RE: Ghanaians Have Been Dying Young since the Birth of Time

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“First of all…I don't teach at the university he mentions in his article. And I spent a lot of time speaking of Liberia and Sierra Leone of which, as I remember, he mentions nothing. Additionally, I spent almost no time speaking of Kenya and Ghana” (Professor Peter Schwab, response to Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe).

“..If Prof Schwab was an “expert tourist” when he visited Ghana, our Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe will be a “native tourist” the first time he sets foot to Ghana, after so many decades out of Ghana. Just like the “expert tourist,” he will also need a map and some social science data. With respect to the later, he would be told that there is more accessible data in the US on Ghana that there is in Ghana. Our “native tourist” would forever be in a quandary....lost in his Akyem land…!” (Prof Lungu)

THE article by Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr, (Ghanaweb, 29 Oct 07), struck a chord in me. Even though Prof Lungu is not currently a teacher in a classroom, I thought it was really sad that our “Associate Professor” working as a teacher in an American College would lampoon and so thoughtlessly ridicule another Professor in a forum that the other is not a contributor. What was it about the “white-American State University of New York (SUNY) sociology professor…Professor Peter Schwab”? And why did Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe have to identify him by name?

Anyway, after reading the piece, I concluded that Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe had again wasted quite a bit of my time. The piece totally dismissed as useless the admirable work of the Longevity Project Group, a Ghanaian NGO. The Longevity Project Group report sought to explain the reasons and conditions behind the life expectancy (58 years) data for Ghana. According to Ms. Bannerman-Richter, “…most Ghanaians are uninformed about the hazards posed by substandard living conditions, poor sanitations, diet and inadequate exercises.” Now, is that not good information for all Ghanaians to chew upon?

Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe took approx. 1,266 words and 12 paragraphs to tell us what he wanted us to know:

“…Ghanaians Have Been Dying Young…. since the Birth of Time….What I am trying to establish here is that the recent widely-reported research conducted by Ghana’s nongovernmental organization known as the Longevity Project was, perhaps, superfluous…”

Just 35 words to tell us, proudly, that Ghanaians have a life expectancy of 60 years! Forget about the rest of the Longevity Project Group research. And never mind that over 15 countries have a life expectancy more than 80 years for a man or woman. Just 35 words!! That was all our Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe wanted to say. But to do that, he also had to ridicule another colleague and expose himself to vetting by others, and possible ridicule of himself. Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe’s piece concerned me so much I decided to dig a little deeper after making a few comments on Ghanaweb. I decided to check “the facts” about this Professor Peter Schwab, as presented to Ghanaweb by Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr, then compare the record I find with the Okoampa-Ahoofe record. First, I checked on-line for the person and was able to correspond with Dr. Schwab by email, just two times.

NOW YOU KNOW:

“First of all…I don't teach at the university he mentions in his article. And I spent a lot of time speaking of Liberia and Sierra Leone of which, as I remember, he mentions nothing. Additionally, I spent almost no time speaking of Kenya and Ghana” (Professor Peter Schwab).

AND HERE IS TO THE VETTING

I have concluded that the odds are Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is not integrated into the American intellectual/scholarship tradition. For example, as an African with Ghanaian roots and one who likes to call himself a scholar, Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, does not know that there are more research facilities and resources dealing with African/Ghanaian scholarship in the US than there are in Ghana and in other African countries. Any social scientist or journalist in the US worth his/her salt, and with a minimum amount of interest in Africa, knows that fact. Therefore, when Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe claims that Prof Schwab said he’d spent "remarkable amount of time researching the lifestyles of Eastern and Western Africans" it really does not imply visits/and extended stays in Ghana or Kenya, nor should it be limited to Ghana and/or Kenya.

Now you know Dr. Schwab actually talked about more Liberia and Sierra Leone! He was a US Peace Corps, working in Liberia, West Africa, in 1962, for crying out loud!!

ITEM: Clearly, Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe succeeded in being funny at the event he described as a “guest-lecture” in his community college. That was part of his intent, I suppose. However, there is still something fundamentally wrong about his article beyond the suppositions. It all has to do with professional ethics and professorial etiquette. It also has to do with fairness to persons you do not even know or are known by you to be outside the range of you voice, perhaps a continent away.

The reader can visit the SUNY, Purchase College web site to read about Professor Schwab: http://www.purchase.edu/Departments/AcademicPrograms/Faculty/

The inquisitive reader will find that Prof Peter Schwab earned his Ph.D. in 1969 from the New School for Social Research and actually earned full Professorship in 1980, having been Associate Professor during 1973-80. Moreover, Prof Schwab is a Professor of Political Science, not Sociology, as reported by our Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe. The other fact is, Prof Schawb teaches at Purchase College, a full university. He is not a Professor at SUNY-New Paltz. Again, the reader will also know that Dr. Schwab served with the US Peace Corps, in Liberia, during 1962-64. (That is what a young “white-American” did for Africa years ago, five short years after the Independence of Ghana).

Any way, following these initial findings, I went to the website called “RatemyProfessors.com” to see what students have said about our two professors, selecting the first five (5) comments about each Professor. Without demeaning community college education (Prof Lungu was once a community college student), the reader should note the quality of the comments from students from a full university and those from a community college, the latter being where our Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe teaches.

HERE IS WHAT STUDENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT DR. KWAME OKOAMPA-AHOOFE

1. Too confrontational and not helpful

2. Oh my god....if he dont agree with what u say then its totaly wrong........the only good thing about him is that their are no test in his class

3. Honestly, i hate him so much. He is so ****ing **** and **** as well. His remarks on America make me ****ing sick, as well as his comments on sex. He has been my worst teacher thus far.

4. Very easy class, just hand the assignments on time, then he will give you an A.

5. He is a sad case

HERE IS WHAT STUDENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT DR. SCWHAB: 1. One of the best teachers I've had here, I am determined to take a class with him every semester, and you should too.

2. He grades based on in-class essays. If you can write a strong essay, given the time limit of a class period, you should be ok. If your writing skills aren't up to par, avoid him at all costs. He's brilliant, and I liked him a lot, but he can be a real ass.

3. Seriously one of the most amazing teachers i've ever had. he's absolutly brilliant. pretty intimidating at first, but once you get past that, he's hella cool. there's a lot of reading for all his classes, and if you expect to pass (never mind get a good grade) you cannot slack off and not do it. deff. worth the effort.

4. Wow, what an amazing teacher. He gives a lot of readings but those readings serve a purpose. After leaving his class, you feel as if you have mastered everything in that course. It's an honor to have such a knowledgeable professor.

5. Best proffessor ever. Hard class. But if you read, you learned. How teching should be done.

So now you know the other record. I hope that you as the reader is now in a better position to make up your mind about these things. I think that Prof Schwab was unfairly treated by Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe. That sort of personal attack is not worthy of one who calls himself an Associate Professor in an American college. It is a poor reflection on Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe’s profession, his achievements, and sadly, on the institution they both are associated with. That is a big shame!! As for Prof Lungu, my conclusion is, Dr. Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is a bit shorter than Dr. Peter Schwab*** where it matters most. And now you know the record!!

DISCLAIMER: Prof Lungu is not affiliated with SUNY and is not an acquaintance of Prof Schwab. Prof Lungu is not affiliated with Longevity Project Group, the NGO, in Ghana. Before some of you go about beating the bush to get the scoop about Prof Lungu on RatemyProfessors.com, please understand that Pro Lungu is a moniker.

ABOUT SUNY PURCHASE & AFRICA: The reader may want to check our web site WWW.Purchase.Edu/Africa and read about the SUNY-Purchase “Africa and the African Diaspora: Traditions, Revolutions and Innovations,” program. Reportedly, this is a yearlong campus-wide programming initiative, a showcase event featuring all “academic units, the Neuberger Museum of Art and The Performing Arts Center – in a unique exploration of the rich cultural heritage of Africa and the African Diaspora.”

***Dr. Peter Schwab declined to comment personally.