MISSION MISERY: Grandma Soja Says Two Officers Made Her First Peacekeeping Deployment Miserable

Ghana’s first female UN peacekeeper says two male colleagues constantly criticized her during her first mission in Lebanon.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Georgina Mensah has recalled the difficult experience she faced during her first United Nations peacekeeping deployment in Lebanon, saying two male officers made her life “miserable.”

Grandma Soja, as she is popularly known, was deployed to Lebanon in 1984 as a public relations officer.

But instead of an exciting first international peacekeeping assignment, she said she encountered resistance from some of her male colleagues.

“I wasn’t excited about it,” she told Kafui Dey. “The male counterparts were not very friendly for my appointment.”

She specifically recalled two officers who, according to her, repeatedly talked about her and questioned how she performed her duties.

“They made my life miserable. If I were a weaker person, maybe I would have opted to come down,” she said.

Among the criticisms directed at her was an allegation that she was not following her commanding officer whenever he travelled.

Grandma Soja said another challenge arose during functions at the officers’ mess, where there was not always a photographer available.

She recalled taking photographs herself to document activities, only for some of her colleagues to continue criticising her.

Rather than confront them or report the matter to a senior officer, she chose to ignore them.

“I just ignored them. I wouldn’t confront them or say anything of the sort because it was not worth it,” she said.

Her response changed when her work eventually spoke for itself.

After the first edition of the publication she worked on came out, the same colleagues who had criticized her began praising her work.

“They then said, ‘Hey, you’ve done well,’” she recalled.

Grandma Soja said she was not surprised by the quality of her work because of her background as an English graduate.

Her experience, she suggested, became another test of her determination to succeed in an environment where she had to prove herself repeatedly.