Art Reception/Exhibition, Adugyama, Ghana, Sat. Oct. 31, 12-5pm

Art Reception/Exhibition

Hello Everyone,

You are cordially invited to a one day exhibit and reception of art work by Daniel Kerkhoff, the children of Adugyama, and guests.

When: Saturday, October 31st, 12pm to 5pm.

Where: The Area Council Hall, Adugyama, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Adugyama is 45 km northwest of Kumasi on the Sunyani Road. The Area Council Hall is across the street from the MTN tower.

We hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome!


Reception/Receptions

Reception n. 1. an act or process of receiving; a reaction to something.
2. an assembly held to receive guests. --Oxford English Mini Dictionary

Since April, I have been an artist-in residence in Adugyama,.Ghana and have been running an informal drop-in center for children, providing books, paper, pens, pencils, and colored pencils. Children from the neighborhood stop by, draw, and look at the books available.

An Artist and Her Drawing, Adugyama, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

The children are all ages and draw in a variety of eclectic styles. Some have focused on drawing animals, cars, airplanes, houses, computers, football players, scenes from village life, planets and stars, trees and nature scenes and many other things. Some have been drawing patterns focusing on shapes, compositions, and varieties of lines. Many of their drawings will be in the exhibit, and you can see some of them on my flickr site, www.flickr.com.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23472741@N05/sets/72157617821705408/

Also, children/adults from Lisbon, Portugal; Mobile, Alabama, U.S.A. ; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. have also sent some artwork to the village and this will be included in the exhibit as well in The Obruoni Gallery.

I have been doing my own art using pens, pencils, a watercolor set, a ream of A4 computer paper, a gallon of acrylic house paint, the dirt and charcoal around his residence, and vegetable and palm oils. Many of my dirt paintings have evolved into large collages.

"Mekwabaa (Fermentation of the Cacao Pod) by Daniel Kerkhoff, Adugyama, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

These collages relate to my own preoccupations, interests in symbols and shapes, and my personal aesthetic sensibilities interweaving with my experiences in Ghana and the village of Adugyama. I see them as acts of receiving and discovery; they are my journal of witnessing that also honor those mysteries that transcend narrow definitions and rigid labeling.

Mortars and pestles, basins, yams, mobile phones, Adinkra symbols, cacao pods, footballs (soccer balls), stars, tea bags, benches, and ladders have all grabbed me in one way or another and made there way into these pieces. These large scale collages have also taken on a hide, animal skin-like quality. In November, I will fold them up, put them in my suitcase, and return with them back to the U.S. to show. Hopefully, they will become acts of sharing as well and become a part of the Great Weaving Project that has been going on for a long time now.

The children's art of Adugyama will be shown again in June, 2010 at Homewood Studios (www.homewoodstudios.com) in north Minneapolis, Minnesota. Homewood Studios is owned by George and Beverly Roberts who have stayed in the village of Adugyama and have many connections here. Their son, Andrew, was the Peace Corps volunteer in Adugyama for three years and the reason why I am here. Many thanks to them for introducing me to the people here, for all the work that they've done in the communities of Adugyama and north Minneapolis, and for all of their encouragement.

I will also have a solo show of my art in June 2010 in north Minneapolis at The Warren-An Artist Habitat, www.thewarrenhabitat.com.

James Joyce had written, "History is a nightmare that I'm trying to wake up from." From Mankato, Minnesota to Adugyama, Ghana, to wherever you are, perhaps within the realm of the "nightmare", little "waking ups" are happening all the time. I use art and travel to try and wake myself up and also notice how much I am sleeping.

Ghana just won the FIFA under-twenty world championships beating Brazil in the final. The Ghana Black Satellites are the first African team to win the championship. Everyone is excited here. I watched the match in Adugyama (Adugyama just got electricity 10 years ago). I was with five boys, Yaw Bimpe, Kwaku Baah, Sadick, Yaw Gyamfi, and Agya. They were dancing, clapping, and shouting in our room and it was an amazing moment for them. Nana and Auntie Bea came in the room and celebrated as well. I took their photos, witnessed this moment, and will take it back with me along with so many other moments.

Many thanks to everyone I met and got to know in Ghana and to those of you reading and commenting on the blogs and photos. Many thanks to my family and friends for all of their support. And a special thanks to the people in Adugyama who helped me so much and shared so much of their lives with me; the family I lived with--Mr. Atta, Auntie Bea, Nana, Rose, Becky, Sara, Ama, Yaw Bimpe, Kwaku Baah, Jennifer, and Sandra. Meda se Pa Paa, Thank you very much!

Over the winter, I'll continue blogging, uploading more photos, reflecting on my experiences here and doing more art.

You can follow along at

http://danielkerkhoff.blogspot.com/
http://thejuderockfish.blogspot.com/

And my photos: www.flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23472741@N05/

Nante Yie (walk well, safe journey), Keep in touch! --Daniel

Daniel Kerkhoff
Ph. 0278913055
rockfish65@yahoo.com
www.danielkerkhoff.com
http://mnartists.org/daniel_kerkhoff

Tamale, Larabanga, Mole National Park, July 9-15, 2009

Thursday, July 9th, 2009, Tamale, Ghana:
5:30pm, Alhassan picks me up at the STC station,
Tamale, heavy rains, we go to a restaurant and eat
jollof rice, 1.50 cedis, next day meet Alhassan's
friends, visit with Sumaila's mother, walk around,
clay ovens for bread, evening go to Muda's and
watch the arrival of Pres. Obama, dancers, Obama
goes over to the dancers. Eat T.Z this evening,
the local dish similar to banku, corn based with
okra stew.

Saturday, July 10: watch President Obama's speech
and visit to Elmina, eat at Catholic guest house,
chicken and fried rice.

Sunday, July 11: Take a nice long walk through
little neighborhoods, various celebrations going
on, funerals. Near the post office, I take a
photo of a little theatre showing an Indian movie.
The owner who lives across the street comes out to
ask what I was going to do with the photo. I explain
how I like Indian movies, I have friends from India, I
want to show them that Indian movies are popular in
Ghana. He is assured that I will not be making money
off his theatre and he is friendly.


Monday, July 13th, 2009, Mole National Park, Ghana:

Sitting at the Mole Motel on a cliff,
the overlook, viewing deck, comfortable chairs,
breezy, shady, two watering holes below,
Antelope, Kob running around below, grazing,
"Grazing in the Grass"--Hugh Masakela
vast canopy of rolling dark and light greens,
reds, hazy summer, rainy season, windy.
A worker comes by and says, "Come at 6am
tomorrow. The elephants will be down there
drinking water.

I just finished drinking four cups of coffee,
Nescafe with condensed milk, two lumps of sugar,
wild, exotic bird sounds. I ate breakfast overlooking
the pool. Two small birds perched nearby. They sang
a beautiful song. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
I ate a mushroom, onion, and cheese omelette for 3 cedis
with four pieces of toast, jam and butter. It tasted
great, first omelette I've eaten since February.
German and Dutch tourists are here. I'm in a dorm,
12 cedis a night.

Last night, slept at the Salia Brother's Lodge
in Larabanga, slept on the roof, open air, chilly,
amazing stars, shooting stars, milky nebulae,
moon arriving later, almost full, waning,
morning azzan, 4:30am, bus stopping honking
its horn 4:45am, the red orb rising around
6am, the ladder, crooked tree trunk with notches,

From Tamale to Larabanga, bus seat #60, last row,
boarded at 1:30pm, sat next to Cecelia, seat #61.
She's a JHS teacher, visiting her family in Damongo,
not married, 33 yrs. old, no children, I congratulate
her. Bumpy, wild ride on the big orange bus.
Bumpity, bump, bump, almost get me in the giggles.
The bus arrives at Larbanga around 6:30pm, stops right
outside the Salia Bros. Lodge.

Mole National Park, July 13, 10:30am:

From the overlook, I just saw a couple elephants below
in the woods/bush. One with big tusks. Talked with
two young Dutch guys who did volunteer work
at an orphanage in a village near Kumasi for one month.
Created a pitch, tried to get a bulldozer to level the
pitch but the bulldozer only made it worse. Kids loved
having them there. Four elephants just came down
the watering hold, swam through the small lake,
submerging, spraying, Kob, Roan antelope, Defasse
Waterbuck running on open grasslands. I love this
place, this lookout, this shade, this wind.
I just told Jeema, the park ranger who stopped by,
that this is paradise and he's fortunate to live here.

The walk here from the Salia Bros. Lodge, took
photo of goat with bucket around its neck, Yakumb
Salia walks with me a ways. He talked with last
night about his porject he's working on, an internet
cafe for the lodge. He wants to buy 3 computers.

A student on a bicycle rides with me most of the
rest of the way, 16 in JHS Form 1, wants to be a
doctor. His school is just inside the park,
loves football, plays on a team, tells me about
library projects he's a part of.

On the road to Mole Park, 6:45am to 8:00am,
pay 10 cedis at entrance, park fee, see antelope
along the road, guinea fowl crossing road,
warthogs, a warthog along side of the road passes
me, I snap him, a couple Ghanaians walking nearby
assure me he won't charge, I see a beautiful Kob
antelope resting with wonderful twisting horns,
ready to take a photo, he runs away, elk size.

----
At the overlook:
Kob playing, antelope along the watering hole,
jump into the water playing around, big splashes,
one crocodile starts slowly swimming towards them, a log.
Another swims towards them from the far end. The antelope
stop playing and remain motionless spotting the croc.
The croc stops also and remains motionless.

A baboon comes up from behind and lifts the lid
of the plastic garbage bin. Then, knocks it over,
nothing inside. Me and the Dutch guy are only
15 feet away and its got us trapped, so we're
a little nervous. Luckily we don't have food.
The baboon heads toward the swimming pool, swimmers
at the table get up to move away, I hear a crash,
the breaking of glass. Later, I go to the bar
and a guy comes up to me and says the baboon
jumped on their table while they were sitting
there.

Large black bird with amazing red wings
flying around, lots of hooting bird sounds,
a pair of long-tailed, flourescent, dark,
ultramarine blue birds fly by, sweet winds,
nature's flirting breath, egrets, herons,
eagle-like birds.

2pm: three elephants back in the water
playing and swimming. Six elephants all
together near the watering hole.

Early evening, waiting for my guinea fowl
at the Mole Motel restaurant, walking with
the waiter from the viewing deck to the
restaurant, two warthogs nearby, one tries to
face down the waiter, ten feet away. The waiter
stomps his foot and steps toward the warthog.
The warthog scurries away.

Sunsetting at Mole with swimmers in the pool,
eating a quarter quinea fowl, very good, drank
a Castle Milk Stout, sounds of splashing, quiet
peaceful,

Back at the overlook, 7pm:
Dark silhouettes crossing the open
grass area, must be a herd of fifty or
so. They must be African buffalo.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009, Mole National Park:
I wake up at 5:30, go to the viewing deck,
all alone overlooking the two watering holes
and open grassy area. The day gets lighter,
layers of misty trees, darks and lights for
miles and miles in the background, brown kob,
bushback, antelope start going into the green
fields.

At 6:45am, I head over to the info center for
the safari. On the way, I come across a troop
of baboons on the road, many young ones, babies
on mothers' backs, maybe 20-30 go by on the road.
Some look at me and hurry past as I snap photos.

While waiting to go on the safari, two elephants
come out of the bush, big tusks, many people
waiting to go on safaris, a group of South
Koreans get too close and the ranger tells them
to back away. You are supposed to leave 50 meters
between you and the elephant.

Ten are in my safari group, a large family from
Belgium, four kids. We follow the elephants and
stop when they stop, take photos. The youngest
Belgian child, maybe 7 or 8 yrs. is leaning over
vomiting. The ranger in his green army fatigues
and rifle is concerned. The mother and father
say they want to continue because the boy wanted
to go so badly. He looks very sick. We go pass
various staff quarters, warthogs are amongst the
people preparing for the day.

As we head towards the bush, many green monkeys
ahead of us are running away. Then, we see Kob
and go deeper into the bush, Roan antelope,
Defassa Waterbuck (two colors, our guide tells us).

We start seeing herds of Kob and an occasional
Defass Waterbuck, beautiful white patterns of
lines and dots, aboriginal tattoo-like. They
see us, they run further into the bush, some
go around us. We start walking down the valley,
one large herd of Kob gallop past us. The Belgian
boy is vomiting along the way.

When we get to the bottom, out guide shows us
a sandy looking area, white and tan rock, shale,
and sand. One area looks carved out in a semi-circle.
He explains that the animals come here to lick salt,
"nature's salt lick, God created". Elephants and
antelope come here. The mother starts to carry the
boy.

We start walking towards the open field and the
watering holes, many more kob all around, an elephant
going into the bush. We go to a viewing platform,
many birds at the second watering hole. Then, we
walk to the first watering hold. Two elephants
are there bathing. We take photos and watch awhile.
The boy is looking terrible. Then, five more elephants
enter the water, loud sounding splashes. They all get
together and splash around, submerging themselves,
tusking each other a little, resting their trunks on
each other or twisting the around each other. A croc
is in the water a little ways away, 10-15 meters. The
boy's smiling. He's looking better. We go around the
drinking hole and stumble onto another big tusked elephant,
maybe 10-15 meters away, our guide takes his rifle off his
shoulder and tells us to go around. I get a good photo.
Then, we head up the cliff back to the Mole Motel. At
the info center, I pay the safari fee, 6 cedis and give
the guide a 1 cedi tip, about $5.00 all together.

I bathe and get breakfast by the pool, another mushroom,
cheese, and onion omelette with a pot of coffee. I watch
the elephants walk across the big grassy area. Then, it rains
for about 20 minutes, grey day, cool, a little breeze. The
safari walk felt good.

Eating a late lunch/early dinner around 3ish at a
nearby chop bar, rice and beans, stew, a hard-boiled
egg and beef. I eat with a Spanish couple. Afterwards,
read the paper, three warthogs come to visit, go under
the table a few feet away, a big mama comes close, four feet
away and then gobbles up something on the ground,
crunching sounds like a bone, a baboon watches about
40 yards away and then goes to a nearby table and watches
the cooks. They don't serve him. He moves on.
I wait for my afternoon coffe. It's quiet except for
some splashing and a generator fridge sound, clanking
of glasses, The Spanish couple are going on an
afternoon safari.

Evening, drinking Castle Milk Stout(Smooooooooth)
at the restaurant outside, the baboons are eating
bugs, winged bugs by the hundreds buzzing about the
flourescent lights. Baboons go into the ladies room,
then climb on the wall, lizards on the wall too, frogs
eating bugs on the ground, bugs losing their wings,
a baboon comes nearby.

Wednesday morning, July 15th, 2009, Mole Motel:
7:15am at viewing platform, many green monkeys in
the trees around us, eating leaves, some only 15 ft.
away, babies, tails hanging through the trees, arms
outstretched, munching on leaves, baboons come up
from behind me and another guy, antelope and warthogs
roaming and grazing below. I go and eat breakfast 40
yards away by the pool. The waitress tells me there
are elephants in the back. I go to the side and see
there are three heading towards me, big tusks, eight
warthogs are also there, grazing, kneeling to eat the
grass. Two elephants go by the motel rooms and eat
the light green hedging. A man chases them away. I
go back and order breakfast, the usual. A baboon
comes up near the table. I stand up and it moves away.
The waitress tells me they're after my sugar and gives
me a large silver tray to scare them away. Two baboons
pass by, lean over the pool and take a drink. A Pata
monkey? walks within a few feet of me. She has a baby
clinging to her chest. The waitress shoos her away and
tells me this one is injured, she's limping. Two beautiful,
large, black birds in the trees in front of me, red wings
and yellow beak.

Later in the morning, I buy a couple gifts at the gift shop
and walk back towards Larabanga.

May 27th-July 6th, 2009 Adugyama, Kumasi, Ghana

Wed. May 27th, 2009:
I gave Rose my comb. She needed to comb her Tina Turner hairdo. I say, "What? A hairdresser with no comb?". She's heading to Mankranso for a conference of local hairstylists, an association. She shows me her membership book, 100 beauticians from around the area will be there. Nana and I drink tea, Auntie Bea and Mr. Atta are back and have tea. Mr Atta is heading back to the cocoa farm for a week. It's still and quiet now. Nana makes fried plantains that are tasty. Yesterday, Rose gave me a pineapple and today a mango. I have rice today with 2 hardboiled eggs, some beans and pepper stew, 1 cedi, 10 pesewas worth. Yaw Sarpong and Kwaku Baah draw for awhile. I finish reading "Waiting for Godot" today. Yaw Sarpong draws flags of the world. Now, Yaw Gyamfi and Sadick are drawing. The match between Barcelona and Manchester will be on in one hour.

Sunday, May 31st, 2009:
Walked to Potrikrom with Kwaku Baah, Yaw Bimpe, Sadick. Also to the little village after, very small with old clay bldgs held together with wood boarded frames. Saw a couple of beautiful birds, one long billed like hornbill, slender. Yaw said people eat it, doesn't look like much meat. Many nests along side of road, weavers' nests, A field with large cut-down trees, Bea's maize farm, Orange citrus farms, a boy holding a long stalk of sugar cane, photos of ant hills, redbrown, medieval-like castles, other worldly. When we returned, sounds of many boys chanting, we go outside, see them holding a cardboard trophy cup. Vincent had made it. Took photos of the boys and then Vincent holding the cup in celebration of Barcelona's victory.

Thursday, May 28th, 2009:

Walked to Alliance Fancaise in Kumasi, lots of plantains, vegetation, lowlands, old railroad, green plots within the city, sellers of pottery, furniture makers using cane and wicker, police station, big fancy hotels, banks, nightclubs, lots of traffic, taxis beep always asking me do I want a lift, I'm a walker.
At Alliance, Dorothy Amenuke's Reception. Dorothy greets me. She's all dressed up in nice batik. Her show is sculptures primarily made of various fabrics. The show's title is "Fluid flow through woven screens" Titles of some of her works are: "Weaving the Woven", "Security 1", Transparency, In the Nest 1. It's a great turn out. Many artists are there and I talk to them. I meet Bernard Akoi Jackson from Nubuke Foundation, Atta Kwame, Pemela Clarkson. Pamela Clark introduces me to Amara Hark, Mary Hark's daughter, also from Minnesota. She's here for SaNsA.

Sunday, June 7th:
Sandra under the table, Yaw drawing from the bldgs book, Kenny Roger's at the Spot, loud music on Sunday mornings, "you've got toknow when to hold'em, know when tofold'em", hwe-behold, akyiri-beyond, anoma-bird, looking up Twi words, Margaritaville is playing now. Yesterday, at Lincoln School. Young men hanging onto cars and vans, driving fast, shouting, raucous, packed vans, like a college football game. Ghana plays in Mali tomorrow and think is related. I find out it's for a funeral in Manhyia. We pass by and it's a wild party with young people in the streets and acting crazy, lots of drinking. The guy next to me explains a little bit. This is for a young person's funeral. A send off. Like an Irish wake.
Electricity out, can't watch Ghana vs. Mali. Read Joyce's play, "Exiles".

Monday, June 8th:
Waoke up 6:40am, painted backs of paintings, doing collaged dirt pieces. Made tea, no bread at the little neighborhood store, reading Neruda's Tyranny from 1st Residence. Alittle boy looks at me throught the screen, Richmond? Auntie Bea stops by, says she's going to the farm. Rose took Sandra to school. Nana's at the farm. Neruda: "...a wound as confused as a new being/encompassthe stubborn root of my soul/biting the center of my security."

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009:
4:30 call to prayer, azzan from two different mosques. Then, right away, another loud speaker starts blarring. I hear, "halleluah", "halleluah". The loud, harsh non-stop talking goes on for a long time in the wee hours of the morning. I asked Yaw what was that about. He said it's the "Romans". The Catholics in the village have a loud speaker and were preaching. The Radio news in Twi is also played over the loud speaker during the day. I read Andrew, the Peace Corps volunteers old Smithsonians, May 2006. Copernicus Publishing "Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, 1543, sun at center of picture, "The scorn which I had to fear on account of the newness and absurdity of my opinion almost drove me to abandon a work already taken. The Catholic Church censored in 1616. The church saw the fork as an evil instrument, the devil's instrument. The fork has only been commonly used in the past 200 years or so. Mount Rushmore's 1st American Indian Superintendent, Gerald Baker. Defender's of the Black Hills, environmental group, Charmaine White Face, Lakota, "We all hate Mt. Rushmore. It's a sacred mountain that has been desecrated." "It's like a slap in the face to us--salt in the wounds--as if a statue of Adolf Hitler was put in the middle of Jerusalem." Late 1930s, Chief Henry Standing bear conceived Crazy Horse's Monument. DADA: WW1 "Hugo Ball wanted to shock anyone who regarded 'all this civilized carnage as a triumph of European intelligence', collapse of culture of rationality that prevailed in Europe."

June 10, 2009:
This morning at Star Oil, I met a Ghanaian from Coon Rapids, MN, James. He's lived there for 10 yrs. He's a realtor. He gave me his number and said call him anytime. His fiance, Comfort, works at Star Oil. They will be married in July and then she will go to Minnesota in the winter. I will probably see them Minneapolis.

Thurs, June 11, 2009:
I just me t Harry from Belgium, owner of the Smooth Jazz Spot in Bantama in Kumasi. He has been here since 95, runs a gas company, married to a Ghanaian with 2 kids. He said to call him if I need anything. Irene and Daniel work at the sopot. I'm drinking Castle Milk stout and eating Goat Pepper Soup, nice and hot and spicy. 2 pieces of goat, 50 pesewas a piece, thick skin, bones, sinus clearing soup, good with beer. I just bought Daraprim, a malarial preventative, taken once a week, 50 pesewas a pill, nice breezes, colors and signs everywhere, I'll go back to the Ashanti Gold Hotel this evening for a SaNsA talk. A tree wraps around a post of the bar, a lower limb has been cut, American Idol is on the T.V., then FIFA Confederation Cup Chanpionship. Thurs. night, intense rain storm. After Smooth Jazz, went back to Culture Center and met Fiona. She's doing her PH.D from Britain, researching the first Brits account his encounter with the Ashantis.

Sunday, June 14th, 2009:
Watched the boy's soccer match. Five children gathered around me, Abena with her soft, musical voice, Rita, Abena's 2 yr. old bro Ebenezer, and a couple other's. Adwoa was walking by and limping. She stepped on a nail. Her nephew, Clemont, was helping her. She had a tetanus shot and medicine.

Sat., June 20th, 2009:
At Spot, south of the STC bus station. Crowd of Ghanaians in back area drinking Apeteshi, the local brew, watching the Ghana, Sudan match. I'm in front and get some skewers of goat with onions and pepper seasonings, and then I head back to watch the match. Milky white Apeteshi, the local brew, 65 pesewas, in a little glass. My neighbor say's to me, "You are invited". I already had my Castle Milk Stout and thank him. Everyone standing up and shouting when Ghana scores. Ghana wins 2-0.

Sun, June 21, 2009:
Ji, an artist from South Korea, comes up to the village. Everyone's happy to meet her. We have tea and cookies and she looks at the children's art. She plans on coming back on Thursday and drawing portraits of some of the people. She gives me blank postcards for people to draw on which she will collect later. We walk around the village, teak leaves, bamboo in the distance by the fish pond, Nzongo, the old part of town, the brown and yellow govt. school, lines of teak trees.

Monday, June 21, 2009:
Laundry this morning, chickens walk by, cloudy overcast, people walking by, greet me, amused by the obruni. Nana helps me. I make tea and sit down to write. Yaw Sarpong stops by and draws and then Nsiah Kwame stops by. I show them the postcards for Ji and they draw on those. A little black and white bird lands out front. It has a long, black, forked tail. It just fluttered by again.

transplan, migratory, rooster crows, echoes,
calls, chants, prayers, soft sounds of cars
on the Sunyani Rd. with radio voices, radio beats
in between the crows, the scratching of pens and
colored pencils, aroma of Chelsea tea, the brown table,
ripped screens, Andrew's big leafy plants, hot water,
hazy sky, wet red ground, soil.
Mr. Addo said one day that during rain storms,
children will be out looking for gold specks
in the streams and they will pick up little gold
flakes and pebbles. He talked about the Japanese
being here working on rice projects but also
looking for gold. Two Americans as well were
looking for gold. The Japanese were concerned
Andrew the peace corps volunteer was looking for
gold and had a device to watch him.
Auntie Bea said last night that for Sunday funerals,
people wear black and white; for Saturday funerals,
they wear black adinkra cloths.
Yaw Owusu stops by, draws his palm line on a
postcard for Ji and also another drawing for her.
Two of my paint brushes I find in the corner of
my room. Both were used to apply vegetable oil.
Maybe the mice dragged them there to lick them off.

Yaw Owusu explains that about one week after death,
people gather to hear when the funeral will be. It could
be one month after or four months after. Forty days is usual.
One week after the death, there's mineral water, coke, fanta
but no alcohol, only the family. Can bury the person one or
two weeks later. Don't touch person's things for 40 days.

Sitting outside with little Sandra on my lap,
breezy, sunny, Becky, Mary, Sandra, Kwaku Baah playing
jump rope with tied bark strings. A young man walks
by with a rooster in his grasp, the two wings pinched
together. The rooster is quiet, staring. Little Sandra
repeating words after me, "1,2,3, A, B, C, Kwaku Baah"
Two young women by little store to the east, one doing
the other's hair.

Friday morning, June 26th, 2009:
A man and a little girl walk to the neighbors house.
The man goes into the gate. There are two lizards
on the wall. The little girl looks like she is
trying to catch a lizard. Then, I see a hen with
seven chicks come out. The hen and chicks walk to the
the corn shed and the man in red sports pants and girl
shepherds them. The hen and chicks hide under the
corn shed while the man and girl walk around the
corn shed trying to get them out.

Ama cleans her room. Auntie Bea and Nana are talking.
Two school girls stop by and ask me, "How are you?"
Kwame and Adwoa stop by to draw, Kwame 6yrs?, Adwoa
4 yrs? Adwoa's using the side of her colored pencil,
filling in a large area with red. Pat comes by and
draws. Brazil beat South Africa last night. Ama
tells me Michael Jackson died.

Thurs, July 2nd, 2009:
Doing laundry today, Rose helping me, Adwoa and Clement
stop by. Rose tells them Nana Boakye, the chief moved
her from in front of his place to Nzongo, the old part
of town. I eat rice, an egg, beans and stew this afternoon,
one cedi. The woman preparing my food has two vertical scars
on each side of her face. The Ashanti have one horizontal scar
on the left cheek. A girl helps her interpret what I want.

Little Sandra walked over this morning by herself, so I picked
her up. She was wet. I carried her back to her mother. Kofi
and Cece came over to draw today. Cece draws houses, almost
circus-like tent structures/shapes. Kofi's had jagged lines,
interesting abstractions. I read magazines this afternoon,
Peace Corps mags, Newsweeks from 2005-2006. It's about 5pm
now. Screams from Mary. Her friend swinging her, playing around.
The sheep are heading back to their house. They stop to eat
some of the greass. Yaw Owusu stops to visit. Mary
and her friend are now drawing.

Friday, July 3rd, 2009:
I saw my first female tro-tro mate(conductor)in Abuakwa today.
Her head and shoulder were sticking out of the side window.
Her arm gesturing the "Where are you going?" sign; open hand
facing upward and rotating. She was shouting out the names
of the towns and villages auctioneer-like that the tro-tro
was heading to.

Sunday, July 5th, 2009:
Moringa and Lipton tea, tea bread, reading Rilke,
Agya and Kwaku drawing, now another boy comes
by and draws a house. Across the way, Mary is
washing naked sandr's butt, dipping her hand
into a black bucket of water. Another boy
comes into draw.

obontain-to town
went to the market, bought kwadu (bananas,
looked around in the market, saw Yaw Owusu next to
Kontua tree (Calabash tree, took photos, talked to
people, visited Yaw's two places, one room at his
family's shares with junior brother, sleeps at
another room that he rents, big furniture, curtain
dividing room, bed area, t.v. in living area,
also his mediation room,
bought rice, stew, egg, fish for 1 cedi
walked around trails after stopping by Meleama's.
Walked down to the fish pond through rice paddies,
palms, flowering teak trees, Eleven boys with me.
They swam in the river, jumping around and having fun.

Monday, July 6th, 2009:
Walked across the Dunyani River, high water,
wooded planked foot bridge, bamboo forest,
hundred nests, round nests, weavers?, yellow
birds. Walked along the washed-out gravel road,
rice and maize along the way, palm, cocoa,
farmers going to and fro, baskets, bags on their heads,
machetes, Wallentig (rubber) boots.
Walked back to town and bought fish by Yaw
Owusu's house. His nieces and nephews under
the tree at the house playing a board game they
called "Lood", similar to Shoots and Ladders.
Met Yaw's mother, peeling cocao yams. We bought
dried Tilapia fish for 2 cedis, a good amount.
Stopped by his sister's, pregnant with second
child. She sells bread, on Mondays and Fridays
in the afternoon is the freshest, tea bread,
sugar bread, butter bread.

May 15th-May 23rd, Adugyama,Biemso I and II, Ntensere, Ghana

May 15th, 2009:

I go back to Naa, the healer, around 5:00 pm. She tells me I need to bathe first because she'll put medicine on for the night. I go back around 6:30. She asks again if I want the cutting, but I say the massage is good enough for me. She presses her thumbs into my tender spots and applies the medicine, shea butter, mud, and herbs. She wouldn't tell me the specifics. She tells me to come back in the morning.

May 16th, 2009:

I go back to Naa's in the morning with Yaw Bimpe and Kwaku Baah. There's a shoe repair shop along the way. It has a large painting of a scary doll's face that looks just like Chuckie. Underneath is written, "Child's Play".

Naa isn't around when we get there. Her son is bandaging a woman's leg, her entire leg in white bandages. Women and girls are getting water at the well in the courtyard, metal basins full of water. The rope with knots takes the bucket down for more. The girls spiral their long fabric and place it on their heads. They help each other place their basins on top.

Many People waiting for healing and to get their wounds attended to. Old women in brightly colored clothes, interesting wrinkled faces, a chubby baby in her mother's arms, another woman trying to get her to smile.

A soldier and another man escort a woman to the healer (Naa's son). Naa's son has a deep lined face, big smiles and is cheerful. He removes her guaze. Her entire arm is swollen. She has a brown powder, "Ghana medicine", on her arm. She winces and is in pain. Naa's son jokes around with the water carriers and applies a hot towel, steaming hot. She's in very much pain now and the men hold her. He tries to straighten out her arm and begins to apply another bandage.

Next is a little girl, maybe 9 yrs. old who has arm trouble as well, her right arm around the elbow and above. He applies the steaming towel. She turns away wincing. Her mother holds her.

Finally, Naa comes in talking to people along the way. She has on a balck crocheted hat. She asks how I am and invites me to the room, the dark, blue-walled room, cerulean blue with a blue halogen light. She takes the medicine and rubs it into my lower back pressing with her lower thumbs, massaging in the mud like substance. A few minutes later she says I'm done and I put my shirt back on. She says come back again in the evening and jokes again about me taking her to the U.S.

The boys and I take off for a long walk to the village of Beimso II(two) about 2 miles away, Yaw Bimpe, Yaw Gimpfi, Sadick, Kwaku Baah, and Daniel Owusu. Green, Catholic cemetary, tile photos of the deceased on white, tiled, bed-like gravestones. Yaw Bimpe says, Auntie Bea's mother is buried there. A plaster, angel sculpture in honor of one of the dead, green growth, red dirt road, water carriers pass us on the way to the stream. incinerator chimney, beehive bricks, dump filled with plastic bags, broken wicker baskets.

Tall trees stick up along the way, lilipads, plantains, a rice field with mud packed low barriers, churches, farmers in the field. A few women are eating and invite me to join them, they wave, pass the stream, a young man is helping a woman fill her basin. She has green plants, leafs floating on the top as she walks up the steep incline. A couple taxis pass us. More people along the way, maize, orange citrus farm with casava on the side of the road. Yaw Bimpe says it's the assemblyman's of Adugyama. He's rich.

Get to Biemso II,on the outskirts, a secondary school with world map mural, meet people in the village. They're surprised to see an Obruni. They ask me where I'm going. I say I'm just walking around. A drunk man tries to talk to me. He's smoking, rare to see in Ghana. Children run to the road. A rasta man with dreads is on the side of the road and we greet each other and shake hands. Then we turn back to Adugyama. We sprint a little bit. I haven't sprinted in a long time. Then stop at the secondary school and the boys play on the trees. They drink some water from the stream and invite me to do the same, but I decline. I take photos of the tall trees sticking in the air, remnants of a powerful empire, the rainforest.

Sunday, May 17th:

6:20am, I hear country music coming from the local spot, "One Day at a Time Sweet Jesus" is playing, different version than I've heard before. In the morning, country music. I buy eight bananas, fried maize donuts. Yaw Bimpe buys rice in Nzongo, chicken wire screen around rice shop to protect from flies. We pass by the big baobab tree. Yaw Bimpe says that even if you cut this tree it will not fall down. It is like a ghost tree. People cook the leaves and eat them.

Later, I see Kwaku Baah and Sandra running around the front of the house, then Nana. I see goats run under the corn shed. Then I see one of the little goats has a bucket around its neck. They're trying to catch him. There are several goats running together. I go out and take pictures as they chase the goat. Awhile later, I hear a goat squeal and then Ama laughing. A man helped them catch the goat.

Monday, May 18th, 2009:
Laundry this morning. I hand wash my laundry.
I try to do it myself, but Rose won't let me. She looks on, sees my lack of technique, bemused and probably dumbfounded. She gets her pretty salon assistant to help me. I try to stop them saying I can do it myelf but they won't listen.
I use So Klin detergent and Key Soap, a bar of soap that's advertized everywhere. I also use little blue ultramarine rock-like bleach that you rub into another bucket of water. My Key Soap is very small and Rose argues with me to get another. I say I can still use it one more time. She's about to get her assistant to buy me an new bar for 30 pesewas, so I go to my room and get my extra bar. Her assistant uses that one. I use my little ready-to-break-in-two one. People pass and are curious about me washing my clothes. They laugh and I greet them. This happens every week.

I make tea for Rose, laborers, and myself. Children stop by, 3-4 kids and little 2 yr. old Sandra. They draw and I tell them to stay quiet. I paint in the back by Nana's door. Goats and chickens hang out. One goat brings its head by the wall and watches me, two horns twisted brown and black. The goats occasionally get chased out of the house by the dog. The chickens walk around my art drying on the ground. The kitten walks on my painting, looking for food. The girls show me their artwork and leave. another boy stops by, Daniel Owusu. He wants to draw. He's a neighbor and his family seems to have very little. He likes to draw cars, strong geometry with dark lines, like his brother's. He draws his car. Another boy stops by, Kwame Nsiam. He draws large shapes that look similar to a shirt. Daniel finishes his car. I encourage him to draw more, so he draws an elephant below the car. I snap their photo holding their artworks. They enjoy looking at the photo on my camera.

Little stubs of colored pencils on the table,
my yellow plastic cup of Chelsea tea,
Nana's large tin cup, Sadick is drawing the space shuttle,
Auntie Bea eats plantains and stew. Yaw Owusu is reading a
Newsweek magazine, Istanbul,
no water for the past few days,
many people walk to the wells to fill
their buckets and basins. On the way to Naa's,
one well, two spickets, two lines of plastic buckets
waiting there when the well opens. Another well is
next to the Baobab tree.
The neighbor does her laundry, bent over, standing up
scrubbing 2 roosters and a hen eat next to her from
a charcoaled pot. Twi in the air from Yaw and Bea,
clear skies today. Last night, heavy rains loud
flickers of lightening like paparazzi.
I walk around the village, take photos of a couple of
children playing " store and dress up". I make spaghetti
with onions, garlic, olive oil.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009:
Little after 7am, waiting for a tro-tro to Kejetia, G-circle
Naa's grandson stops by and says "hi". A man walks up to me
with his little daughter. She has curly hair, a little thin,
almost with a bald spot in the back and one gold earring. I ask how old she is and he says, 3 months. We talk a littl bit. The girl's mother is buying rice. The girl looks at me intently. I keep waiting for her to cry. Some little children have been freaked out by the ghost-like Obruni.

I get on the tro-tro and look at all the beautiful trees along the way, the farm fields, palms, plantains, pass through Mankranso, we zip by the customs used for trucks, further, police stop to check registration and tro-tro license. We get to the toll booth, many women are selling things, fried donuts (bofrotu), bread, green apples, PK gum, eggs,and many other snacks. Take the back road, I'm happy, more greener fields. I notice a large bug on the collar on the driver, about 2 inches with long antennae, scaler, with claw pincers. my neighbor notices it as well, so I take my pen and try to flick it off of him out the window. The bug hangs on with its pincers but crawls on the sleeve where the driver flicks it out of the window.

Friday, May 22, 2009:
Took tro-tro to Ntensere this morning, by the big rock/hill I like so much like a Chinese landscape painting. We walk a couple miles along the road through a little village and get to the monastery, Benedictine Monasstery of Monte Oliveto. The church is pagoda like. We're looking at it from the road. A man motions for us to come in, big dome, chairs at the back, little prayer areas/vestibules, paintings of St. Bernard of Tolomei, founder of Olivetan Congregation, St. Francis of Rome, patroness of Olivetan Cong. We went out back. Francis, the monk says only three monks are there now. Some people are in a side bldg getting ready to pray. He says every Friday people from neighboring villages come and pray. We meet the Superior/Director, Francis Kumi. He explains that the other monks, 14 or so are in Bologna, Italy, their sister monastery. An Italian architect built this monastery. He shows us a room for someone to go on a retreat for 2 days. He offers us a ride to Abuakwa, but I say I like to walk and look around and thank him. Yaw and I stay in the church for awhile, lots of bird sounds. Before Francis left, I say how much I liked the rocky hill on the Sunyani Rd. He said the church wanted to build there but it's a military zone. Nice wood on the ceiling, teak? Dark, webs and birds' nests in the dome above, quiet, peaceful, listen to the people praying, the birds. We go out front and Francis gives us a tour. We see the garden, an eight inch snake, baby snake, is in ourway and Francis, the monk, takes a brick and while we are conversing smashes the snake, big gash. Their garden has corn, tomatos, po po (papaya), carrots, onions, cabbage. They have large plastic tanks of water, laundry room, kitchen area, nice greass, brush/shrubs trimmed with the letters BMMO, Benedictine Monastery of Monte Oliveto, a grotto for baby Jesus and Mary. The director, Francis said he just came back from a retreat in Assisi, Italy. He's fluent in Italian.

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009:
brushing my teeth, 7am, a girl in a skirt with a little white, clear bucket of water in one hand, a little whisk broom made of palm reeds in the other, cleaning a yellow bucket used for carrying water. She circles the yellow bucket, dousing it with water and wisking it with her broom.

Yao Bimpe and I walk to Biemso I today, another village on a different road from Biemso II but fairly close. Red dirt road, grave, maintined well, pass by the newly built hospital on the edge of Adugyama, looks large. Go by a little cemetary, beautiful trees, flowers along the way, large, lone trees, palms, coconut, mangos, maize, many taxi pass us, then SUVs, Mercedes, nice cars. Yaw saysthere's probably a funeral. A woman with ground nuts (peanuts) on her head and a man selling belts and watches catch up to us. She says, "Andrew", and I tell her I'm Daniel, Andrew's friend. Yaw and I both buy ground nuts wrapped in newspaper, 20 pesewas each about 20-30 shelled peanuts. Took photos of lone, large trees, lush greens, remnants of rainforests farmed and parched by people, people and planted, cutting, sawing, burning, transplanting, decanopied, ripped off, church concrete at the edge of Biemso, painted by Senior Wisdom.

At Beimso, big funeral, many dark Adinkra cloths, took pictures of old catholic shrine, meet neighbor, Kofi's grandmother. She's happy to see us. Just as the funeral was getting under way, people enter, many women in green tops, red canopy, tents with nice chairs. Yaw says this is a very weathly funeral, ther person who died was rich. A pick-up flies past us with four men in the back. Look like military garb and I see a gun. As soon as the truck stops, 5 guys jump out with their rifles and guns and give chase. One guy runs by us, looking between the bldgs. They head down the hill and people are all stirred up. Some go and watch. I want to find some kind of cover in case there's a big shoot out. Things calm down and we walk further down the road. We see them bring in the casket, a Methodist funeral. A little ways down the road, we see the pick up that brought the military guys, no markings. Then, the guy with a uniform, the driver, I presume begins to walk toward us. He has the air of someone in power and gives a slight smile. I smile in return wanting to ask him what's happening, but thinking otherwise. Yaw overhears the people say they were after "stealers" and they caught them.

Back in Adugyama:
Mr. Addo stopped by. We talk about the usefulness of aid organizations. He says 2 Peace Corps volunteers were at his school when he was young and really influenced the students. Talked about how Andrew, the Peace Corps volunteer here, really motivated farmers to try different techniques. One farmer with a fish pond is now raising pigs.

Kids stop by to draw. I do my painting in the back, dirt, charcoal, and vegetable oil. Agya joins me. He did four paintings, children watch. Sandra and two or her friends painted a couple paintings. Later in the afternoon, a big group of kids all drawing and hanging out, having fun

The Rainy Season, Naa, the Healer, May 5th - May 16th, 2009

May 5th, 2009, Ghana Cultural Centre, Kumasi:

While doing batik.

grey tremulous line, proud layers,
emboldened blankets, upward frontier,
nebulous mighty thrusts, palatial movements, dark princes,
trampling, resurrecting, African Grey
Elephants, downward bubbling and
boiling, sky chieftains, entrancement of rulers,
overseers, arrivals of distant ships, outerspace
treasures, from foreign skies, sails bellow,
heavenly engines of hippopotomas form spirits
dancing to pounding drums, dark storms of
angels' songs fall, season of moist depth and
plunder welcoming crowns of green winds
and springs, African independence thunders fresh,
clashing tin, striking new breaths, hearts puddle
into brown, gushing rivers beating roofs and
life's belly, visits of lovers, receive,
smile, gravity sounds drop morning's darkness
animal hides smooth puff of balanced saturation
teeth immense, pavement of sound, emptying,
filling, playing, conquering, cowering,
absorbing, penetrating

Large palm leaves sweeping refuse, leaves
of golden confetti, dust and dirt, reds,
brown stones, sprinkled sounds brush my ears,
overlapping voices sweeping layers, piles,
clean textured concrete, purple dyed, batiked,
breezes dance with leaves skip the freshly
swept place. This earth space. This earth
spot, a visitation noticed, the few arrive
slowly, fallen sunlight, moist, flowering
wetness sprinkling stained streams of
Ghana yellow amongst the purple, textured
hardness, praised natures flows and follows
rhythms ancient and known and remember and
forgotten, embraced anew, prodigal and
welcomed, passing through, alive,
grey, blue, green, white, yellow, pour,
sift, let go, refrain, morning songs,
birds, communication of bark, insects, green
fingers massage air, branches carry and drop
transform to dirt, break, proud, observe, relax,
touch, notice, reflect, memory, birth, stone, carry,
part, conceive, trace, dance.

May 9th, Saturday Night:

Past midnight? After the hard rains, yelling, men shouting
and running about. Scurrying and shouts. I thought
someone had stolen something, maybe wronged someone.
The next day I asked Mr. Atta. He said, "It is our
custom when a royal person dies, on the day of the funeral,
after the royal is buried along the way, any stray goat, sheep,
or chicken can be caught and killed."

This is why Nana had the goats shut in the animal room for
a couple of days. Mr. Addo said the royal was the Queenmother's
Sister's Mother?

May 12, 2009, Tuesday, Cultural Centre, Kumasi:
Breezes, heat, a tight landscape, shortened limbs
and crutches, bent limbs, sitting on concrete with
metal bowls. A place for a soul with rivers of humans
like ghosts amongst these physical bodies, testaments.
The sitters, head covered cloth, heat infested and hand
stretched with eyes shut or looking blank or looking
upward, potential history, short contacts, clinks,
maybe bread, rice, yams, coins press the hand and
open ears, hearts beat through these currents,
saturated, emptiness, guilty filters, closed, numb,
overwhelmed filters, thoughts elsewhere, no thoughts,
walk by.

May 13th, 2009, Wednesday:
Walking to the Cultural Centre, saw the the woman who's face
is disfigured, sucking on a rag with a shawl. Gave her 20 pesewas.
She recognizes me, stands up right away and starts shaking my hands
vigorously. I ask her how's she's doing? Wo ho te sen?
She says, "Me ho ye." (I am well). I walk a little ways and
a young man comes up to me and asks, "What did you do for that
woman to start talking to you." I told him I just gave her some
money and asked her how she was.

G Circle, Hospital, Kumasi, radio tro-tro, brash,
loundness breaks the green nature, beats in space,
taking space, expelling, flout, tout, pass.
A girl selling water runs after a white tro-tro, black shirt,
one of her sachets of water falls, her last, breaks on
the pavement, splatters. She sets her silver basin down
to run faster, catches the white tro-tro to return change.
She runs back to her basin, big smile.

The barber with all the paintings of haircuts near the zoo.
We greet each other. He says, "How do you find Ghana?"
"Great", I say. Just near him a boy getting his hair shaved.
A painting of two haircuts, Step #2.

May 15th, 2009, Adugyama:

Woke up 4:30 to the call to prayer, 5 or so the music from the
neighborhood spot (bar) starts blasting. IN and out of sleep til 6:45am.
Disoriented, wake up and study a little Twi, eat bananas and ginger
cookies.

Today, I am going to the village healer and masseuse.
Rose talked me into it. My lower back is still bothering me and
they see how slowly I get up from the low benches. I've been
saying, "maybe I'll go" for the past three weeks now, but I'm
curious to see what happens. Ama says the healer will make me cry.
I joke that she'll make me lie down and use one of those 6 foot long
wooden pestles (woma)used for making fufu and start pounding it into my back.
They assure me she'll just massage my back. She also doesn't take anything
for her service saying it was handed down to her mother.

We walk to the other side of the village, Nzongo, and go into the courtyard.
There are about ten people sitting on benches. A man is sitting and applying a
cloth to another man's shoulder. We sit down and watch them for awhile.
A couple of elderly ladies, a man with crutches, and others that look
injured and tired. Rose say's that's the healer's son. Rose goes and finds
the healer named Naa. She's kind of retired but she will do this for the Obruni (white man).

She comes in . She looks strong and weathered, has a nice smile. I show
her the area of the back that bothers me. She says that she'll break
every bone in my body and put them back together again and does the
hand gestures to go along with it. She laughs, everyone laughs, and I
kind of laugh.

She leads me into a dark room with dark walls. I sit on a low bench and
take off my shirt. She starts using her strong hands to massage my back,
deep pressure, shiatsu-like with her thumbs. Her nails just barely keeping
me from saying something. She applies very hot water with a rag which feels good.
She applies shea butter and some other "Ghana medicine" made from herbs and mud, and it's over.

Then she talks to Rose and Ama. They translate that she wants to make small
cuts in my back and apply medicine. I get nervous. I'm not quite sure what they mean and they assure me that they're very small. Now, judging from my life experiences, I do consider myself a masochist in a karmic sort a way, but I
did decide to say "no" to this one. I thank her and offer to pay her but as I was told she won't accept anything. She jokes that I can take her to the States. I tell her she could find a lot of work there massaging people. She says she wants to see me later in the day.

Kwaakwadubi, April 24-27th, 2009, Adugyama, Ghana

April 24, 2009, Friday
Kraakradubi, Kwa Kwa Doobie, black crows
flying over with white breasts that wrap
around to the back of their necks like a white
t-shirt,a muscleman shirt, a wifebeater.

Kraakradubi, Abuaka-Manhyia, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

At the back of the house, Rose is teaching
me back stretches. She wants me to go to
the local masseuse/healer. Said she won't
charge because her mother taught her.
It's Friday morning. Yaw Gyamfi stopped by
carrying a bag. He said he will be heading to
Kumasi for two weeks to his mother's house.
His mother died a little while ago.

Meleama stopped by, said she is going to pray
at the local mosque and then go to the farm.
She looked at my drawings.

The neighbors sell a strong, homemade alcohol
called apetashi. People come and go. The
younger boys are playing soccer. Bea chews
on a Sokuadua stick, flossing her teeth.
The chickens are rustling about in the plaintain
fields. The cocoa and yams are drying. It's
cloudy and breezy today. Nice relief.

Rose gives me a taste of fried beans like a
donut and Nana comes back with fried cassava
and a coconut and gives me a taste.

Sandra, Kofi, Gloria and other little kids
are running with little toothpick-like sticks
and a leaf stuck in the middle.
The leaf spins as they run.

Bofrotu-fry bread, like mini-donuts but bigger
AY Day PA PAAAAHH! Delicious!

Bakyeakragro--fried cassava

April 25, 2009, Saturday:
4:30 am, call to prayer, Azzan?
the Koran over the loudspeaker wakes me up.
Again 20 minutes later. Then at 5:00,
reggae blasts from the neighborhood
spot (bar/saloon.

Call to prayer. Call to Alcohol.
Adugyama, Dwinyama.

I stay in bed til 6:45 am.
Most people are up at sunrise,
between 6 and 6:30, many earlier.
I get ready to shower and see
a group of goats out front.
Two are ramming heads.
They get up on their hind legs,
twist sideways and then butt heads.
I see an udder on one. Other goats
stand around and watch. They are in
a grassy patch.

Now I sit at the side of the house
where laundry and farmwork are done.
Bea is working on corn. Ama is brushing
her teeth. Sandra, Kofi, and Raymond
are cooking with tomato and sardine cans,
making dirt stew. The dog hangs by me
because I pet her a lot. Now Bea is
brushing her teeth and singing,
a gospel song. She shoos away a goat,
shweyy! Then looks in the mirror.

April 26, 2009, Sunday:
The fermented smells of cocoa:
acrid, sweet, dank. A goat
sneaks back away from the hall,
piles of corn cobs waiting to
be shucked. I take a photo of the
front of the house, a grey day, cool.

Three yr. old Kofi's face is covered
with chalk. Sandra put it on. I take
pictures of him and also the dog who has
a razorblade by her paw. Bea has her
hair all wild and I pretend to take
her picture. She runs away. Yaw Bimpe
is in the little plantain field hitting
plastic bags with a sling shot.

A well known song is on the radio. Hi-life.
I've heard it before. Ama and Bea say
they don't know the name.

Phone numbers on scratched, textured,
concrete walls. Chalk marks, Xs, lines,
the letters U2 circled in white.
Little drawings, ancient-like, layered.
Cy is with me and so is Antoni.
My own museum right here in Adugyama.
Cy Twombly and Antoni Tapies, my friends, my
mentors are alive and well in Adugyama.
I stop to take pictures. Bea is cutting
yams, putting them into a pot. Ama is
doing laundry.

Sunday Evening:
The afternoon, watching television with
Sarah sleeping, Kwaku Baah on the floor,
Yaw Bimpe on the bed. Me on the couch.
Bea watching from the hall. Nana walks
in and sits on the couch. We're watching
the Asantahene celebration in Kumasi.

Chief Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, his 10 yr. reign
as the Ashanti leader is being honored.
J.J. Rawlings enters the stadium with his
entourage to pay his respects. The Nigerian
delegation enters, a delegation from Swaziland
with impressive, traditional regalia.
President John Atta Mills,
many Obrunis (white people) lining up
to shake Chief Osei Tutu II's hand,
bedecked in gold, large gold rings, the
golden stool next to him. Other chiefs
with lots of gold, big triangle gold medallian.
The Chiefs' wives, dancers, and drummers,
The television announcer showing respect and
awe. I see Bea smiling, proud. Nana right by
the T.V. Sandra sleeping. Yaw Bimpe falling
asleep.

April 27, 2009, Monday:
This morning while doing laundry,
a goat gets on its hind legs and
sneaks some cassava drying on the
racks. Stephen's brother stops
by and chats. He's studying math
up north and wishes to go into business.
He has three years left. He asks me
what New York is like. He talks about a
brother/priest from here who visited
Texas and they treated him really well,
giving him lots of dinners. The dog
is lying on the path sleeping, resting.
Bea is sifting corn.
Music in the background, chickens,
a bird chirping. My silk sheet, drying,
falls on the ground. I make tea,
Lipton fro Rose, Moringa tea for me.
I pack to go to Nsawam and Accra.
Sandra's throat/jaw is swollen.
Rose puts on "Ghana medicine".
I believe it is dirt, ash, charcoal,
maybe something else. Sandra now
has black and brown spots on her neck.
Tomorrow they're going to the hospital.
A rooster crows, the chickens are clucking
by the gyaade (kitchen). A chicken hangs
out near Bea and me. The sounds of corn
scraping the metal basin as Bea sorts.

Feb. 23 to March 1st, 2009 Legon, Accra, Aduagyiri

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.

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!