We stay in a flat at the all-male Commonwealth Hall, at the west end of campus, near the top of a hill that provides nearly the highest elevation in all of Accra. Residents of Commonwealth Hall are Vivacious, Affable, Neighbourly, Dedicated, Altruistic, and Loyal. They’re VANDALS, and Commonwealth is known as the Vandal City, a mini-villiage of 1000 registered and up to three times that many unregistered inhabitants. Their motto is “Truth stands.”
There are many Commonwealth traditions including forbidding women from wearing red, the hall color, on the premises; “charging” (drumming and singing) well into the night (as they are doing this evening); and initiation ceremonies that involve less clothing than is legal (so I’ve been told: I have little interest in witnessing!). Alumni include many current, former, and presumably future government ministers, judges, corporate executives, and journalists.
There is a formal student leadership structure, with elections for the usual offices: President, Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer. But there is also a shadow, un-elected, traditional leadership consisting of a chief and sub-chiefs. The chief is a student who doesn’t attend classes and is not to be known beyond his immediate subordinates. Tonight, as I snapped a photo of the charging occurring at the front steps of the hall, I was asked to delete my picture, because the chiefs were in the field of view, even though they were surrounded by many other charging students. (I, of course, complied.)
At their best, the Vandals are strong intramural competitors and campus leaders. In fact, the administration often consults with the formal leadership on campus matters. But, the Vandals can overreach and intimidate as well, a risk when the traditional leadership dispenses its vigilante justice. In some cases, there is tension between the formal and the traditional, such as a recent incident in which students aligned with the traditional leadership damaged property at another hall. The formal leadership was not pleased to deal with the judicial aftermath. (The students involved were expelled from formal residency in the Hall. But with 3000 informal residents, being expelled may have little practical effect.)
On the whole, we have been welcomed by the Vandals and are grateful for their hospitality and our prime location. That we can walk to campus buildings and that Calvin students can walk to our flat are significant benefits to the program.
Thanks, Commonwealth Hall!
—Matt
