Event overview
'A Critique of Corruption in Ghana' - Lunchtime talk with - Girish Daswani, University of Toronto
This paper discusses “Sakawa,” illegal practices that combine Internet fraud and secret ritual practices at shrines. More specifically, it poses the questions of when it appears as a moral problem and what it is doing in these various contexts. The analysis will focus on three cases discussed: (1) sakawa as an alternative moral economy and a form of economic survival amongst Ghanaians that also involve shrines; (2) sakawa shrines that criticize the corruption of a Pentecostal public and (3) the Ghanaian government as a “sakawa government,” a metaphor that expresses a critique of the country’s politicians and charismatic pastors who are described as corrupt. Bringing these three examples into comparison, I argue that sakawa provides an ethical framework that raises questions about corruption, from what is at stake in getting rich too quickly or through illicit means, to how the redistribution of wealth is central to correcting an existing imbalance in a neoliberal economy.
Join Girish Daswani for a lunchtime talk on 'Sakawa: A Critique of Corruption in Ghana' next week. All as welcome to join and to bring their lunch along!
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2019 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
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