Dr. Joe Appiah-Kusi, MD
On Friday, we were honored to have a special guest, Dr. Joe Appiah-Kusi, MD visit the Bulldog Library. According to Dr. Joe’s website (as he likes to be called), a physician and international scholar was born in Ghana into the Bonwire Royal family. He was educated in Europe and the United States and is a Researcher, Professor, Educator, Storyteller, Historian and Humanist. He has been a resident of the Seattle area for twenty-five years.
Dr. Joe came to help one of our 6th grade classes learn more about his birth country. Ghana is a country in West Africa, bordered by the Ivory Coast on the west and Togo to the east.
Google Map of Ghana
Dr. Joe also helped us learn that the naming of a child in the Asante culture is often dependent on the day you were born, your gender, and the order of your birth. For example, if you were born on a Monday, the Twi word for Monday is Edwoada.
However, your birth day name would be Kwadwo if you are a boy and Adwoa if you are a girl. The first president of Ghana, was named Kwame Nkrumah because he was born on a Saturday (Kwame) and he was the 9th child of the family, (Nkrumah).
After another lesson on the signficance of women and family in Ghana, Dr. Joe helped us learn how to count to ten in Twi. Here are the numbers from 1-10 in Twi.
One – baako
Two – mmienu
Three – mmiensa
Four – enan
Five – enum
Six – nsia
Seven – nson
Eight – nwotwe
Nine – nkron
Ten – edu
Watch the video, with Dr. Joe and Osei leading our volunteers as they learn how to count in Twi!
If you are interested in more information about Africa, we have a brand new series in the library: Celebrating the Peoples and Civilizations of Africa published by PowerKids Press. We also have other new books about African countries in the Letters from Around the World series.
Another worthwhile book to read is the Caldecott Medal winner, Ashanti to Zulu African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove.
This book introduces the readers to twenty-six African people by depicting a custom important to each. The author lived and studied in Ghana and completed extensive research in order to prepare her book with accuracy and detail.
The Bulldog Readers sincerely thank Dr. Joe for visiting our library and helping us learn about his beautiful country.
What did you find interesting about Ghana or its customs?
Have you ever traveled to Africa?
What country did you visit?
Leave us a comment and let us know!
Dear Mrs Hembree and students,
Wow how lucky for you all to have such an outstanding visitor visiting your school and learning first hand about Ghana where Dr Joe was born.
I have never traveled to Africa but would love to one day.
I really enjoy watching and reading about Africa.
The last country which I did visit was so different to Africa it was Europe and I must say I really did enjoy traveling around Europe.
From your blogging pal,
AA.
Dear Mrs. Hembree and students,
Hi guys my class would be so lucky to have a visitor from Africa! Hey guys do you want to know how old I am in Twi? I am edu.
From,
Kristen
Dear Mrs. Hembree and students,
That is so cool that you got to learn about Ghana from Dr. Joe! I would love to visit West Africa some day soon, and Ghana is the country I’d most like to go to.
I really like Ghanaian music, especially highlife from the 1970’s. The art of Ghana is also very interesting to me. I love the different cloths they make and the beautiful wood carvings and masks.
This summer I enjoyed watching Ghana in the World Cup. They played so well, and were very exciting to watch.
I noticed that the names were based on the day of the week someone was born, but it is different for boys and girls. It looked like a Kw was added to the beginning of the name for boys. Can you ask Dr. Joe if a girl born on a Saturday (Kwame) would be named Ame?
Thanks for sharing what you learned with all of us!
From,
Mr. Salsich
Dear the bulldog readers,
Were you guys counting? That was really cool. I wouldn’t have never knew that you guys were counting until Dr. Joe said 1. That was awesome.
your friend,
maria from Techie kids
dear the bulldog readers,
i wonder if i could talk like that. that reminds me of when i was talking in Jamaican numbers. i never knew that that was so amazing. did anyone come to your class that talked another language.
your friend,
maria
techie kids
Dear Bulldogs readers,
That is an interesting language that you guys have learned. I would likee to learn that language one day.
From,
Donald