One last post from Ghana...

Hello!

The last two weeks have been a mix of relaxation, pure delicious adventure, goodbyes, and surprises.

Two weekends ago Team Ghana headed to a great little resort called Green Turtle Lodge. The Lodge is an excellent example of how tourism can support local industry and conservation, while keeping with sustainable practices. Even down to the basics, their toilets are self-composting, their shower water is recycled to feed plants, and their food is local. The tours they offer are both perceptive to the ecological needs of the area and sensitize the visitors as well, including bike tours, guided hikes, turtle hikes, and conservation projects. Close to Agona, the beach the lodge is on is a common area for sea turtles to do their hatchlings. The profits from the Lodge go towards turtle conservation projects. The normal turtle season is September – March, but visitors may get lucky and see a hatching in late August or early April. Thus, I was pretty eager to see turtles. We unfortunately did not. However, I was lucky to spend the weekend laying in a hammock, soaking up the sun, listening to the waves, and read one 350 page novel in 24 hours.

This is my kind of tourism.

Green Turtle Lodge

My last week of work was rather eventful. I got away from the office most days by interviewing NGOs in the region about a possibility of future partnerships. I always love meeting with NGOs because it gives me an opportunity to see the diversity of projects and passions in development work. I spent my time in the office typing up some final reports for my supervisors at both QPID and FoN. The community FoN is in, Adiembra, has become as much my home as my community where my host family is. We spent a large part of our last day saying goodbye to our ladies on Adiembra road. Our goodbye with Ivy, the shopkeeper I have mentioned before, was particularly heartfelt and heartbreaking.

Sara and I have said how sad we will be to not see Ivy on a daily basis. She has a sort of kindred spirit way about her, and brightens my days. If I ever get back to Ghana, I will immediately go to Ivy's shop for her ground nut paste (peanut butter) and a hug. We had a small gathering with our colleagues at FoN, and where we exchanged gifts. The ladies at work were very generous and provided Sara and I with yet another Ghanaian outfit. 

Our very good friend at work, Juliet.

With Ivy and her daughter Lydia.

FoN staff

My last Saturday in Ghana was one of the highlights of my whole stay. Sara, Heather, and I travelled to Busua, assuming a simple day trip to the beach to swim. When we arrived, we bumped into a friend from the CRC, Alex, who has recently moved to Busua. We made friends with locals and foreigners quickly, especially one small boy, named Yow (Fante for Thursday born) who accompanied us on our day’s adventures. Yow is mute, but we had a great time playing games, dancing, and communicating through play. We checked out the fishing boats, as I like to do wherever I go, went swimming, ate good food, and played with the local children. At one point Sara excitedly pointed out a money that for some reason ventured to the beach. The monkey was quite aggravated, and began to attack a dog of one of the shop owners who was sitting on the beach. The money then ran after me (I may have upset it by taking photos...), and managed to climb up my leg before my hysterics must have frightened it away. A hilarious moment in retrospect. Later, Alex took us to Dixcove, a community about 2km from Busua, saying he heard their was a festival that day. And a festival there was indeed! The royalty of the region were held up on floats, carried by 4-6 men. Some people were dressed in carnival masks, while others wore traditional and everyday wear. There was a band of trombones, and the town paraded around the community dancing and singing and celebrating and having the jolliest of times. I was eager to get into the action, and excited to see an obruni at their local festivities, they pulled me right into the action. I spent the next hour or two being tugged at and danced with and swung around enthusiastically, and I loved it! The locals taught me how to chant and make symbols to the royalty, and the men carrying the royalty danced with me as well. One particular elderly woman stayed with me from before we even found the parade, to the very end, and was hilarious and fun, showing me her dance moves. I have added a photo of us dancing on the street together, before the parade. The parade was culturally enlightening, fun, and chaotic in the best of ways, and was definitely one of my favourite Ghana moments. I feel so blessed to have tripped upon it.

Goofing around on the beach

Before the attack

Why not?

Fishing boat at Busua

The royalty

The band

Traditional costume

On Sunday Sara and I headed up to Tamale for our final week of travelling to Mole National Park. In Tamale we found these hilarious t-shirts that say ‘Make Fufu, Not War,” on the front, and “You are Invited” on the back. It is customary in Ghana to say “You are Invited” while eating to invite them to take some food. Unfortunately, while waiting for the bus to Mole, I heard that a tornado had hit my hometown in Canada. I am sad to say that I am now leaving Ghana a few days ahead of schedule to help out my family with the damages to the house. I spent today running some necessary errands in Takoradi, taking mental photos of my favourite parts of town and saying my goodbye to my friends on I. Adu, the street I live on, and then packing and doing some goodbyes with my family. My mood right now is a sadness to leave Ghana, but also an anxiety to get back to Goderich and help out the family and my home town. Ghana has taught me so many things, and I have spent the last 3 months discovering and learning about not only Ghana, but also myself. I would like to include a better conclusionary blog to my trip, but due to my rushed departure, I will post again later. After some pondering on the plane, reflection, and debriefing, I will add some more blogs. I am also midway through a blog debriefing on my internship.

To all my friends in Ghana reading, thank you for teaching, listening, and welcoming me into this place that is beautiful and unique in so many ways.

To my friends in Goderich, I am already hearing about the amazing community efforts going into clean up, and I am eagerly awaiting seeing you all and lending a helping hand.

And to my friends everywhere else, keep smiling! 

Discover the Unexpected (a very long post)

Dearest friends,

I have yet to post on the incredible time that was my trip to the Volta region of Ghana. The Volta region is the most Eastern region, bordering Togo. For those of you who have me on facebook, you know that my status upon returning was "This last week has been full of true adventure, vibrance, compassion, friendship, generosity, beauty, and wisdom. I have learned and experienced so much. Ghana has won over this obruni's heart."Robin, Sara, and I headed to the city of Ho to do Project ID, which is how QPID finds new organizations to partner with, with an organization called Sight for Life. We volunteered for Sight for Life for 3 days, assisting them in their community outreach programs where they do eye health promotion, eye screening, and subsidize glasses, medicines, and procedures to promote good eye health. The team welcomed us with appreciation and open arms and was incredibly organized. Each day we went to a different rural community outside Ho. When we got there the locals performed welcoming ceremonies for us, that included drums, dance, beautiful dresses, and giving us beads that made us "honoroury citizens." We cooked and ate and drank (gin and wine) and danced and prayed and laughed. The old ladies invited us to dance, showing us their moves, then we would dance with their husbands and children. I automatically connected with couple of women. There was woman who was so vibrant and had incredible dance skills, and Sara and I adored her. Later we found out she was105 years old. In a rural community with no electricity, no running water, little sanitation, and only traditional healthcare. In so many ways we assume these communities are "poor." There are definite issues, and it's why they've been targeted by Sight for Life as a marginalized group in need of eye care. But two days in two communities, I experienced so much food and culture and love and happiness and generosity. 

(I failed to take photos on these trips, so these photos go to the credit of Robin. Thanks bud!)

The dancing girls

We were lucky enough to meet the chiefs and elders of the communities

Dance circle around the drummers 

In the action

A local making gare, ground cassava

They taught us too!

Aside from the welcoming ceremonies, I assisted one of the team members, Millicent, with handing out glasses. Despite their subsidies, many people still cannot afford the glasses and medicines they need. Many suffered from eye disease as well. Although within one marginalized community, there was still a division between the people who could afford the glasses and the people who couldn't. 

With the Sight for Life team

Following our exciting and heart-warming visit to Sight for Life, Robin, Sara and I met up with Heather at Roots Yard, a campground near Peki, to explore the Volta region a bit more. Roots Yard was by far the most excellent place I've stayed in Ghana so far. Only opening in June, it's an accommodation focused on environmentalism, local food, and veganism. The food and drinks were amazing, and it was so refreshing to have good vegetarian food and real coffee, not nescafe! Real coffee is impossible to find in Ghana, so people drink instant. The British-Ghanaian family was lovely. We took two day trips during our stay, one to Wli falls (pronounced Vlee) and one to the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. We travelled with another group of foreigners staying at Roots. The trip to Wli falls was lengthy, but once we arrived, it was beautiful. After a 45 minute walk down the 9-bridge path, we arrived at the falls. From the bottom you can only see the lower falls. The upper falls can be seen by hiking to the top of the lower falls, a dangerous trek during the rainy season. It was hard to believe we were only seeing half the falls, because they were unimaginably tall. Clad in our bathing suits, we ventured into the cold water. The closer we got to the falls, the more impossible it was to see and move, because the pressure and spray from the falls was so strong. The mist however was very refreshing. 

We are so tiny!

On our second day trip, we took a much shorter trotro ride to the Monkey Sanctuary. The sanctuary is not large, just a small piece of forest where many Mona monkeys live, who are accustomed to people coming in to feed them. We were given bananas to feed the monkeys, who, if you held on to the banana tight enough, hopped right onto your arm! The tour guide told us a bit about the monkeys, but I hardly payed attention. Rather, I watched as two monkeys picked and cleaned each other, how a mother monkey gracefully maneuvered around the branches with her baby wrapped around her belly, and how the others were able to do so much with their long and strong tails. After a long trotro ride back home, we arrived for another week of work. 

My wide eyed friend

Mama and baby!

The Bradt guide on Ghana lists Nzulezo, the stilt village, as one of the things to see in the country, saying its readers called it the highlight of their trip. Not far from Takoradi, the pre-colonial village was built over 600 years ago, but no one really knows why. It is built on top of Amunsuri lake, with stilts supporting the structure. One legend says that the original inhabitants were refugees from what is now Nigeria, who went there to escape from an enemy tribe. When I was in Morocco, I visited the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which, like Nzulezo, is built on the water. The mosque was built according to the Quran, which says “the throne of Allah was built on water.” According to the Wikipedia page on Ghana, Islam spread to Northern Ghana and Nigeria during the 13^th century. It seems likely that the south was still void of Islam 600 years ago, and Nzulezo has no mosque (I asked!), just three Christian churches. This said, it’s a cool kind of coincidence, and I like to think there is a spiritual aspect to building above water.

The only way to get to Nzulezo is by canoe from the town of Beyin, through the Amunsuri wetlands, which is the largest conserved wetland in Ghana. The canoe ride is striking. The wetlands are lush and green, lily pads, palm trees, and apparently crocodiles, all in abundance. The water is black and reflective, making for some stunning photos. Once we arrived at Nzulezo the uniqueness and intriguing architecture of the village was striking. A tour guide showed us through the homes, pointing out the schools and churches.

It quickly became clear that the romanticized and beautiful image we had of Nzulezo from my guidebook was very one-dimensional. Because of their location on the water, so much has to be imported, which is expensive and unsustainable for the growing population of 500. Their main income is from distilling akpeteshie, a gin made from palm, and from tourists, who pay upwards of 15 cedi to see the town and are encouraged to donate to the school. A diet of mainly seafood creates malnutrition, and they lack a medical clinic. The same water is used for drinking and disposing of waste, so disease is common. Although I have a couple of picturesque photos, there are also a few cluttered with litter and waste. They have a primary school, but no junior high, so students must take the 1-hour boat ride to attend school. The community is poor and restricted by their location. Would life be easier on land? As an outsider that spent only an hour at the village, I can’t really say, but it seems like a balance between tradition and practicality is the trick.  

The more I travel and the more I ponder, the more I realize nothing is one-dimensional. No one is just poor. Nothing is just beautiful. Nowhere is just dangerous. So much of our impressions before we see a place, or even after we do see a place, is based off common belief. For me, it is the discovering of the unexpected that makes these travels so incredible and worthwhile.

Lastly, if you haven't noticed, I have barely mentioned my internship at FoN. I am facing some struggles in the workplace. General disorganization, bad communication, disrespect, and difficult gender tensions has made for a more challenging internship than I had expected. However, I am continuing to embrace the challenges as learning experiences, and overall will become a more patient and experienced employee in the future. If nothing else, I have read a lot, and learned a lot about fisheries, NGO organization, and development as a whole. 

Until next time,

Caro

Kumasi

Hello friends,

Two weekends ago Sara and I went to Kumasi. Kumasi is five hour drive north of Takoradi and is the second largest city in Ghana, next to Accra, the capital. The drive was mostly jungle, which I enjoyed. I love that about Ghana. We had read that there was a lot of great shopping, artists, and workshops in the city and were going to do the bulk of our souvenir, art, and craft shopping. Sara and I admittedly have a fabric addiction and are in love with Ghanaian handy crafts. Upon our arrival we embarked to the Kejetia Market, which is the biggest market in West Africa, and I would argue it’s probably the most hectic as well!  The Wikipedia article says it has 10,000 stalls.

When Sara and I first entered the market we got caught in the shoes. The market is organized much like the Souks in Morocco. All of the shoes are together, all of the spices, all of the textiles, etc. The trick is not getting lost in the maze and wind up walking in circle around shoes. That said, getting lost and wandering with no idea of your footing is half the fun. The meat section is a little frightening. Women squat selling fish, fish, and more fish.  Fish are sold in the same manner in Takoradi, and I find it strangely beautiful. I’ll try to take photos at Market in Takoradi one day. In Kejetia, occasionally some goat legs will pass your face as someone scurries off with their goods, or other mysterious piles of meat. The aisles between the market vendors are slim, maybe room for one car to squeeze through, but not easily. So if someone has a cart or a wagon to deliver that days vegetables or meat, everyone is crammed to the sides. Most locals seemed to be used to the chaos, and kept their footing well, but it seems that Sara and I were losing each other, slipping around, and focused not to step into a bucket of fish. In other sections, like the shoes, there is only room for people to walk single file between the stalls. If you’re lucky you’ll come across my two favourite parts of the market that I saw: spices and fabric! The smell of the raw ginger mixed with the nearby vegetables is amazing. Sara and I spent an hour or more dodging in and out of fabric stalls, comparing colour and patterns and talking about design ideas. I fell in love with the many kente cloths, a traditional African cloth, and purchased a few to bring to my seamstress.

When we finally found our way out of the market, we headed towards the cultural centre, where many artists- painters, sculpturers, and more sell their artwork and souvenirs. The cultural centre also provides workshops. One of the most common things to find, other than the typical elephant and giraffe wood carvings (which annoys me because there are no giraffes in Ghana!), is a game called Ouwarye. Ouwarye is a lot like mandala and usually comes in a wooden box that folds in two, beautifully carved. You can also get large non-folding ones in the shapes of alligators. I wish I had room for one in my luggage, because a big wooden alligator with Ouwarye carved in would be the perfect centre piece for a room. 

Alligator Ouwarye

Sara and I spent most of our time at the cultural centre chatting up painters. I fell in love with two paintings and made myself choose one. I am really happy with the one I chose. It is a striking painting of a boy with a bowl on his head. Boys, girls, and women like this are seen on roads and at trotro stations, absolutely everywhere, selling everything and anything. Typically, in the type of bowl in my painting, boys and girls would sell water sachets. The boy is amongst a colourful background inset with squares, and his facial features and eyes are striking. From the second I saw it I was mesmerized. I cannot wait to frame it and hang it in my new apartment in Canada. Sara also bought a spectacular one of a woman dancing, with the brushstrokes making her movement in this big circle on a lime green background. I loved meeting artists, seeing different types of Ghanaian artwork, and just the artist atmosphere.

The artist with my painting

That evening Sara and I met some interesting people at our hostel, a backpacker’s sort of place, as is all of the places we stay at. We meet a lot of volunteers, people working, travellers, all with interesting stories. We met a British man named Simon who has been to basically every African country. He’s made a career out of seeing the world, and enlightened us with his opinions on African politics and culture. I could have talked to him all night. I find people like that so inspiring.

The next day Sara and I decided to do something with our morning before heading back to Takoradi and went to see a sword that is stuck in the ground and cannot be removed. It was discovered in the 50s when they built a hospital on the property it was on. Every time they tried to remove it with machinery, it disappeared. Even Mohammed Ali came to try to pull it out, but it won't budge. Now it's a part of Ashanti legend... if it is removed, the Ashanti kingdom will fall apart. The sword was housed in a small building where a guide told us all about Ashanti legends.

In all, it was a shopaholically refreshing weekend. 

Keep smiling! :) 

Caro

Half-Assini Project

Dearest blog reading friends,

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. So much has happened since I last blogged. In order to avoid a huge post, I will add several different posts each covering a different chunk of time. 

Last time I blogged I was in Half-Assini doing interviews. I interviewed all of the stakeholders of the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) in the Jomoro region in Ghana. The Jomoro region is the region on the West coast, bordering the Ivory Coast. I was trying to get a grasp of the issues the stakeholders felt were crucial for the MTDP, if they were satisfied, and if there is a high level of community participation in the MTDP. My interviews were generally negative, and I witnessed many sides of one issue, everyone with their own side of the story. Grassroots development is not as utopian as it seems, and I left Half-Assini with a more dreary, though more realistic, perspective of the outcomes from development projects. Some of my interviews were conducted with District Assembly Members and other professionals in the Assembly building. For other interviews I was welcomed into stakeholder's homes and communities. I found these interviews the most interesting because not only did they tell me about their general unsatisfaction with the MTDP, but also showed me some of the problems first hand. As I have seen in fishing communities in Takoradi, Half Assini fishing communities also lack to some extent proper sanitation, education, and is struggling with getting the materials they need to catch, transport, and smoke their fish. The opposition between interviewing men in suits in Assembly bragging of their development work, and women under a tree in their communities, surrounded by children not in school and women doing physical labout while their husbands were at sea- was hard to bear. In Development Studies, we often talk about a division of wealth. For example, the West is Wealthy, while the East is Poor. Or, within developing nations: The corrupt government is wealthy. The people are poor. But as I more carefully study the interactions between people in one small region, the issues of division of wealth trickle down to the smallest regional areas. And as though not as extreme as when we speak of the division between the West and the East, I am seeing how these grand ideas are applying to one community, one family, one individual, and yet how even the grassroots, community directed projects like the ones FoN runs, have little hope of equalizing the wealthy and the poor.

I left Half-Assini feeling educated and a little depressed.

To give you an idea of the battles between the assembly men and the fishermen and fishmongers (women who cook and sell fish) I’ve added two excerpts from my interviews. While the fishmonger felt she was not treated well by the assembly men, the assembly man felt that fishing communities must obey fishing laws before they can become a part of the MTDP. Please note that this interview with a District Assembly Member does not represent the views of all Assembly Members and professionals. I interviewed many, and these were the views of one specific gentleman. Many of the assembly members were much more humble. These are not the full interviews. Additionally, this is only my experience.

Interview with the Chief Fish Processor:

Me: Specifically, how were you involved in the MTDP?

CFP: I told them I needed money for a net to smoke fish and a pan to carry fish from seashore to the houses. They asked me my needs but didn’t bring them. Now when I see people like them they annoy me because I think they are coming to deceive me. Now I do not like to take part in interviews.

Me: Do you have any other suggestions or comments?

CFP: Gather people to come and listen so they are able to take part.

I then explained how assemblies concerning MTDP were open to public and maybe this should be better advertised so people are able to gather.

CFP: The assemblymen, when anyone says anything about fishmongers, the men dodge the fishmongers and they do not hear about it. Fishmongers are poorly treated. They should come to the fishmongers; fishmongers should not come to them.

Me: Why are the fishmongers poorly treated?

Because they are not regarded as human beings. The assemblymen do not consider them human beings. Fishermen and fishmongers are doing a job to help Ghana, but assemblymen do not respect them or inform them.

Interview with District Assembly Member:

Me: Do you think the voices (opinions) of the general public are considered?

DAM: Yes, fairly. Depends on who speaks. If I am a farmer and I say something it may not carry weight, as much as a professional in a particular area. This is wrong.

I mentioned the Chief Fish Processor’s comments on assemblymen treating fishmongers as subhuman and asked him to comment.

We see their needs as something they can solve. The issues are: Where do they smoke the fish? How do they transport? They can get these things easily. Many taxis are available, lots available for them. Authorities think the fishmongers can solve the problems themselves, that their needs are not much.

Chief fisherman we met with and interviewed him and said they need to stop using light fishing and behold they said they would continue to use the light and would be arrested. They have been given the platform but they continue to go against the law, it’s a problem. Need to educate our people very well, education education! Nothing attached to fisherman, crop farmer, and end of question. They rely solely on fish; do not have enough attachment to the economy to make inputs.

Half Assini

Keep reading! There's more to come.

Hope it's sunny wherever you are in the world. 

Caro

I just can't stay in one place!

Hey friends!

This summer is flying by… Midsummer retreat is over already! We are officially half way through our internships, and although I’m having some challenges at the workplace, my cultural experience, sense of adventure, and relationships with Ghanaians are getting more exciting every day. At FoN, I am continuing to learn about NGO operation and coastal issues. As I alluded, I have been facing some trying occurrences as well. FoN is mostly funded by USAID, (United States Agency for International Development), and as is common amongst any NGO funding is sometimes unstable. The funding assigned for the Hen Mpoano Initiative has been shifted in focus from biodiversity to food security, meaning the original project I was assigned has been cancelled. That, in addition to a high number of interns  (ten!) admittedly mistakenly taken on by FoN, means that finding enough work to keep busy can be challenging. Although I sometimes feel discouraged by this, it is an important lesson in Development and NGO work- money is tight and things don’t always go as planned. I have, however, found some holes in the Ngyeresia project, and in organization and communication in the office, and am writing proposals to help fill these gaps and improve some of the organization situations in the office.  Although this means I do a lot less of the hands-on fisheries work than I had previously planned, I am adding a dimension to my resume on workplace organization, writing, and initiative that I previously lacked.

Sara and I have been growing closer to our host family. We play football with the boys and Hilda Jr. (the younger of the two girls), cook with Mo (the older of the two girls) and the adults, spend a lot of time with George, who is our age, and are often invited to watch TV with the whole family.  Our relationships with our neighbours are growing as well, and as we learn more of the social norms we more easily interact with everyone we meet.

Playing football with the fam

This weekend we chatted about a lot of these challenges and enjoyments at our Midsummer Retreat. All of Team Ghana met in Cape Coast for a long weekend of interesting conversation, adventure, and fun. We stayed at Oasis Beach Resort, a hostel style resort with many other foreigners. We met some really cool people. Cape Coast has many more obrunis than anywhere else I’ve been so far. It’s the hub of tourism in Ghana. The location of the resort was perfect, we were right on the beach, within a two minute walk to the Cape Coast Castle, which was practically next door when lying on the beach.

On Friday Sara, Davina, and I met with the director of an NGO called Hoops Care International for Project ID. Project ID is how QPID meets with other organizations to find new partnerships for future summers. Since FoN can be slow I'll be taking on more Project ID as the summer continues. I was greatly intrigued by the work Hoops Care does interfaith work through sports, specifically, basketball. They believe interfaith hostilities among kids can be improved through sport. They also teach, have after school clubs, and provide mosquito nets to families and schools, as well as do other Malaria prevention work.  Ghana is about 70% Christian, 27% Muslim, and 3% traditionalists, though almost everyone in the south is Christian.

On Friday we also did a tour of Cape Coast Castle. Cape Coast Castle is one of the castles along the Coast of Ghana, or “slave coast,” where Europeans enslaved Ghanaians before putting them on the ship to be sent to the Americas. On one hand we experienced a beautiful and historic building with stunning ocean scenery, on the other, we were explained the torture, disease, and injustices Ghanaians faced before boarding the ships, which were many more weeks of these brutalities. The tour was interesting, and the tour guide spoke of the gruesome details which I think was good to help us understand as much as possible something so outside our realm of imagination. He showed us the dungeons, which are about half the size of typical elementary North American classroom, where about 300 were squeezed. The slaves were left in pitch dark, and the tour guide showed us with chalk on the wall how the human waste they lived in grew about a metre high in their 3 month stay in the dungeon. Of course, many people died while in captivity and males and female were separated.  Then he showed us a “cell” which was an even smaller room where people who fought the Europeans were kept. Men and women were left in here, in shackles and chains, again in the dark, with no food and water, to die.  He showed us the marks from people who scratched at the walls with their shackles and chains. He also showed us where women who were incompliant to men’s sexual wishes were kept and raped as an example to the other women to obey. They were often then put in the dungeon pregnant. I felt very lucky, as a white person, to be allowed to visit the castle and learn about its history.  I also found the experience very thought provoking.

Cape Coast Castle

On Saturday we got up early to beat the crowd at Kakum National Park and do the canopy walk! We arrived had an excellent tour guide who gave us an informative walk around the rainforest, explaining the medicinal uses of different plants and pointed out unique trees. The canopy walk is 40 m high and 300 m long, making for a frightening walk.  It’s a little shaky, but there is tall mesh on either side, making it impossible to fall off. Luckily, the 300 m are separated into 7 different lengths with lookouts in between to look at the rainforest beneath you. After a while you get used to it and it becomes easy to walk along the bridge.

Canopy walk at Kakum

We also checked out the markets at Cape Coast. Many artists were selling their painting, sculptures, masks, jewellery, beads, dishware, and other products. It is very typical in Ghanaian market places for people to make these bracelets that can be personalized with your name out of the Ghanaian colours, red, yellow and green. I had one done that says ‘Caro,’ since that’s what everyone, even the rest of Team Ghana, calls me now. I made a few other purchases, including a gift for parental type people I bet are reading this!  I enjoyed chatting to the artists who were genuine and not forceful in their sales.

A chatty artist who makes dish ware out of coconut shells, making a coffee jug

This week I'm in Half-Assini doing some research on a project I will write for FoN on community participation in the Medium Term Development Planning in this district. Today I started by interviewing different stakeholders in Development Planning and I am learning a lot from the different perspectives I hear. I'm looking forward to getting back out tomorrow and I'll update at the end of the week how my research went! So far I've heard some intriguing opinions, sad stories, and am looking forward to compiling the information. 

Until next time,

Caro 


P.S. If you're a facebooker and want to see more photos, I upload regularly on my facebook page!

We whip our hair!

Maadwo!

I’ve been in Ghana for a month now, and I can hardly believe it’s going by so quickly! Last week at work I was allowed to follow around some of my colleagues to see the different meetings they take part in. I’m finding the operations of FoN very democratic: they invite representatives from religious groups, women groups, business groups, the district assembly, chieftaincies, and NGOs to the forums, and they are almost always open to the public, unless productive decisions must be made. The community is always consulted or surveyed as well. Although these processes make the workings of FoN more tedious perhaps then just an executive decision, I am appreciating the bottom-up grassroots approach FoN takes with all of their projects and learning a lot about community participation and consensus building.

Welcome to FoN!

FoN shares property with Parks and Gardens, so we are surrounded by beautiful gardens

The laneway

Ivy, our favourite shopkeeper and friend in Adiembra (the community FoN is in). We visit and buy from her  daily!

On Saturday Sara and I hopped on a trotro and went downtown to go fabric shopping. Many women wear beautiful dresses made by seamstresses, especially to church and special events. Market circle is covered in fabric stores, so we oohed and aahed over fabrics and though out ideas for our new dresses and skirts that Georgina, our seamstress, will hopefully make us. The market circle is a chaotic and wonderful place. The inside shops sell fabric, mattresses, electronics, etc., and seamstresses and salons are also common. On the street is fast food, bread, fruit, heaps of clothing that people pick through, shoes, little stands for getting nails done, etc. The streets are busy and exciting, especially the whirring of taxis and trotros.

How will I ever choose?

Juliette, the secretary at work, met us downtown to take us to a salon to get our hair done. Many women here wear meshes- sometimes with long flowing loose hair, but usually with braids, cornrows, or short dreads. With the heat and sweat, Sara and I decided braided hair would be easiest to take care of. It doesn’t need to be washed and it lasts about a month. So braids we got! It took five hours, usually with two or three women braiding and adding in the extensions. It was a little painful at times, and I found myself quite bored and antsy from sitting in the chair for so long. I even had a nap! (Those of you who know me well, yes, typical of me to fall asleep). The end result is fantastic though, and I am so thrilled that I got it done. Sara and I are playing with different styles and hair accessories. This morning at church we practically blended in with our Ghanaian style dresses and braided hair.

Look at all those extensions! 

Our team of hairdressers and us with our new hair!

Lady Star on the Sea Catholic Church. The steeple is so high, I couldn't get it in the photo.

Today we relaxed and watched some TV with the family, got ice cream, and tried some new Ghanaian food. The ice cream here is called FanIce. They come in plastic bags, and you bite the corner off and suck the ice cream out. FanYogo and FanMilk are also available. Milo is also a delicious chocolately-energy drink of sorts. You can buy it cold, or like Nesquik crystals to add to hot water. Many of the popular TV shows are very dramatic. The relations between men and women in the shows I have seen offend Sara and I but we try to remember that cultural norms are much different than at home. That said, the frequency in which men force themselves on women and women act passive is disturbing.

This one is good, but Vanilla FanIce is the best.

We often eat fish for dinner, and it’s delicious. Today for the first time, we got the whole fish, head, eyes, fins, everything. Sara and I knew this would be coming and knew we were being pampered with our fish nicely chopped before. I think we handled it quite well. Despite being a past veggie, I am easily peeling meat and skin off bones now. We’ve noticed that many Ghanaians just eat the whole fish- the bones and everything! They just bite it, like a chocolate bar, and eat it. Many Ghanaians also eat chicken bones. Emmanuel, our host brother, says it’s because they provide calcium. I think their teeth must be very strong!  I think my teeth would chip if I ever tried to chew a chicken bone. For dinner we had a dish similar to Fufu, except the ball was made of rice, not cassava. I am addicted to the palm nut soup Fufu and rice ball is served with. So tasty! We also tried crab this week which was surprisingly delicious. 

Yum! Fufu!

I’m really getting into the Ghanaian groove of things.  The culture of time, music, dress, hair, food… my craving for maple syrup and pancakes or Tim Hortons coffee is becoming all the more distant the more I learn about life here.

We are excited for next weekend. We’re meeting up with the rest of the team and going to Cape Coast, where we’re checking out Elmina Castle and the Canopy walk and Kakum National Park. I’ll be writing about that soon! Also, I have some wonderful eco-touristy plans coming up involving canoes and sea turtles. 

Last thing, I saw this sign on a building this week and it reminded me of my blog. :)

Until next time,

Caro. 

Photos from the weekend

As promised...
:)

The crowd at umbrella rock (look sideways!)

That's a crazy hike!

Us with our bikes

The scenery on the bike ride

Waterfalls!

Team Ghana

My delicious cake

In other news, Yesterday Sara and I followed the team to three fishing communities in the area: Shama, New Takoradi, and Azueri. At each community a crowd was gathered to watch the chief fishermen make oaths to stop all illegal fishing practices. They gathered on the beach and poured a bottle of white wine onto the sand while making their vows- a traditional technique of making oaths. Friends of the Nation organized the event and took photos and interviews, while a local priestess brought some traditional religious aspects to the ceremony, acknowledging the presence of a sea god. It was cool to see a combination of NGOs, traditional chieftaincy, current governance, religious leaders, and local people all contributing to one goal. 

Until next time,

Caro