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NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— Diversity is something the Navy prides itself on; diversity of culture and diversity of thought. We are taught that our differences and our life experiences make us a stronger, and a more capable warfighting team.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Bernard Akoli, originally from Ghana, assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) embodies the values that a diverse Navy provides and was overjoyed at the opportunity to share his culture with his shipmates.
Akoli’s journey in the U.S. began in 2010 through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program designed to create opportunities for different cultures to immerse themselves into the U.S. Akoli earned his master’s degree in Europe and returned to the U.S. in 2012, after a series of interviews, Akoli was able to gain permanent residence where he then began a career in the Navy in May of 2013.
“The program was designed to bring different backgrounds to the states to increase diversity,” said Akoli. “I think it is great that I get to learn about American culture and teach mine to those who are interested.”
Recently, Akoli invited Ford crewmembers to participate in a long standing Ghanaian tradition called an Outdooring Ceremony. In Ghana, it is custom to host a baby-naming, or Outdooring ceremony, to present a newborn, declare their name and announce the godparents to the world a few days to a few months after the child is born.
“Like most traditions, the ceremony has evolved over time, for us it is a period to thank God for the gift of a child and present him to our friends and family for the first time,” said Akoli.
Before the ceremony, the mother and child remain at home, cared for by the elder women and family giving them time to recover before, as the ceremony’s name implies, going outdoors to greet the world. During this time the baby is referred to by his or her soul name typically kept private within the immediate family.
“A baby’s soul name is based off of the day in the week they were born,” said Akoli. “My son was born on Monday so his name would be ‘Joojo’ in the dialect of my wife’s tribe, and ‘Kwadwo’ in mine which literally means ‘a male born on Monday’. His last name is my father’s last name, ‘Awudor’, so my son’s soul name is ‘Joojo Awudor’. Typically this name is never written down or spoken outside the immediate family, but I am happy to share this because I want the crew and my friends to experience and appreciate my culture.”
Akoli took time during the ceremony to explain the different elements of the ceremony to ensure his non-African guests were fully immersed in the experience.
“It was an honor to present my son’s name for the first time,” said Akoli. “His name is Aviad Johan Akoli. Aviad meaning father of eternity, Johan after my father John and Akoli which is my last name.
“Being able to share this experience with everyone was amazing, just mind blowing,” said Akoli. “I believe these kinds of experiences bond us closer together and makes people more tolerant to each other’s unique differences.”
Akoli wasn’t the only one overjoyed by the experience. Those invited left with an inside look at another culture and a bond they will never lose.
“I was honored that Akoli invited me to be a part of this special moment for his family,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Chaonon Tao, a Sailor assigned to Ford’s air department. “It was a beautiful ceremony and I learned a lot about his values and the significance of a name in their culture.”
Lt. Cmdr. David Kim, a chaplain aboard Ford was asked to give a blessing during the ceremony. The event provided Kim the opportunity to reflect on his own experiences as a Korean-American.
“HM2 [Akoli] approached me early on as an excited dad eager to include the command in this special moment,” said Kim. “Being Korean and growing up in an ethnic church I was reminded of my childhood during the ceremony. In my culture we have a similar tradition called a 100-day ceremony, where if the child lives to 100 days, which they almost always do now, we have a big celebration to celebrate the baby and determine its path in life.
It was an honor to be able to partake in the ceremony and to see that he has no shortage in mentors in faith and that it is important to him to merge his spiritual values with his work values,” said Kim.
Akoli hopes that by welcoming all to share in his culture he will inspire other exchanges and the world will become a more tolerant and accepting place where diversity is cherished and celebrated.
“A world where people are tolerant and accepting of all cultures is something I want my kids to be able to see and I am happy to do my part to contribute to that,” said Akoli.
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2018 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 304379 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘Delivering a Culture of Diversity’, by Kiana Raines, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
