Translation: Welcome to Ghana!
This statement perfectly describes the Ghanaian people- very friendly and excited to welcome everyone into their country. Ghana gained independence from the British about 50 years ago and was the first African colony to do so. English is the common language along with many different village dialects, such as Ga, Asante, and Ewe. Accra is the capital and biggest most-developed city in Ghana. The rest of the country is made up of small/big villages, plains, and mountains. The people have so much spirit in them! They are unbelievably talented at balancing everything on their head. Babies are wrapped on the backside of women in fabric. Pottery is hand-made by village women. Chiefs sit on thrones during village ceremonies. Goats run around wild. Free time is spent dancing and drumming. 69% of the country is Christian and 17% is Muslim. Store names are influenced by Christian titles on almost every sign. The atmosphere is relaxed, fun, and filled with laughter. Oh yeah, and Ghana is tremendously amazing!
My first day, Tuesday, was spent traveling the streets of Tema. Tema is the city where we ported and is a suburb to Accra. My music professor had a friend who offered to show us around and get dresses made. We started by taking fun taxi rides to the market area. Then 20 of us piled in a Tro-Tro, which is a minibus taxi, and went to another smaller market area to look at different fabrics. I found such a beautiful one! We then waited for the tailor to show up… and waited… So then our group worked it out that we could go back to the ship and the tailor would meet us there. So we did and waited… and waited… and still no tailor by 5:30 pm. Needless to say, the tailor never showed up, we all had put off our plans long enough already, and we were ready to do something else. So on the downside, I never got a dress made and I could’ve done other things with that time. On the bright side, I got to see the streets of Tema, learn about Ghanaian time, and now have African fabric to make whatever I want! I then met up with some friends in Accra and we walked the streets checking out the vendors and talking with insistent sellers. We were getting hungry so we asked around to find a Ghanaian restaurant. But we kept getting pointed to American ones! We finally found one that had Lebanese food and settled for it. It turns out that there really aren’t Ghanaian restaurants because they all eat in their homes with their families. The restaurant idea is more European/American, so those are the only types of restaurants that are opened. We had fun and it was great to see the friendly city of Accra!
Wednesday and Thursday were filled with an SAS program called “Cultural Immersion”… and immersed I was! We got up bright and early and traveled 2 hours through beautiful plains with distant mountains. We crossed over the Volta River dam, which feeds the largest man-made lake in the world (it was actually man-made on accident). Our big tour bus squeezed through narrow dirt paths back to the village of Torgorme (To-go-may). As we entered the village, everyone was excitedly waving at us and kids ran towards the arriving bus. We were the center of attention and surely sticking out with our white skin! They led us into a village circle where a ceremony would soon take place. The kids were in awe of us and staring and grabbing our hands. The villagers, school children, elders, chief and his family, and our host families gathered around the village circle as well and the ceremony began. There was drumming and lots of dancing—mostly by the children! A girl read a poem and elders shared prayers. Then they presented each of us one-by-one with our new African Ewe (Eh-vay) name, a small hand-made pot, and a beaded bracelet. They give names according to the day one is born (not just for us, but for everyone in the village) and the family name. Each name has it’s own meaning too. My African name is Ama Kafui (Aem-eh Kaw-fwee), which means “Praise Him”. ☺ We then were presented to our host families. I was paired up with another SASer who is actually from Colombia. Our host mom is in maybe her 50s and has her family right next to her in the village. One of my friends was paired with the Chief! I was very happy with my match—it was authentic representing the norm of the poor in Africa. We then hung out with our own families for the rest of the day, which in our case meant the extended family. Their English was limited so we communicated through actions mostly. The children taught us their dances, which was just so much fun. In return they wanted to learn some of ours, so we taught them some quality dances: The Macarena, Hand-Jive, and the Chicken Dance! Haha. They loooved these! They taught us more of their games, which is how they spend most of their free time. They don’t have computers and video games, so they find fun in outdoor games and dancing. I found a lot of fun in these too ☺ They also really enjoyed having pictures taken of them and then looking at themselves since many of them don’t have mirrors. One girl climbed a palm tree to pick coconuts, then our mother used a machete to cut it open for us to drink! They couldn’t believe we had only ever had coconut water out of a can before! The kids also took us to the Volta River… and they were arguing over who got to hold our hands along the way. The kids just swarmed around us and would pet our arms in amazement. The afternoon had passed and it was now dinnertime.
Here is when I had my breaking point… Let me explain it to you. Our tour guide had our dinner catered from a local mess hall. The SASers got our food and sat down with our host families. But our families never went up to get food. We asked them if they had eaten yet (by this time it was about 8 pm) and they said no. We asked them if they were going to go get some food here. They said they weren’t allowed. In the meanwhile, the rest of the villagers had gathered around us, some playing the drums and dancing, but most others were standing and watching us eat…. Watching us-- who are traveling the world, who have different clothes to wear tomorrow, who have money to buy a camera, who are having a meal catered to us, who don’t even question if we’ll have our next meal… And they just stood there and watched us engaging in another luxury that we take for granted. When we were about done eating, we asked our families if they wanted the rest of our food. They graciously said yes and took the plates. The nearby kids saw this and ran up wanting some scraps too. We looked up at the food line that was still filled for us to have seconds. And then looked at all the faces around us who hardly get to have firsts, let alone seconds. I just couldn’t take it. One by one, some of us went through the line filling plates and bowls with food and then passed it down to our families. They placed the dishes on the ground and the kids snuck over so they could fill their tiny tummies. We went up for a few more rounds and our families filled a bowl so they could eat tomorrow. At the end of the night I was thankful to see that the leftovers were thrown in a big bowl and laid down for kids. There were so many of them and such little food, that they were like dogs fighting over a bone.
These moments have permanently changed me. I was so disgusted with myself and luxurious lifestyle for quite awhile. I will never take for granted another meal. Instead, I am finding ways that I can help this village have their basic needs met. SAS has already been taking action since we’ve been back on board to donate pens, pencil, paper, and extra currency to Torgorme village so the kids can learn in school. I’m brainstorming ways for once I’m back home to help more of their needs, such as food and clothing. I’ll keep you posted in case anyone is interested.
After dinner we danced with the villagers to the drums. I had a new little friend shyly attach herself to me. She would hardly let go of holding my hand or hugging my leg. She’s such a cutie. By 10 pm we headed to bed. Our home had 2 rooms. We slept in one that had 2 straw mattresses on the ground. I fell asleep that night in a sweet African village listening to the goats and woke up to the anxious roosters. What a wonderful day. What wonderful kids and wonderful families.
I woke up the next day to kids pounding on the door (the door lock was 3 bent nails twisted over the door) and then pushing open the window. They wanted to see how we foreigners slept! And oh were they laughing! I couldn’t understand them but learned later that they were mimicking our sleeping positions. We got ready and then our mom presented us with a long skinny fabric to remember them. Oh, there is no way I could ever forget them! We said our goodbyes, which was rather difficult. In such a short time these people had changed my life. Their simplistic enjoyment in life, their never-ending laughter, their light-heartedness, their constant open arms, their community that looked out for one another… they changed my life. As we left everyone waved goodbye and the kids chased the bus.
We then drove 4 hours on very bumpy roads through more villages and beautiful mountains. It was so bumpy… it was like we were back-roading in a tour bus! It was actually pretty fun, kind of like a free amusement park ride. We soon arrived to Mount Afadjato, the tallest mountain in Ghana. And we hiked it! The natural trail went basically straight up for 950 meters! But oh, the view was AMAZING! We could see plains, more villages, and far Ghanaian mountains on one side… and on the other side were mountains and waterfalls in Togo! So even though I didn’t go to another country, I could see yet another country! The hike down was a bit unnerving due to how steep it was. I sort of felt like George of the Jungle ☺
We continued on our way to Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the village of Hohoe. We walked to the outskirts of the village to what appeared to be your everyday African woods. We soon learned differently as the branches seemed to be jumping. It was monkeys! Our guide did a monkey call with his mouth and then held up a peeled banana. The monkeys jumped right down to the nearest branch and snatched the banana! More of them gathered and were ready to chow down. We each took a banana, unpeeled it, and held it up to a hunting monkey. They sometimes snatched it small piece by small piece, but the one I fed snatched half of it all at once! My banana was gone in only two snatches! These may have been the coolest monkeys I’ve ever seen. We then drove 4 hours back to the ship. “Cultural Immersion” was my favorite SAS trip yet… It’s immersion into authentic Africa taught me so much that has permanently changed me.
Friday I attended a Drumming and Dancing workshop at Noyam African Dance Institute. It sits on a hill in the village of Dodowa. 8 teachers and students who make up the program eagerly greeted us. Noyam’s 2 buildings were very simple. They were unfinished concrete structures with one large room made for performances and practices. They showed us the facilities and then soon started teaching us a dance! We also learned a song that would be sung as an intro to the dance. Then it was time to put it all together. The drummers played advanced beats and we performed! I felt like a true African then, now that I could groove to the beat. They made a Ghanaian lunch for us and then we learned another dance in the afternoon. Half the group learned the drum and gonkogui part and the others (and me) learned the dance. We got to perform it all together. Who knew SASers could jam?! They also taught us about the importance of the relationship between drums and dancers. They are interdependent on one another, carefully listening and watching what the other is doing. The drums signal when the new dance frame is to start. The drums watch the dancers to understand the depths of the music. The drums build layers upon layers and normally have a master drummer that cues the others. The dancers use full body movements representing war, laughter, fun, and emotions. Sometimes the rhythm is so advanced you wonder how the dancers even find the beat! I have a 7 min video of our performance and will put it up once I get back home. Friday was a wonderful way to spend the last day in Ghana through drumming and dancing-- the true heart of the united country.
Then back to the ship it was… It was hard leaving Ghana. I felt like my time was well spent and very fulfilling (yet heartbreaking), but I wanted more time! As usual, my friends and I headed to 7th deck as we sailed away from shore. When we were leaving the port workers waved goodbye to us. We yelled, “WE LOVE YOU, GHANA!” and they responded with lots of positive cheers and laughter.
So what’s up now? Well, Saturday was Neptune Day… you may or may not be aware of what that is, but it’s quite a big deal on any ship crossing the equator! And then 6 days of classes until we arrive in South Africa on Saturday. I will update you on my ship time in a few days. Until then, keep taking care and go dance to some rhythm!
My first day, Tuesday, was spent traveling the streets of Tema. Tema is the city where we ported and is a suburb to Accra. My music professor had a friend who offered to show us around and get dresses made. We started by taking fun taxi rides to the market area. Then 20 of us piled in a Tro-Tro, which is a minibus taxi, and went to another smaller market area to look at different fabrics. I found such a beautiful one! We then waited for the tailor to show up… and waited… So then our group worked it out that we could go back to the ship and the tailor would meet us there. So we did and waited… and waited… and still no tailor by 5:30 pm. Needless to say, the tailor never showed up, we all had put off our plans long enough already, and we were ready to do something else. So on the downside, I never got a dress made and I could’ve done other things with that time. On the bright side, I got to see the streets of Tema, learn about Ghanaian time, and now have African fabric to make whatever I want! I then met up with some friends in Accra and we walked the streets checking out the vendors and talking with insistent sellers. We were getting hungry so we asked around to find a Ghanaian restaurant. But we kept getting pointed to American ones! We finally found one that had Lebanese food and settled for it. It turns out that there really aren’t Ghanaian restaurants because they all eat in their homes with their families. The restaurant idea is more European/American, so those are the only types of restaurants that are opened. We had fun and it was great to see the friendly city of Accra!
Wednesday and Thursday were filled with an SAS program called “Cultural Immersion”… and immersed I was! We got up bright and early and traveled 2 hours through beautiful plains with distant mountains. We crossed over the Volta River dam, which feeds the largest man-made lake in the world (it was actually man-made on accident). Our big tour bus squeezed through narrow dirt paths back to the village of Torgorme (To-go-may). As we entered the village, everyone was excitedly waving at us and kids ran towards the arriving bus. We were the center of attention and surely sticking out with our white skin! They led us into a village circle where a ceremony would soon take place. The kids were in awe of us and staring and grabbing our hands. The villagers, school children, elders, chief and his family, and our host families gathered around the village circle as well and the ceremony began. There was drumming and lots of dancing—mostly by the children! A girl read a poem and elders shared prayers. Then they presented each of us one-by-one with our new African Ewe (Eh-vay) name, a small hand-made pot, and a beaded bracelet. They give names according to the day one is born (not just for us, but for everyone in the village) and the family name. Each name has it’s own meaning too. My African name is Ama Kafui (Aem-eh Kaw-fwee), which means “Praise Him”. ☺ We then were presented to our host families. I was paired up with another SASer who is actually from Colombia. Our host mom is in maybe her 50s and has her family right next to her in the village. One of my friends was paired with the Chief! I was very happy with my match—it was authentic representing the norm of the poor in Africa. We then hung out with our own families for the rest of the day, which in our case meant the extended family. Their English was limited so we communicated through actions mostly. The children taught us their dances, which was just so much fun. In return they wanted to learn some of ours, so we taught them some quality dances: The Macarena, Hand-Jive, and the Chicken Dance! Haha. They loooved these! They taught us more of their games, which is how they spend most of their free time. They don’t have computers and video games, so they find fun in outdoor games and dancing. I found a lot of fun in these too ☺ They also really enjoyed having pictures taken of them and then looking at themselves since many of them don’t have mirrors. One girl climbed a palm tree to pick coconuts, then our mother used a machete to cut it open for us to drink! They couldn’t believe we had only ever had coconut water out of a can before! The kids also took us to the Volta River… and they were arguing over who got to hold our hands along the way. The kids just swarmed around us and would pet our arms in amazement. The afternoon had passed and it was now dinnertime.
Here is when I had my breaking point… Let me explain it to you. Our tour guide had our dinner catered from a local mess hall. The SASers got our food and sat down with our host families. But our families never went up to get food. We asked them if they had eaten yet (by this time it was about 8 pm) and they said no. We asked them if they were going to go get some food here. They said they weren’t allowed. In the meanwhile, the rest of the villagers had gathered around us, some playing the drums and dancing, but most others were standing and watching us eat…. Watching us-- who are traveling the world, who have different clothes to wear tomorrow, who have money to buy a camera, who are having a meal catered to us, who don’t even question if we’ll have our next meal… And they just stood there and watched us engaging in another luxury that we take for granted. When we were about done eating, we asked our families if they wanted the rest of our food. They graciously said yes and took the plates. The nearby kids saw this and ran up wanting some scraps too. We looked up at the food line that was still filled for us to have seconds. And then looked at all the faces around us who hardly get to have firsts, let alone seconds. I just couldn’t take it. One by one, some of us went through the line filling plates and bowls with food and then passed it down to our families. They placed the dishes on the ground and the kids snuck over so they could fill their tiny tummies. We went up for a few more rounds and our families filled a bowl so they could eat tomorrow. At the end of the night I was thankful to see that the leftovers were thrown in a big bowl and laid down for kids. There were so many of them and such little food, that they were like dogs fighting over a bone.
These moments have permanently changed me. I was so disgusted with myself and luxurious lifestyle for quite awhile. I will never take for granted another meal. Instead, I am finding ways that I can help this village have their basic needs met. SAS has already been taking action since we’ve been back on board to donate pens, pencil, paper, and extra currency to Torgorme village so the kids can learn in school. I’m brainstorming ways for once I’m back home to help more of their needs, such as food and clothing. I’ll keep you posted in case anyone is interested.
After dinner we danced with the villagers to the drums. I had a new little friend shyly attach herself to me. She would hardly let go of holding my hand or hugging my leg. She’s such a cutie. By 10 pm we headed to bed. Our home had 2 rooms. We slept in one that had 2 straw mattresses on the ground. I fell asleep that night in a sweet African village listening to the goats and woke up to the anxious roosters. What a wonderful day. What wonderful kids and wonderful families.
I woke up the next day to kids pounding on the door (the door lock was 3 bent nails twisted over the door) and then pushing open the window. They wanted to see how we foreigners slept! And oh were they laughing! I couldn’t understand them but learned later that they were mimicking our sleeping positions. We got ready and then our mom presented us with a long skinny fabric to remember them. Oh, there is no way I could ever forget them! We said our goodbyes, which was rather difficult. In such a short time these people had changed my life. Their simplistic enjoyment in life, their never-ending laughter, their light-heartedness, their constant open arms, their community that looked out for one another… they changed my life. As we left everyone waved goodbye and the kids chased the bus.
We then drove 4 hours on very bumpy roads through more villages and beautiful mountains. It was so bumpy… it was like we were back-roading in a tour bus! It was actually pretty fun, kind of like a free amusement park ride. We soon arrived to Mount Afadjato, the tallest mountain in Ghana. And we hiked it! The natural trail went basically straight up for 950 meters! But oh, the view was AMAZING! We could see plains, more villages, and far Ghanaian mountains on one side… and on the other side were mountains and waterfalls in Togo! So even though I didn’t go to another country, I could see yet another country! The hike down was a bit unnerving due to how steep it was. I sort of felt like George of the Jungle ☺
We continued on our way to Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the village of Hohoe. We walked to the outskirts of the village to what appeared to be your everyday African woods. We soon learned differently as the branches seemed to be jumping. It was monkeys! Our guide did a monkey call with his mouth and then held up a peeled banana. The monkeys jumped right down to the nearest branch and snatched the banana! More of them gathered and were ready to chow down. We each took a banana, unpeeled it, and held it up to a hunting monkey. They sometimes snatched it small piece by small piece, but the one I fed snatched half of it all at once! My banana was gone in only two snatches! These may have been the coolest monkeys I’ve ever seen. We then drove 4 hours back to the ship. “Cultural Immersion” was my favorite SAS trip yet… It’s immersion into authentic Africa taught me so much that has permanently changed me.
Friday I attended a Drumming and Dancing workshop at Noyam African Dance Institute. It sits on a hill in the village of Dodowa. 8 teachers and students who make up the program eagerly greeted us. Noyam’s 2 buildings were very simple. They were unfinished concrete structures with one large room made for performances and practices. They showed us the facilities and then soon started teaching us a dance! We also learned a song that would be sung as an intro to the dance. Then it was time to put it all together. The drummers played advanced beats and we performed! I felt like a true African then, now that I could groove to the beat. They made a Ghanaian lunch for us and then we learned another dance in the afternoon. Half the group learned the drum and gonkogui part and the others (and me) learned the dance. We got to perform it all together. Who knew SASers could jam?! They also taught us about the importance of the relationship between drums and dancers. They are interdependent on one another, carefully listening and watching what the other is doing. The drums signal when the new dance frame is to start. The drums watch the dancers to understand the depths of the music. The drums build layers upon layers and normally have a master drummer that cues the others. The dancers use full body movements representing war, laughter, fun, and emotions. Sometimes the rhythm is so advanced you wonder how the dancers even find the beat! I have a 7 min video of our performance and will put it up once I get back home. Friday was a wonderful way to spend the last day in Ghana through drumming and dancing-- the true heart of the united country.
Then back to the ship it was… It was hard leaving Ghana. I felt like my time was well spent and very fulfilling (yet heartbreaking), but I wanted more time! As usual, my friends and I headed to 7th deck as we sailed away from shore. When we were leaving the port workers waved goodbye to us. We yelled, “WE LOVE YOU, GHANA!” and they responded with lots of positive cheers and laughter.
So what’s up now? Well, Saturday was Neptune Day… you may or may not be aware of what that is, but it’s quite a big deal on any ship crossing the equator! And then 6 days of classes until we arrive in South Africa on Saturday. I will update you on my ship time in a few days. Until then, keep taking care and go dance to some rhythm!
ALSO ANOTHER NOTE: See the latest slideshow posted on the Semester at Sea website from Sahara (Morocco)! If you look closely you can see me in a few of the slides! http://www.ise.virginia.edu/video/F09/vid_3.html (Copy and paste this link into the web browser).
SOunds like you are having a great time.. keep enjoying it!!! I love you
ReplyDeleteLaDow
wow.
ReplyDeleteKelsy,
ReplyDeleteYour dad shared the website for the blog. What a wonderful experience for you. I have sent the web address to the rest of the high school staff. They are all quite interested.
Stay safe!
Mrs. Franzer