat back down. Between each story a miles davis song played giving the rest of us time to talk.

The stories of John Ray evoked his spirit. The depth and breadth of his connections and the far reach of his wisdom was astounding. His nieces, a Ghanaian military peace negotiator, a chief, a Lebanese film maker, a Ghanaian beautician, a Hungarian bead maker, an African American Jazz singer, and Nina Simon’s granddaughter, all talked.  Different in occupation, age, sex, and nationality, John Ray made them think of the following things:

·         Who are you?

·         Where are you?

·         What do you stand for?

·         Focus on what you want, and forget the rest

·         Help yourself before you help others

·         Help your children before you help yourself

After the ceremony I helped clean up, and managed to meet the wife of this amazing man. We sat for an hour or so, talking about nothing important, her with a cigarette, and me with a beer. An odd day, ended well. Despite having never met him, John Ray is real to me. His pieces of wisdom, profound, silently whisper in my ear. I hope they stay there until I am also old and grey.

Who are you. Where are you. What do you stand for. Focus. Help yourself before others. Help your children before yourself.