Monday, Feb. 23, 2009:
In West Legon, Ghana,
I walk from Sober Spot to Pure Fire
take a Tro-tro to The University of Ghana, Legon.
I go to the Library and look for the book,
Cosmopolitanism, by Kwame Anthony Appiah.
The librarians found another book that he did with Peggy Appiah,
Proverbs of the Akans.
I'm at the Performing Arts Center.
I watch the dancers and drummers practice.
I talked with Charles, one of the drumming instructors.
He tells me the drums, reddish brown stained,
cost 50 cedis and they can ship them to the States.
At the univ. to meet Winfried Donkor
who I was introduced to via e-mail by Patsy Barber
who is friends with my friend Amy Symons.
Winfried is the program manager for The Development Institute,
He is at the university for a conference on HIV/AIDS.
I meet him at the Noguchi Conference Hall. He is
with his friend, Fortune. They tell me that they are at a
conferencedesigning and modifying an HIV/AIDS questionaire/survey
that they use in the field to gather information on behavior
and safety patterns and peoples' attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS.
I asked Fortune about peoples' openness to being asked personal
questions and she says for the most part, people will open up and
be forthright. The survey takes about an hour.
We go to a university canteen and Winfried orders a Guinness
and I have a Castle Milk Stout and some goat on a stick.
Winfried tells me that he works out of three different places.
One is in Accra, the other in the Ho area where he grew up, and the
other on a peninsula on the Volta, KeteKrachi (sp?). This is where
there was some turmoils between relocated Muslims and the existing community.
Winfried's also interested in working on a literacy program with the
Accelerated Rural Development Organization (ARDO.
They emphasize motivating parents to keep their children
in school longer by assisting them with expanding their
business. The parents won't be tempted to pull
their children for financial reasons. Creative Incentives.
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009:
Irene and Mercy make me breakfast: eggs with onions and tomatoes,
toast w/orange marmalade, instant coffee.
I take a tro-tro from Sober Spot to Achimota Circle, 25 pesewas.
A nice man helps me get a on the tro-tro to Circle (Accra Circle, Nkrumah Circle.
I look in the market at some shops. I look mostly at stationery stores.
I head down Nkrumah Ave. and stumble upon The Loom Limited, an art gallery.
A beautiful woman helps me look at the artwork by opening the portfolios
of artists I'm interested in. I like the Batik artist from Accra
who signs her work, "Edwina". Abstract and strong images.
"Abnormality" for 56 cedis, brown and white paint on canvas from
the Sirigu Collective called SWOPA (The Sirigu Women's Organization of
Pottery and Art) based in Northern Ghana, Bolga.
Another little acrylic of a tree by the artist, Ismaila Tagoe.
And crayon and marder pieces by a Nigerian artist, Oladapo Adao Osogbo.
The owner's been in business for a long time. Strong lady. An American was in
there trying to make a "deal" with her and she wasn't buying it. The beautiful
woman showing me the art work was her daughter.
I walk down Palma to Nsawam Rd and then onto Farrar Ave.
I stumble upon the Step In Gallery and met the owner, Nicholas Kowalski.
His work-- lots of shapes, colors, organic, op art/African art,
nice landscapes as well. He said he lived in NYC for 2 yrs
and showed in Vancouver, BC wher he was able to work for 6 months. He loved it there. His grandfather was Polish, thus his name. I later found these 2 galleries in my guide book.
I walk to the Club Hotel Spot to do some writing and try some more of the Ghanian beers. I try Stone and Gulder this time. Stone is a strong lager. I decide I still prefer Star.
Wed. Feb. 25, 2009:
Go to Accra Circle again, walk down Kwame Nkrumah Ave., stopped at stationery shops.
Walk through Makola Market, busy and bustling in the heat.
Stop at Methodist Book Shop and bought two Calabash gourd art making books.
Walk to Mkrumah Memorial Park and had a coconut to drink for 40 pesewas, about 35 cents. Then walk to the beach through some shanties. I walk along the beach until past Independence Sq. and the walk along Marine Dr. and onto Labadi Rd.
I catch a tro-tro to Labadi beach, pay a cedi to enter and a bartender escorts
me to her bar. I go for a walk along the beach and two guys approach me
to sell me bracelets and paintings. I end up stopping and having a beer
with people trying to sell me stuff and because I made the mistake of talking
to them, they won't leave and I end up buying a couple necklaces and leave early.
I really came out this way to see The Artist Alliance Gallery which I walk to.
Mostly art, the decorative abstract type in my book. I liked Chief Toba's work from Nigeria. He uses string and glues it into colorful shapes.
Others I liked:
George Hughes like Basquiet/Francis Bacon,
Kobina Nyorko School of Fish w/ black and white eyes
Kate Oadoe, Milton Korley, Augustine Gokah,
book Asafo! African Flags of the Fante by Peter Adler
February 26, 2009, Thursday
Today I head up to the OTC (the Orthopedic Training Center) in
Adoagyiri-Nsawam, an hour north of Accra.
Long suburban tracts being developed north of Accra.
Beautiful, hilly country, major construction on highway
to Kumasi, rough roads for now.
Get to Aduagyiri around 10am, I walk up a hill to the center.
It's a large place with animal cages out front, a pigeon coop,
and a little wading pool. I meet Sr. Elizabeth. We talk for a little bit, but the
students are waiting. I'm here to teach them art.
The first group is nine students. We have lots of paper,
watercolors, pencils, color pencils. I let them know
that they can paint what they want and I encourage
experimenting and trying different techniques. I demonstrate
wet on wet, dry brush, splattering, and different effects
you can get with different brushes.
They start working and create all sorts of unique paintings.
I'm so happy. They're exploring different techniques, some
are using lots of water and are loose, some more dry and controlled,
some exploring shappes and layering. We talk about composition
and the importance of negative space. Some are drawing trees.
I try and learn their names: Faustina, Naomi, Awuerta, Mariama, Jaliha, Mansa, Mafua, Jeremiah, another Naomi.
The second group is from 11 to 12pm and has 8 students. They are Mary, Lradi, Grace, Ehweshnna (sp.?), Emmanuel, Timothy, Love Joy, Aduana(?).
I have lunch with Sr. Elizabeth, Sr. Cecelia, a nurse from San Antonio, and Comfort, a novitiate from Nigeria. Sr. Elizabeth tells me about the center. It was started by a Brother from Holland in 1961. The place has 73 employees. We ate pork, potatoes, and vegetables with tea in a shaded, screened in porch.
Sr. Elizabeth gave me a tour, saw the monkeys, guinea pigs, rabbits. Talked with Brew who manages a lot of the grounds. We went to the workshops and she showed methe many prosthetics they make there. In the workshop, the prosthetics look like real feet because everyone wears open sandals. They are making metal braces still but are phasing them out due to the elimination of polio.
We went into the babys' room. One baby, two months old, had a metal brace connecting her two shoes about 12 inches apart. Sr. Elizabeth was joking with the mother and the other women that the baby is getting too chubby. The little baby had eye makeup on and was smiling. Sr. Elizabeth explained that babys stay at the center for clubfoot for about six weeks. If they get in early, it's a very effective treatment.
I taught a third group of students from 2 to 4pm. They were Mabel, Thomas, Sule, Seidu, Mohammed, and Attah. Mohammed gave me two paintings, one of the Ghana flag and a soccer ball, and another of a cool car. Some made four paintings in that time. Thomas, their teacher, also painted and did a lot of experimenting, adding the pencil shavings into the paint.
I'm sure they could use more art supplies if anyone is interested in sending some. Colored pencils, crayons, pens, pencils, papers, watercolors, and children's books can be sent to:
The Orthopedic Training Centre
C/O Sr. Elizabeth Newman,
P.O. Box 306
Adoagyiri-Nsawam, Ghana, West Africa
February 28th, 2009, Saturday:
Today was the big engagement ceremony which I wrote about earlier.
After the ceremony, I went to Osu, Accra with Winfried to meet Urji, a former Peace Corps volunteer. She's Ethiopian who lived in Minnesota for awhile and is now working for the National Conservation Research Center on Eco-Tourism. I was delivering a small children's computer from a friend in Minneapolis which she was going to give to the village she volunteered in.
We met at the Osu Food Court and had coffees. It was a very modern mall-like place and I read that the chain originated in South Africa. Urji's sister was visiting. She was getting a B.F.A. in painting in Virginia and was looking into moving to Accra. Urji really liked the layed back atmosphere of Accra and the friendly people.
Winfried went back to Median where he lived and had a beer. Medina was a really lively place on the outskirts of Accra and it took me some time to get back to West Legon.
March 1st, 2009, Sunday:
Mr. Fudzie and I go to his church, St. Thomas More. We're late but he nudges himself up to the front. There were drummers this time with the choir. This is the first time the choir is wearing their new outfits that Mr. Fudzie payed for. They were scarlet, academic outfits. Everyone was very happy. They had a blessing for March born people, so I went up front with about nine others and got blessed with holy water.
In the afternoon, I went with Mr. Fudzie to take back his friend and Patrick who was there for the ceremony. We drove through the Keneshie area and Mr. Fudzie and his friend were pointing out all the housing built during the Nkrumah era. They were a mixture of apartment complexes and bungalos and Mr. Fudzie was explaining how he was really trying to help Ghana, almost as if he needed convincing as well. From what I've read and heard, Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of Ghana, still is viewed with a lot of mixed feelings for what he did.
We stop to meet one of his friends who's not home. I end up talking to someone who asks me where I'm from . I say the States and Minnesota. He says, I know Minnesota, the Twin Cities. I ask him how he knows and says that Eckankar is based there in Chanhassan. I first heard about Eckankar when I moved back to Mpls from NYC. My cousin had some pamphlets. I had to laugh talking about Eckankar and HU and Sri Harold Klemp (I even saw an Eckankar sign when I was heading up to Kumasi the next day!)
After we dropped off his friends, we stopped by his cousin's house which was really big. It had a large swimming pool, his daughters were watching a show from The Disney Channel. We drank Johnny Walker with Coke. His cousin showed me his paintings, some from a fundraiser, a landscape, a shiop, two little kids w/gulls, and a coast scene, none of which were to my taste.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Flight, British Airways, Feb 18th, JFK, Heathrow, Accra
Watching "I'm Not There" on the little screen
Over the Atlantic somewhere near Iceland
Via Heathrow, Layover,
Listening to Amadou and Marium from Mali
over Europe, their song "Sabali", I play
again and again flying though
my knees are bent and cramped and my
elbows confined and tucked.
Over the Sahara, I listen to Geoffrey Gurramal
Yunupinga, Austrailian, blind, sings in English
and Yolinga, earthy, gentle, sky,
floating towards Accra
Arrive in Accra an hour late at 10pm. No problems
with customs, they stamp my visa, give me 60 days,
and wave me through to the taxi drivers.
I look for Sumaila. He's the nuns' personal taxi
driver and he will pick me up. I walk through
looking. Many faces and dark. He shows up and
we walk to his taxi aided by a couple others.
I need Cedis and we go to hotel which is closed.
We drive through Nima, the Moslem neighborhood
where there's a black market. I can get Cedis here.
Bustling, people all about, people sleeping in rows
on the sidewalk. We stop and our car is surrounded.
Men with wads of money negotiate with me and Sumaila.
Hands reaching in the car, arguing, we get a good deal
and drive on.
Looking for a place in my book but it's too late and
Asylum Down is quiet with no one answering.
We drive to the Univeristy. Sumaila knows this area.
The Univ. housing is quiet and now one about. It's past
midnight and lots of chattering like a party.
I ask and find out they are charismatics and they're up all night
praying. We go to a couple other places and finally get to the
Olivegarden Guesthouse where I can crash. I thank Sumaila for driving
me around and give him what seems to be a good fare.
2/20/09 Friday. I go for a walk and say "hi" to people on a dirt road.
I pass a hair salon where several students are learning how to be hair dressers. I see they sell Guinness and stop for a drink. It's Guinness Malta, a non-alcoholic drink that's very hoppy. It tastes healthy. I talk to the hair dressers and ask them if it's alright to take pictures because the hair style is very cool. The teacher is braiding a woman's hair and the braids are going horizontally around the woman's head. They all laugh and the woman getting her hair done gives me the okay. My first photos in Ghana.
2/21/09 Saturday. I meet the nuns. They have a priest also visiting and I'm invited by Sr. Elizabeth to The Orthopedic Treatment Center an hour north of Accra. We plan on the following Thursday. The nuns are School Sisters of Nortre Dame. My mother went to Good Counsel Academy and is friends with their friends. My uncle also told me about them.
Saturday night, Mr. Fudzie and I go to a Baptism party at his friend's house. His friend used to run the prison just north of Accra and is now retired. They live in a large house with a large yard.
Many of the houses in the neighborhood are very big, equivalent to the McMansions going up in the States. Some of the people in the neighborhood actually live in Europe and the States and are having the houses built from the money they're making there.
Mr. Fudzie and his friend joke, "Last Stop!" they say to each other. "Last Stop" is used when you want to get off at the next stop on a bus or tro-tro. In this case, their last stop, retirement, is a nice house to relax in! We drink Star beer, and eat a buffet of redred (beans and plantains).
2/22/09, Sunday. We go to Mr. Fudzie's church, St. Thomas More Catcholic Church. It used to be an armory and is in Achimota, near the golf course and Achimota school, considered the best high school in the country. Mrs. Fudzie and Judith go to a Presbyterian church in their old neighborhood near Kaneshie market.
The choir is fun to watch. They wear graduation outfits with tassled graduation hats. The organist has drum beats playing and the choir wave white hankerchiefs as they sway and sing. Besides the music, the mass is mostly the same as anywhere else I've been.
After church, we went to the Social Club, long tables toghether with Mr. Fudzie's friends who belong to a fitness club. Everyone was drinking beer and eating and having a good time after a morning of working out.
For lunch today, we ate oxtail and fish soup poured over a mushed rice ball. It was delicious. We also drank some strawberry wine from Chile.
In the afternoon, we drive an hour or so north near Dodowa to drop off Mr. Fudzie's friend's daughter who is going to a Christian boarding school. The daughter's name is Afia and she is in high school. I sit next to her 8yr. old brother who is Anthony Junior. He asks me to call him Junior and he asks lots of questions about the U.S. as we drive. Four yr. old Judith is also along and she's in between Afia and junior.
Mr. Fudzie and his friend are up front as Mr. Fudzie speeds up, slows down, and swerves a lot to avoid the large ruts and potholes caused by the heavy rains. His friend is in a high up position in the highway dept.
On the way, Judith gets sick and vomits on her skirt, Afia's dress, and Afia's bag.
Everybody gets out of the car and Afia get water to clean her dress and the dads clean off Judith and the car. No big fuss, not a lot of talk. I like that.
Junior decides this is good time to get his photo taken. I agree and snap a couple photos of him. When we get back in the car, Junior tries to keep his distance from Judith and diverts her away several times.
Over the Atlantic somewhere near Iceland
Via Heathrow, Layover,
Listening to Amadou and Marium from Mali
over Europe, their song "Sabali", I play
again and again flying though
my knees are bent and cramped and my
elbows confined and tucked.
Over the Sahara, I listen to Geoffrey Gurramal
Yunupinga, Austrailian, blind, sings in English
and Yolinga, earthy, gentle, sky,
floating towards Accra
Arrive in Accra an hour late at 10pm. No problems
with customs, they stamp my visa, give me 60 days,
and wave me through to the taxi drivers.
I look for Sumaila. He's the nuns' personal taxi
driver and he will pick me up. I walk through
looking. Many faces and dark. He shows up and
we walk to his taxi aided by a couple others.
I need Cedis and we go to hotel which is closed.
We drive through Nima, the Moslem neighborhood
where there's a black market. I can get Cedis here.
Bustling, people all about, people sleeping in rows
on the sidewalk. We stop and our car is surrounded.
Men with wads of money negotiate with me and Sumaila.
Hands reaching in the car, arguing, we get a good deal
and drive on.
Looking for a place in my book but it's too late and
Asylum Down is quiet with no one answering.
We drive to the Univeristy. Sumaila knows this area.
The Univ. housing is quiet and now one about. It's past
midnight and lots of chattering like a party.
I ask and find out they are charismatics and they're up all night
praying. We go to a couple other places and finally get to the
Olivegarden Guesthouse where I can crash. I thank Sumaila for driving
me around and give him what seems to be a good fare.
2/20/09 Friday. I go for a walk and say "hi" to people on a dirt road.
I pass a hair salon where several students are learning how to be hair dressers. I see they sell Guinness and stop for a drink. It's Guinness Malta, a non-alcoholic drink that's very hoppy. It tastes healthy. I talk to the hair dressers and ask them if it's alright to take pictures because the hair style is very cool. The teacher is braiding a woman's hair and the braids are going horizontally around the woman's head. They all laugh and the woman getting her hair done gives me the okay. My first photos in Ghana.
2/21/09 Saturday. I meet the nuns. They have a priest also visiting and I'm invited by Sr. Elizabeth to The Orthopedic Treatment Center an hour north of Accra. We plan on the following Thursday. The nuns are School Sisters of Nortre Dame. My mother went to Good Counsel Academy and is friends with their friends. My uncle also told me about them.
Saturday night, Mr. Fudzie and I go to a Baptism party at his friend's house. His friend used to run the prison just north of Accra and is now retired. They live in a large house with a large yard.
Many of the houses in the neighborhood are very big, equivalent to the McMansions going up in the States. Some of the people in the neighborhood actually live in Europe and the States and are having the houses built from the money they're making there.
Mr. Fudzie and his friend joke, "Last Stop!" they say to each other. "Last Stop" is used when you want to get off at the next stop on a bus or tro-tro. In this case, their last stop, retirement, is a nice house to relax in! We drink Star beer, and eat a buffet of redred (beans and plantains).
2/22/09, Sunday. We go to Mr. Fudzie's church, St. Thomas More Catcholic Church. It used to be an armory and is in Achimota, near the golf course and Achimota school, considered the best high school in the country. Mrs. Fudzie and Judith go to a Presbyterian church in their old neighborhood near Kaneshie market.
The choir is fun to watch. They wear graduation outfits with tassled graduation hats. The organist has drum beats playing and the choir wave white hankerchiefs as they sway and sing. Besides the music, the mass is mostly the same as anywhere else I've been.
After church, we went to the Social Club, long tables toghether with Mr. Fudzie's friends who belong to a fitness club. Everyone was drinking beer and eating and having a good time after a morning of working out.
For lunch today, we ate oxtail and fish soup poured over a mushed rice ball. It was delicious. We also drank some strawberry wine from Chile.
In the afternoon, we drive an hour or so north near Dodowa to drop off Mr. Fudzie's friend's daughter who is going to a Christian boarding school. The daughter's name is Afia and she is in high school. I sit next to her 8yr. old brother who is Anthony Junior. He asks me to call him Junior and he asks lots of questions about the U.S. as we drive. Four yr. old Judith is also along and she's in between Afia and junior.
Mr. Fudzie and his friend are up front as Mr. Fudzie speeds up, slows down, and swerves a lot to avoid the large ruts and potholes caused by the heavy rains. His friend is in a high up position in the highway dept.
On the way, Judith gets sick and vomits on her skirt, Afia's dress, and Afia's bag.
Everybody gets out of the car and Afia get water to clean her dress and the dads clean off Judith and the car. No big fuss, not a lot of talk. I like that.
Junior decides this is good time to get his photo taken. I agree and snap a couple photos of him. When we get back in the car, Junior tries to keep his distance from Judith and diverts her away several times.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Akwaaba! I'm in Ghana!
I finally made it. I'm here in Ghana. After a year and a half of saving my money, I arrived in Accra on Feb. 19th at around 10pm.
In Accra, I stayed two nights at the Olive Guesthouse, on the way to the University of Ghana, Legon. The lodge is in the Westlands, also known as West Legon. This was the area the British settled due to the nice breezes from the hills. It was considered a malaria free area. It is also the area where some nuns of the School Sisters of Notre Dame lived who are connected with my family.
The day after I arrived, I went to a nearby phone kiosk to make some calls trying to find a cheaper place to stay. The owner of the kiosk named Hayford dialed the number I needed and handed me his cell phone. It cost about 25 pesawas a minute or about 20U.S. cents. Hayford overheard me ask about rooms. He said he knew of someone who rented to students inexpensively and has a room available.
The next day I met owner of the apartment, his name was Mr. Fudzie. He lived in a big house with a nice court yard. There was a bronze plaque at the doorway honoring him on his 60th birthday.
I told him I needed a place to stay for 10 days or so but was willing to pay for a month if the price was right. He said that he normally doesn't rent at that short of time and he asked me why I was in Ghana. I told him I was here to learn about the Ghanaian people and culture. I was an artist and an art teacher and planned on working in a village near Kumasi. I was also in this area to meet some nuns.
He asked me if I was Catholic. I said, "not really". He said, I know those nuns you're talking about. Then, he said to Hayford, "I see you've brought me trouble". I wasn't feeling very comfortable. Hayford reassured me Mr. Fudzie was a good man. He said he knew those nuns. They went to the same church as him.
He liked the idea that I was here to do some volunteer work, so, he offered me a room in his house. He said there was a free one available. I told him that was very nice of him but that I'd pay him anyways. He said no. So, I moved in with the Fudzie family for nine days and made me a part of their family.
They cooked me meals, gave me a phone to use, showed me around, and helped me get acclimated to Ghana. His wife, Mercy, cooked a lot, so I ate Banku, a corn meal and cassava staple, and also, fufu, which is mostly plantains and cassava smashed with water to create a doughey dumpling. Most people share a bowl of Fufu and eat it with their hands. A red peppery soup is often poured over it. People say not to chew it and usually swallow it. It's often difficult for westerners to eat because of it's gooey texture and wasn't easy for me to eat. I also ate Oxtail soup with fish which Mr. Fudzie particularly liked and I found pretty darn delicious.
Their son, Dodzi, age 24 lived at the house and worked at his dad's company. Mr. Fudzie owned a tire company and imported tires of all kinds and car batteries. He seemed to be doing very well.. Dodzie played me some of his Highlife songs that he had on his Ipod. He had about 2000 thousand songs on their. One song I liked was 'Enko Besie' by A Adofo. It's an old song and I was told later that it's about a guy traveling around the world trying to find fortune but returns to Ghana empty handed and heartbroken. I also listend to Kojo Antwi, Oheneba Kissi, and Kojo Antwi.
Mr. and Mrs. Fudzie's grand daughter also lived with them. Her name was Judith and was four years old. Her mother was living and working in Germany. Judith would often call Mr. and Mrs. Fudzie, "Opa and Oma". I would sometimes do drawings and collaborations with Judith using pens and colored pencils. She went to school during the day and would often practice writing her ABCs starting with upper case, A and then lower case a and then going throught the alpahabet.
Irene, their daughter, one of their daughters lived nearby and was often visiting. She would always be asking me if I needed anything and was very helpful.
Mr. Fudzie's daughter, Mabel was getting married in a couple weeks, so they had a large engagement party on Saturday, Feb. 28th. This is when the groom's family comes to the bride's family's home bringing gifts. The groom's family knocks at the door and people chant, "AGOE, AGO, AGO" Which means "someone's knocking" and then people chant, "AMAY, AMAY, AMAY" which means "Let Them In".
The idea being that if the bride's father or family doesn't like the groom, then they'll refuse to open the door and the wedding is off.
The groom's family walked in in single file baring baskets of gifts upon their heads wrapped in red celophane. Music playing, singing, the groom's family gathers on one side of the courtyard. The bride's on the other side. Mr. Fudzie explained that the groom's side is near the gate in order to make a quick leave if things don't go well. He smiled.
The MC, a woman with a deep voice and a few chin whiskers, says a prayer, and then the gifts are presented to the bride's family --checks to the parents of the bride and a check to the bride's brother. They supposedly can all refuse if the amount is not high enough and ask for a higher amount.
Speeches are made, jokes are made (Check for a million dollars presented to Mr. Fudzie.) There's dancing, singing, and praying.
The bride is presented with her girlfriends to music and fan fare and she enters.
The groom is presented through the gate with his male friends and family. Music and dancing as they pass the families.
The minister is there to give a prayer for the couple. The ring is presented. The photographers take pictures of the ring. The new-to-be couple sit together between the two families. The Engagement Ceremony lasts about two hours.
Then, the food and drink come. Two goats were "prepared" that morning. I ate several skewers of goatskin and onion kebabs. The kebabs have a wonderful red pepper that makes them spicily delicious. The buffet was full of rice and beans, fish, pasta salad, a beef stewed in red sauce. The groom's family, as guests, line up first to eat.
Star beer is served as well as Guinness. People enjoy themselves. I felt honored to be a part of it. I took a whole bunch of photos on my camera and subsequently lost them all when I changed the date. So it goes. The following week, on March 7th is the wedding in Kumasi. I'll be there and I'm invited!
In Accra, I stayed two nights at the Olive Guesthouse, on the way to the University of Ghana, Legon. The lodge is in the Westlands, also known as West Legon. This was the area the British settled due to the nice breezes from the hills. It was considered a malaria free area. It is also the area where some nuns of the School Sisters of Notre Dame lived who are connected with my family.
The day after I arrived, I went to a nearby phone kiosk to make some calls trying to find a cheaper place to stay. The owner of the kiosk named Hayford dialed the number I needed and handed me his cell phone. It cost about 25 pesawas a minute or about 20U.S. cents. Hayford overheard me ask about rooms. He said he knew of someone who rented to students inexpensively and has a room available.
The next day I met owner of the apartment, his name was Mr. Fudzie. He lived in a big house with a nice court yard. There was a bronze plaque at the doorway honoring him on his 60th birthday.
I told him I needed a place to stay for 10 days or so but was willing to pay for a month if the price was right. He said that he normally doesn't rent at that short of time and he asked me why I was in Ghana. I told him I was here to learn about the Ghanaian people and culture. I was an artist and an art teacher and planned on working in a village near Kumasi. I was also in this area to meet some nuns.
He asked me if I was Catholic. I said, "not really". He said, I know those nuns you're talking about. Then, he said to Hayford, "I see you've brought me trouble". I wasn't feeling very comfortable. Hayford reassured me Mr. Fudzie was a good man. He said he knew those nuns. They went to the same church as him.
He liked the idea that I was here to do some volunteer work, so, he offered me a room in his house. He said there was a free one available. I told him that was very nice of him but that I'd pay him anyways. He said no. So, I moved in with the Fudzie family for nine days and made me a part of their family.
They cooked me meals, gave me a phone to use, showed me around, and helped me get acclimated to Ghana. His wife, Mercy, cooked a lot, so I ate Banku, a corn meal and cassava staple, and also, fufu, which is mostly plantains and cassava smashed with water to create a doughey dumpling. Most people share a bowl of Fufu and eat it with their hands. A red peppery soup is often poured over it. People say not to chew it and usually swallow it. It's often difficult for westerners to eat because of it's gooey texture and wasn't easy for me to eat. I also ate Oxtail soup with fish which Mr. Fudzie particularly liked and I found pretty darn delicious.
Their son, Dodzi, age 24 lived at the house and worked at his dad's company. Mr. Fudzie owned a tire company and imported tires of all kinds and car batteries. He seemed to be doing very well.. Dodzie played me some of his Highlife songs that he had on his Ipod. He had about 2000 thousand songs on their. One song I liked was 'Enko Besie' by A Adofo. It's an old song and I was told later that it's about a guy traveling around the world trying to find fortune but returns to Ghana empty handed and heartbroken. I also listend to Kojo Antwi, Oheneba Kissi, and Kojo Antwi.
Mr. and Mrs. Fudzie's grand daughter also lived with them. Her name was Judith and was four years old. Her mother was living and working in Germany. Judith would often call Mr. and Mrs. Fudzie, "Opa and Oma". I would sometimes do drawings and collaborations with Judith using pens and colored pencils. She went to school during the day and would often practice writing her ABCs starting with upper case, A and then lower case a and then going throught the alpahabet.
Irene, their daughter, one of their daughters lived nearby and was often visiting. She would always be asking me if I needed anything and was very helpful.
Mr. Fudzie's daughter, Mabel was getting married in a couple weeks, so they had a large engagement party on Saturday, Feb. 28th. This is when the groom's family comes to the bride's family's home bringing gifts. The groom's family knocks at the door and people chant, "AGOE, AGO, AGO" Which means "someone's knocking" and then people chant, "AMAY, AMAY, AMAY" which means "Let Them In".
The idea being that if the bride's father or family doesn't like the groom, then they'll refuse to open the door and the wedding is off.
The groom's family walked in in single file baring baskets of gifts upon their heads wrapped in red celophane. Music playing, singing, the groom's family gathers on one side of the courtyard. The bride's on the other side. Mr. Fudzie explained that the groom's side is near the gate in order to make a quick leave if things don't go well. He smiled.
The MC, a woman with a deep voice and a few chin whiskers, says a prayer, and then the gifts are presented to the bride's family --checks to the parents of the bride and a check to the bride's brother. They supposedly can all refuse if the amount is not high enough and ask for a higher amount.
Speeches are made, jokes are made (Check for a million dollars presented to Mr. Fudzie.) There's dancing, singing, and praying.
The bride is presented with her girlfriends to music and fan fare and she enters.
The groom is presented through the gate with his male friends and family. Music and dancing as they pass the families.
The minister is there to give a prayer for the couple. The ring is presented. The photographers take pictures of the ring. The new-to-be couple sit together between the two families. The Engagement Ceremony lasts about two hours.
Then, the food and drink come. Two goats were "prepared" that morning. I ate several skewers of goatskin and onion kebabs. The kebabs have a wonderful red pepper that makes them spicily delicious. The buffet was full of rice and beans, fish, pasta salad, a beef stewed in red sauce. The groom's family, as guests, line up first to eat.
Star beer is served as well as Guinness. People enjoy themselves. I felt honored to be a part of it. I took a whole bunch of photos on my camera and subsequently lost them all when I changed the date. So it goes. The following week, on March 7th is the wedding in Kumasi. I'll be there and I'm invited!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)