nkyinkyim: Chronicles From West Africa

2006-04-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

Togo and Benin

Hello all. After a long delay I thought I'd give you a recap of my latest trip to Togo and Benin. Located just east of Ghana, Togo and Benin, while tiny in size, have some of the richest culture and ancient societies in West Africa. Benin is the home of voodoo, the ancient west african religion brought to the New World (specifically Haiti and later New Orleans) by slaves and made popular in southern American folklore. The voodoo practiced here is actually a much more positive form, as oppossed to the "black" voodoo that most people usually think of. None the less, voodoo is thouroughly bizare, highly intriguing, and a great representation of traditional West African religon.

From Accra we traveled three hours east via tro tro to the Ghana-Togo border where we crossed over on foot to the Togo side. Togo's capital city Lome comes right up to the border so it was naturally our first destination. Lome is an amazing city-- it was built by the French during the colonial period, and, unlike the British who built Accra, the French actually took some time to lay out the city in a pleasing manner. The streets are wide and tree lined, French bread abounds everywhere. Truthfully, it felt sorta like New Orleans, with the tropical African blended with the French achitecture and food. From Lome we moved north to the mountainous region near Kpalime (prounounced palime). We spent a night at a missionary camp on Mt. Agu, which we hiked up during the day. The views from the 3000 ft peak were breathtaking but the two small villages built into the side of the mountain which we encountered unexpectedly on our hike were perhaps the best suprise of the whole trip. After leaving Kpalime we moved across Togo and into Benin, to the large town of Abomey. Abomey is the home of voodoo in Benin and as such, remains a wild but amazing place. Abomey was the home of an ancient kingdom which controlled most of Benin, Togo, some of Ghana and Nigeria from the 16th to the 19th centuries and is dotted with ruins from temples, homes, and fortresses. After leaving Abomey we travelled south to Ganvie, a stilt village built in the middle of a huge lagoon . The residents of Ganvie are descended from the original settlers who moved to the area to escape a war during the 17th century. All of the buildings are built on stilts and people move around by dugout canoe. The economy is based mainly on fishing and the residents contstuct huge fish farms by lining a huge square of lake with small trees. When the trees rott the fish swim inside the squares to eat the dead foliage and then the men and women simply paddle into the entrapment and scoop out the fish with huge nets. After leaving Ganvie we made our way to Cotonou, Benin's largest city and then back to Lome for some nice French food before heading back to Accra. Below are some pictures of the trip. Enjoy.

James, Chris and I with the Fetish priest

Fetish Market: Voodoo Dolls, Monkey Skulls, and Cheetah Heads

Mt Agu

Classic Tro Tro

Abomey

Voodoo Priest

Traveling vai Canoe to Ganvie, the Stilt Village

Ganvie

2006-04-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Mole National Park and Larabanga

Last weekend I traveled to the north central of Ghana to the largest and most popular national park in the country, Mole. The journey there was arduous and long, about twenty four hours in total. But it was well worth it. We stayed at the Mole Motel, and although it was a bit colonialist/touristy for my liking, it had nice beds, a great view, tours of the park, and good food. On Saturday morning we arose at six o'clock and got a guided walking tour of the park's hot spots. Mainly the two watering holes around which most of the animals congregate. The park itself is massive and mostly un-patrolled but our area is home to a wide variety of animal species, of which we saw elephants, kobs (like an antelope or gazell), warthogs, mona monkeys, baboons, and crocodiles (although a bit small). It was really amazing to see all of these animals in the wild.

We also visited the town of Larabanga, located just outside the gates of Mole. Larabanga 100% muslim and home to the oldest mosque in Ghana, possible West Africa. The mosque was built in 1420 by a nomad from Saudi Arabia. We got a tour of the town and the mosque although not the inside which is strictly for muslims only. An amazing town though, full of color, history, and tradition.

Below are some pictures from Mole and Larabanga. Enjoy. I'm leaving tomorrow for Togo and Benin and am planning on returning next Tues. or Wed. Look for a post around then on what should be a fantastic trip.

MOLE NATIONAL PARK

LARABANGA

2006-04-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Trip to the East

I apologize for the lack of posting, but hope this post can make up for it. And maybe some more pictures soon. I spent all of last week away from Accra/Legon traveling in the eastern part of the country. Know as the Volta Region because it was once controlled by the Germans rather than the British (before WWI), Ghana's eastern most province is perhaps its most interesting and certainly provided an excellent oppurtunity for me to sample the incredible diversity of terrain and culture. I departed Accra and Saturday and headed east, to the southern town of Amedzofe, a small village nestled in the mountains. On Sunday I hiked up to the top of the mountain upon which the town is located (at about 600 meters) and then down to the neighboring town of Fume. From their, we caught a tro tro to Hohoe, the second largest town in the Volta and still well within the mountains. From Hohoe we proceeded north along the only road, called the Northern Road, through the regional capital of Nkwanta to the town of Kpasa, where we lodged for the night. From Kpasa we proceeded north to Bimbilla and then Salaga. After leaving the mountains, the eastern part of Ghana becomes very arid. Red soil, no paved roads, very very isolated and remote. There are no tro tros that far north, only pickup trucks and larger eighteen wheeler type vehicles. On the ride from Kpasa to Bimbilla, we got the most amazing ride in the back of a huge truck---filled with about 40 people, 20 goats, 30 bags of coal, rice, etc, a and a cow which the men just brought out of the bush, hog tied and threw in the back of the truck. The scenery, while not overwhelmingly gorgous was quite interesting non the less. The largest towns are located along the main dirt road that runs north to south and these towns arent more than 1000 people. No running water and they just recieved electricity in the fall. In between are classic villages, mud huts, thatched roofs, very very traditional lifestyle based around farming of yams with domesticated goats and the occasional cow.

On Tuesday we crossed lake Volta to the port town of Yeji and on Tuesday night and met my roomate Jacob, who had biked up the lake's western side while we traveled up the eastern side, and then caught the Volta Lake ferry for a three day journey down the lake to the largest inland port in Ghana at Akasombo.

The ferry ride was amazing. By far the best thing I have done and seen thus far. We departed Yeji at three in the morning going south on the Volta. Its important to note that Lake Volta was formed during the 60s when the Volta River was damned, creating what was at the time, the largest man made lake in the world and totally reshaping the geography of Ghana. Essentially, the entire region surrounding Lake Volta depends on the growing and sale of yams, as it did when the lake was created. So the main point of the ferry is to take about 100,000 yams a week from seven stops along the Volta to port in Akasomba where they are then tranported to Accra. The yam trade is unbelievably interesting and complex and warrants an entirely seperate post, which will come later in the week. On Wed. we caught the solar eclipse which was best seen in Ghana, and although we didnt get the full eclipse like our friends in Accra, it was amazing non the less. After we reached port on Friday in Akasombo, we headed east to the Volta Regions capital city, Ho, where we met our group for a weekend excursion. On Saturday we visited a monkey sanctuary where we viewed mona monkeys in their natural habitat and then Sunday we visited the largest waterfall in western Africa (about 60 meters tall). Then back to Accra.

Three more weeks of classes left. A trip to Togo and Benin. Then the big trip to Burkina Faso and Mali. And then home in mid May. I cant believe time is going by so fast.

2006-03-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Finally Some Pictures!

After much delay, sweet, and frustration, I've finally put together some pictures. These are from about a month ago, when I took a trip down the coast to the Elmina Slave Castle. I blogged about it earlier; hopefully these pictures will do the place more justice than my words. More pictures to come soon.

Outside Elmina Castle:

Inside Elmina Castle

From the Governors Balcony:

2006-03-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Habib Koite

After having a very relaxed week of reading, socializing, and general malay, I decided to continue my activities into the weekend and instead of traveling to a grand location, I stayed at home. It was actually really great to take a weekend off from multipule hour tro-tro rides, dodgy hotel accomodations, and the wear and tear of traveling. Indeed it turned out to be a double blessing because on Saturday night, some of my house-mates and I went to see a world renouned artist from Mali, Habib Koite, perform at Alliance France (a cultural center run by the French Embassy). It was an amazing show, one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. The setting was small and intimate, an outdoor ampitheatre with great sound and a nice atmosphere. Lots of families (mostly of diplomats/various departments of state employees I assume) as well as a fair share of Ghanians/rastas/and the like all making for a pleasant evening. Koite and his band were phenomenal. The play a sort of Arabic West African funk jazz blues type sound with Koite singing in French and Malian and playing acoustic guitar backed up by a bass, electric guitar, xilophone, fiddle, drum set, and west african drums. I highly recomend checking this guy out. He's toured the US several times and if you dont want to purchase a CD (I believe they are found at Amazon) then try to download his stuff.

Sunday was spent taking in some rays at the beach. Its back to the grind this week. I'm trying to attend all my classes and work on some stuff for the internship. Look for an update on this later in the week.

2006-03-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

Test Post for Pictures

Just trying to test out the hosting site to see if my pictures work/need to be shrunk, expanded etc. Heres to hoping.

2006-03-16T04:02:00.000-08:00

Traveling East

Over the weekend, my roomate Jacob and I traveled east to Ghana's Volta Region. The Volta Region comprises almost the entirety of the eastern part of the country and takes it name from the river Volta, Ghana's largest river. On Friday we stayed in a small village called Ada Foah where the Volta meets the Atlantic Ocean. Our accomodations were sparse but scenic---huts on the beach made from woven palm tree fronds with thatched roofs and sand floors. No electricity, of course, but a really relaxing time. On Saturday we walked the mile or so to the delta and saw the Volta and the sea merge. Its a beautiful area, relitively pristine except for the trash on the beaches brought by the tides. Later in the day we caught a tro-tro to a Keta, a town built on a huge sandbar. On the backside of Keta is a massive lagoon and the front side is the Atlantic. The sandbar is about a mile wide and several miles long. Really a neat area. Lots of farming and fishing done in these villages. Had an amazing baracuda fish fried for dinner and then off to bed early. Came back to Accra/Legon on Sunday. Not sure whats on tap for this weekend, I'd like to go back to the Volta, but more inland. Volta is the most mountainous region of the country once you get away from the coast and apparently is quite stunning.

I'm currently at an internet cafe trying to get some pictures up on the sight, so look for them in the coming hours/days.

2006-03-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Problem With Change

Noting the topic of the last post--namely, Ghana's intiative to rapidly speed up development in their Jubilee year-- one might think this post to be a mediation on the possibilities and directions. But one would be jumping to conclusions. This post concerns something far more wide sweeping and chronic, something I have been meaning to talk about for some time: no one here ever has correct change. At least three times a day, during a monetary transaction between buyer and seller (buyer being me and seller being any merchant), I will hand over a ten or twenty thousand bill for an item or service that costs say, 8.000 cedis, and the seller will inform me that he or she doesnt have change. Now if this happened occasionally it wouldn't be a big deal. But it happens all the time. You would think that someone would have figured out that people need more 1.000 and 2.000 cedi notes. But I dont even know if its that. Often times the seller will just lie and say that they dont have change, when in actuality they do. Last night i was buying a water which costs 300 cedis everywhere at all times, I handed the woman a 500 cedi peice, and she replied "change finished." Also, there is no concept of sorting change here. Instead of keeping coins and notes in piles according to their value, Ghanaians simply throw everything into a big jar and then each time someone doesnt have the correct amount they have to fish around for change. I dont know what the deal is. They could and should have change, but they just dont really take the time to pursue or care about it. Its a classicly absurd situation. It happens so much now that its become a hilarity. I guess you can only laugh at these things and move on. Any thoughts?

2006-03-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Independance Day

Today, March 6th, marks the 49th year of Ghana's independance from Britain. There was a huge parade today at Independance Square in Accra with a proccession of Ghana's military, dignitaries, bands, and school children. The parade was very British in style-- more of a parade around a large square with an audience seated in the stands than the American style proccession down a street. Ghana was the first country in sub-saharan Africa to attain independance from its colonial rulers and has been a beacon of hope in the region ever since. Today, the president launched an intiative to bring Ghana back to the forefront of the international spotlight during its Jubilee year, hoping to inspire rapid development culminating in a massive celebration next year. Its a great thought and a daunting task but Ghana is perhaps the best situated country in the region to mount such an intiative. Heres to hoping and happy Independance Day!

2006-03-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

Kumasi: Part Two

Over the weekend, I visited Ghana's second largest city, Kumasi, for the second time. This occasion was funded by our program--which essentially means we stayed in an air conditioned hotel with a pool and spring mattresses. Luxury at its finest. I did feel a bit guilty about it, but once in a while its a nice treat. On Saturday we went to a small village outside Kumasi were they produce most of the beads found in Ghana's markets. The process is fairly simple: they take ground up colored glass which they get from Fanta bottles, put it inside a clay mold with a stick in the middle and fire it. The glass melts together and the stick burns away, leaving a nice colored bead. After we left the bead factory, we went back into Kumasi, to its central market. The central market is the largest open aired market in West Africa and was a hectic, bustling, thouroughly crazed and wonderful experience. On Sunday we traveled to another small village which produces Kente cloth-- a traditional Ghanian weave-- and then to the Cultural center back in Kumasi, before returning to Accra.

2006-02-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

Return From Paradise

Went to Kokrobite (notice the new spelling) again this weekend and had a wonderful time. I've realized the need to get pictures up and availible so I promise to have that done by the end of the week.

Interestingly, I've gotten a psuedo-internship at an economic policy think tank here in Accra. Its called Imani Ghana and is run by a Ghanian, Franklin Cudjoe. Although its a small scale operation in terms of physical space, staff, and capability, its network and influence is international in scope and growing by the day. Essentially, Franklin works on projects with think tanks, researchers, policy makers, professors, etc from around the world. He attends conferences, gives talks, and publishes papers advocating free market solutions to Africa's economic troulbes. I'll be working on a project investigating free market solutions in sustainable agriculture-- Franklin is coordinating this project with a group in London called IPN (International Policy Network) and will hopefully present the preliminary results in June. I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing specifically, for the moment I'm doing some general research and looking for collaborative opportunities. More to come on this exciting topic in the future.

I strongly encourage everyone to check out the Imani website, www.imanighana.org, as well as Franklin's personal site, www.wingsoffreedomandjustice.blogspot.com. Browse through the articles if you wish, they are fascinating and shed much light on the economic situation here, as well as possible solutions. At imanighana.org, be sure to check out the December 14 article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Africa Needs Freer Markets-- and Fewer Tyrants".

2006-02-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

Quick Note

When posting comments, blogspot.com may ask you to register in order to post, you do not have to do this and can simply post as anonymous. Im not exactly sure how to do this but just fiddling around should do the trick. If you do post as anonymous, kindly sign your name so I'll no who you are.

Also, picture will be coming soon... as soon as I figure out the best way to get them off of my camera and on to here. Im not exactly sure how to upload them onto the site, so if anyone with a blogspot blog does know, hit me up asap!

2006-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

First Travels

So I know I haven't posted in ages, but all can be blamed on either a) faulty power/internet connections or b) TRAVEL and since I cant help the former I thought I would at least explain the latter. The past three weekends I've been traveling outside of Accra/Legon (where I live during the week) to various parts of Ghana. A brief description of the events of the last weeks might help to catch me up to date on posts and then hopefully I can establish a reliable, and readable, blog.

Weekend One: Aburi Botanical Gardens

After the first week of classes, the program I'm here with, CIEE, took all of us up to the mountain town of Aburi, located about 40 minutes north of Accra in Ghana's Western Region. Aburi is home to a beautiful botanical garden, which we toured in the morning. I snapped some great photos but unfortunatly somehow deleeted them from my camera. We saw huge huge huge Royal Palms, lots of neat tropical and subtropical bushes and flowers, cinnamon trees, and several massive trees that are literally hollow which you can walk inside of. Ridiculous. After leaving the gardens, several of us stayed behind to explore the town itself. We meet up with a local teacher named Winston who was eager to show us around. The town is fairly small and compact, built by Swiss (?) missionaries in the 19th century, the building are very close to the road and the architecture contributes to a thouroughly European feel. Although poor like any town in Ghana, Aburi seemed very relaxed, slow paced, and homey, like a small town in America. The citizens seemed to know each other and recognized outsiders immidiatly. Children, especially in small towns, love to shout 'oburuni'-- meaning white person or person from across the sea-- wherever foriegners go. Its endearing but sometimes you wonder if it isnt a bit patronizing, a remnant from the colonial era. At any rate, Aburi was fascinating and a great intoduction to life outside Accra, a life I hope to see much more of in the coming months.

Weekend Two: Kumasi-Accra Reggae Festival

Two weekends ago, some friends and traveled to Kumasi on Friday for the celebration of Bob Marley's 61st Birthday, thrown by his wife Rita Marley. Kumasi is about 15o miles north of Accra, a trip that would take about 2.5 hours in the U.S. (Auburn to Birmingham). Not in Ghana. We traveled by tro tro, a cramped, hot, but "fast" and cheap way to go, and the trip took us 6 hours. The return trip was over 9! Traveling with 20+ people in a confined and rickety tro tro is most definatley an experience one never forgets. I cant complain too much and Im certain I'll be traveling this way in the future, but lets just say it wasnt a pleasurable ride. The two lane road was unpaved in many areas, and it should be noted that this is THE road between Ghanas two largest cities, each with well over a million residents. Kumasi itself was a brilliant city. Lots of vegitation, much more relaxed feel as opposed to Accra's hot, dusty, urban sprawl. A city I will be returning to soon. The concert itself was amazing. The worlds biggest reggae artists were there including Culture, Steel Pulse, and all of the Marley Brothers. I met some of the local artists from an opening band during a set break and after some time the brought me and a friend of mine backstage! What a surreal experience. I met the lead man from Culture and Steel Pulse, as well as a leading reggae sax player Dean Frazier and legendary African poet Muta Baruka. The concert was a blast, it lasted all night and was spiced up about 12pm when the authorities simply opened the gates and allowed everyone who couldnt pay to come in. Unlike Americans, who would have bum rushed the stage, the Ghanaians peacefully waltzed in, dancing joyfully to the sound of Steel Pulse who had just taken the stage. An amazing night! We returned to Accra the next morning, and repeated the concert on Sunday, as it was held in Accra, including the backstage experience. What a marverlous time!

Weekend Three: Cape Coast-Kokobute

Last weekend I traveled with the program (CIEE) on a day trip to Cape Coast, a city located in the eastern part of the country, on the coast, naturally. In Cape Coast we visited one of Ghana's many slave forts, owned by the Portugese, Dutch, and the British. The fort was amazing, an imposing structure located on a bluff overlooking the beach. Over a thousand slaves were kept in the fort at one time before they were transported to Europe, the Caribbean, or the Americas. Really a touching experience-- I cant wait to get some pictures up so you can see what it was like, its really difficult to describe and the pictures will speak volumes. After leaving the slave fort we traveled inland a bit to Kakum National Forest where we went on a jungle canopy walk. What a blast it was. We walked across the jungle canopy on wood and rope suspension bridges tethered to eight platforms. At its highest point, the brides are 40 meters above the ground (about 120 feet!). The scenery was brilliant, something I would love to do again. I was exahausted and returned to Accra that night, but the next morning traveled with some friends to small beach resort outside of the Accra known as Kokobute. On Saturday nights their is a live reggae band, you can sleep at the resort/restaurant/bar/stage/beach area for about 4 dollars US. The accomodations are very nice, little bungalos with three beds to a room, right next to the beach, cheap delicious food, great music, and a totally relaxing atmosphere. I dont know if Ive ever been so relaxed in my life. Just next to Kokobute is a small fishing village and the locals bring a nice flavor to the area. The boats they use to fish are amazing and beautiful, built by hand from massive trees the fishermen cut down themselves. Im going to be returning to Kokobute this weekend and cant wait.

Hope this barrage of information satisfies the posting for a time. Ill be returning to technology on Sunday, so expect a post either Sunday or Monday. Until then.

2006-02-08T03:59:00.000-08:00

First Impressions

I have been in Ghana for a little more than three weeks and thought I should begin the blog by giving my first impressions of the country. Ghana is located in west Africa, about five degrees north of the equator and directly along the Prime Meridian. Because of this, the temperature is quite hot all of the time. Right now we are in the final months of the dry season. In the coming weeks a shorter season where wind blows dust in from the Sahara will set in, giving the city a hazy, smog like feel. Then in March comes intense heat--its the hottest month of the year. Then April and into May begins the rainy season, which should be a very interesting experience. Right now the temperature usually peaks in the low 90s from 11am-2pm. Mornings are fairly pleasant and but after 9 or so it becomes very warm.

Im living outside of Accra, in Legon, which is where the university is located. I live off campus with nine other foriegn students in a house. The house is very nice by Ghanaian standards, its gated with a gaurd, large rooms, a porch, fairly decent kitchen, etc. No air conditioning of course, but fans do for the most part.

The food here is excellent, although repititive. Lots of rice and chicken, some beef, Ghanians eat lots of fish but I've been wary of trying it--- preperation can often be sketchy. Incredibly spicy too. Im really getting used to the spices though and rather enjoying them. My favorite foods are the beef kabobs prepared by street vendors and white rice with pepper and tomato based spices on top. Ghana also has amazing fruit-- papayas, bananas, pineapples, and mangos are delicious. The best tasting pinapple in the world as far as Im concerned.

For travel around the city we take either taxis or the brilliant Ghanian creation know as the "tro tro." Tro tros are Japanese or Mercedes vans in which 12-20 crowd for rides all over the city. They are quite cheap, usually between 10 and 50 cents per ride, depending on destination. You can also take tro tros to other cities in Ghana, which I did this past weekend; quite an experience it was and I will soon be posting about it.

The currency here is called the cedi and the exchange rate is enormous, about 9.1 thousand cedis to the dollar. Im going to get a travelers check exchanged in a few minutes and Ill nearly be a millionaire in Ghana.

In terms of the social/political climate, Ghana is still very much a part of the developing world, although noticibly more stable than many of the countries in the region. The poverty here is stark and consuming, something like 60% of people live below the official government poverty line, whatever that is. Most of these people live in small shacks made of concrete or wood with a tin roof. Very crowded. Sanition is perhaps the biggist problem, the sewer sytem here is fairly archaic and contributes to much of the pollution, disease, and general rank and dissagreable nature of the cities poorest neighborhoods. The poverty was overwhelming at first, but now Ive begun to get a grasp on the realities of life here and it has become a part of my daily life. Not to say that I dont notice or think about it, but simply I have begun to realize how average Ghanaians live and adapt. However, I dont want to give the impression that all of Ghana or West Africa is shanty town and shack. Especially in Accra and Legon, there are many middle class Ghanaians. And the cosmopolitianism is apparent everywhere. Everyone here has a cell phone-- its a bizzare phenomenon but one that speaks to the larger development of society here. Technology is coming, slowly but surely. And its a good thing. It will make the lives of people here better and more prosperous. But enough on this subject, Im sure I will return to it in the future, but one post cannot really accuratly illustrate the complex and dynamic nature of life here.

Please post comment and questions.... I know Im leaving out a lot and am eager for your inquiries. I will rely on them to spark discussion and debate and for general inspiration on points of inerest. Simply, I want to know what you are interested in. West Africa is such a fascinating place and Im looking forward to exploring it both literally and intellectually.

2006-02-02T03:30:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I have decided to use the powers of the internet to chronicle my journeys in Ghana and West Africa this semester. I plan to update the website as much as possible-- several times a week at least. Please post comments as you wish. I suppose this is more of an "online journal" rather than an actual "blog" for those of you well versed in the new age internet lingo, but I'll use the terms interchangebly, so pay them no attention. Once I understand the blogspot.com formating, hopefully I'll be able to upload pictures from here, so look for that in the future. I look forward to posting and hearing from you all. Take care.

2006-02-02T03:14:00.000-08:00

This is a test post. Just checking to make sure everything is in order.