Intergenerational differences in dietary acculturation among Ghanaian immigrants living in New York City: a qualitative study

Dietary acculturation may explain the increasing risk of diet-related diseases among African immigrants in the United States (US). We interviewed twenty-five Ghanaian immigrants (Youth n 13, Age (Mean ± sd) 20 y ± 5⋅4, Parents (n 6) and Grandparents (n 6) age 58⋅7 ± 9⋅7) living in New York City (NYC) to (a) understand how cultural practices and the acculturation experience influence dietary patterns of Ghanaian immigrants and (b) identify intergenerational differences in dietary acculturation among Ghanaian youth, parents and grandparents. Dietary acculturation began in Ghana, continued in NYC and was perceived as a positive process. At the interpersonal level, parents encouraged youth to embrace school lunch and foods outside the home. In contrast, parents preferred home-cooked Ghanaian meals, yet busy schedules limited time for cooking and shared meals. At the community level, greater purchasing power in NYC led to increased calories, and youth welcomed individual choice as schools and fast food exposed them to new foods. Global forces facilitated nutrition transition in Ghana as fast and packaged foods became omnipresent in urban settings. Adults sought to maintain cultural foodways while facilitating dietary acculturation for youth. Both traditional and global diets evolved as youth and adults adopted new food and healthy social norms in the US.

“It sounds like the language spoken by those living by the seaside” – language attitudes towards the local Italo-romance variety of Ghanaian immigrants in Bergamo

In this article, I focus on the position of Bergamasco, the Italo-romance variety spoken in the Province of Bergamo (Northern Italy), in the linguistic repertoire of the local Ghanaian immigrant community. I argue that Ghanaian immigrants do not speak Bergamasco since the local people refrain from speaking Bergamasco to them. Bergamasco can be regarded as a we-code (Gumperz, John. 1982. Discourse Strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.) of the indigenous community, whereas Italian – in most cases, a simplified variety of standard Italian – is the default choice when communicating with immigrants. The lack of input in combination with negative attitudes and a lack of motivation to acquire the dialect triggers a self-reinforcing dynamic, making the incorporation of Bergamasco into the linguistic repertoire of Ghanaian immigrants unlikely. Excerpts from a sample of face-to-face interactions and semi-structured interviews involving a group of first-generation Ghanaian immigrants reveal that Bergamasco tends to be perceived as a sort of “secret language” deliberately used by local people to exclude immigrants and other outsiders. This stereotype originates from and is reinforced by lack of competence on the part of the migrants, but is devoid of any foundation.

The information needs of the Ghanaian immigrant

Purpose This study aims to examine the information needs of Ghanaian immigrants who have settled in Maryland in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Using an ethnographic approach, immigrants from Ghana shared their information needs, challenges and sources they rely upon for information. In total, 50 Ghanaian immigrants participated in this study. Findings Findings indicate that like many immigrant populations, Ghanaians who have immigrated to the USA primarily rely on personal networks, mediated through social media, as their primary sources of information. Despite the availability of immigration resources in the library, Ghanaian immigrants may not view it as a useful resource. Social implications While this study examines a single immigrant population, its social implications are important to libraries who aim to serve immigrant populations in their community. Originality/value This study provides new information about African immigrant population, a population whose information needs have rarely been covered in the literature.

The Culture of Connection

This chapter moves to Chicago to examine membership in Evangelical Charismatic congregations in the context of migration. Using examples from a particular Ghanaian Charismatic congregation in Chicago, and personal narratives about past experiences in different kinds of congregations, the chapter argues that certain congregations exhibit practices and principles that support intensified sociability among members, and thus have a culture of connection. In such congregations, members often express and enact lots of personal trust in each other, which makes membership in such congregations a potential basis for the formation of trust networks. Ghanaian immigrants are particularly prone to define “a good church” as one that has such a culture of connection. Moreover, although many of them would ideally like to attend a diverse, non-Ghanaian congregation, it is more difficult for them to find a culture of connection in such places, which leads many of them “back” to the ethnic church.