I`ve had the pleasure to meet some young and talented musicians in Accra whose band "Sea Water" is trying to cut their first CD. I attended several of their rehearsals and was deeply moved by their sincerity, heart and discipline. They work with minimal equipment (I had to buy them an electrical power strip because theirs was worn out!) and they borrow most of their instruments from friends. I wish to help them buy some decent equipment, in particular a keyboard, an amp and mixing board for their vocals, and a drum kit. I should be able to purchase all that they need for less than $750. If you wish to help contribute to this drive, please send check to: Mali Piottin, 1552 N. 128th St. Seattle, WA 98133 or use my Paypal account. See the band and hear some of their music (video clip 1 and video clip 2) Sorry about the poor quality of the videos but their rehearsal place has no light!
Sponsor a Local Ghanaean Band!
The Darkuman School, Accra, March 25
I visited the Darkuman school one more time before leaving Accra, and got to dance and play music with the kids. That day, they were not singing with enough passion, so the teachers stopped the prayer and lectured them pretty heavily, threatening them with the stick! (corporel punishment is still used in the schools!). I spoke with Fiona, the young teacher from Whales about the possibility of coming back to Ghana in the near future, and getting $ sponsorship for a children project. She was very receptive. Maybe we could get Casper, the other teacher from England and our beloved Morgan and Chas from Atlanta, to join us on such an endeavor (see slide show of school visit)
Krokrobite beach on Easter, March 24
Back in Accra, I unloaded some 8 pounds off my back, stuff I most likely won`t need such as sleeping bag, sleeping mat, water pump and some clothes that were just too hot. I also got myself some nice clothes for my evening strolls through towns. On Easter day, Nana, Tuba and I went to Krokrobite beach and I had never seen so many people in one spot. There must have been 200,000 people swimming, playing and even boxing on that beach. Later in the afternoon, we went dancing at a beach club playing Ghana hiphop. I had so much fun with the boys as men love to dance together in packs! I invited some girls to dance with us and it got pretty steamy! Only after we left did Tuba tell me that these were "club girls", out to get the tourists! The trotro ride back was absolutely nuts, on a road packed with honking buses and cars (see video clip)
On my last day in Accra, I realized that I`ve had enough of the city, its noise and pollution. As much as I have had a wonderful time with all the people I met and hung out with, I feel like I got a bit distracted from my purpose.
So I am back in Ho, in the Volta Region, and heading north from here towards Burkina Faso. My heart is doing well and I am having many insights about acceptance and being in the moment-the true gift of Africa! I keep trying to "plan" my journey but everything seems to point in the direction of just trusting and opening to what everyday has to offer. I feel softer and gentler by the day. Maybe Africa is really doing me! (see slide show of the day)
In Paradise, Tokor, Ghana, March 21
Today, I hesitated again. Someone told me that on Monday there would be a large gathering of revelers, musicians and dancers near some waterfalls some 2 hours North of where I am. I also wanted to go back to Accra to unload some of my camping stuff as my pack is too heavy (28lbs) to travel in this hot climate. I chose to stay around Ho for another day and go visit the villages around the mountain of Adaklu. I boarded a trotro that took an hour to load before departure-it was filled with women with babies returning from the market. I got off at a little village at the base of the mountain and started walking along the dirt road (see video clip), stopping at a couple outdoor church services along the way. Soon after leaving the village, I spotted a tiny walking trail going towards the mountain and decided to take my chances. I wanted to go around the mountain and hopefully get to some remote villages. I walked passed cultivated areas and the trail ended. I then entered a thick jungle and found a trail not too far after following a dried-up creek. The trail started going up and around a corner I met a very young girl trying to load a huge hardwood log on her head. I gave her a hand and was blown away that she could carry a 20lbs chunk of wood like that. She was not older than 7 or 8. After a while I asked her if she wanted me to help her carry the log and she agreed. Walking uphill with that amount of weight was hard for me! (see video clip). I got to the small village of Tokor (see video clip) (population 300) and immediately got surrounded by young children. I sat down with them under a big tree and was soon greeted by a gentle man named Bismark. He took me to his house and we chatted under the porch. He works for an NGO based in the US that sponsors projects such as water catchments, libraries and schools (see video clip). The little village was the cutest thing I had seen so far. Clean, organic in every sort of way, with mud dwellings, no electricity or running water. With a constant breeze and tucked on the side of the magnificent mountain, the place felt like paradise to me. I wanted to stay and inquired about that possibility. Bismark was open to the idea and introduced me to one of the village elders as he accompanied me out of town. At the next village at the bottom of the hill, I stopped for a cold drink and was greeted by some pretty drunk young men who lectured me on God and heaven. I told them I had just visited paradise but they did not get it! A rowdy young fellow of no more than 17 or 18 was having a fierce argument with some other men, yelling and cussing. I walked a mile out of that village before being picked up by a cab. Guess who was in the cab-the rowdy fellow, still yelling, obviously pretty pissed about something. The ride back was interesting... (see slideshow of the day)
Yaouzieee! March 21 Abutia Kloe, Ghana
I had a late start today after spending three hours online changing all my passwords because of the loss of my flash drive. I booked another night in Ho and decided to spend the day exploring the surrounding countryside. I hesitated between three very different destinations: a circle of some 40 villages at the foot of the tallest local mountain (butte?), a weavers` village or a nature reserve. The later won, and I took a cab shortly after noon to cover the 12 miles to the little village of Abutia Kloe, and walked the remaining 2.5 miles on foot-without water. Not only do I dress like a tramp but I travel like a dork! The walking on the dirt road was a treat of quietness and greenery (see video). At the park entrance, I was greeted by a 10 year-old girl who was cooking yam over a camp fire. She fetched her uncle who woke up from a nap to put his worn out ranger uniform and rubber boots, and grabbed his 1950 shotgun. He took me on a nice walk through the savanna where we spotted over 100 grazing kobs (horned antelope), and through the adjacent forest where I got to meet my first giant native trees (don`t know their name yet). It was a real treat after being in the city for 10 days! We passed near a man-made water whole for the serve animals and it was full of fish! I asked how the fish got there and the guide told me that God put them there and as long as there was fish, there will be water in that hole. So fishing isn`t allowed of course! The park manager gave me a ride out of the park on his motorcycle (see slideshow)
After getting a cool drink in the tiny village of Abutia Kloe, I hopped into a cab but jumped out a 100 feet further as I heard live music and saw a gathering under a tree by the roadside. My lucky day? Yes, I was up for a feast! I hadn`t sat down for more than 5 minutes that a girl grabbed me to dance with her. It was her and me and the whole village watching, cheering and cracking up. As much as I was happy as a clam to finally find myself where I wanted to be, I was also terribly self-conscious, and awkward about not knowing their dancing customs. They obviously have some kind of protocol where the woman controls the dance but I really couldn`t figure out how it all worked. An impressively big man hugged me and asked me to go dance again. I grabbed the girl next to me and the whole circle went berserk! I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I smiled and shook it as good as I could, but couldn`t shake the discomfort of being caught in a flirting/mating dance without knowing what I was getting into. Well, when the girl grabbed my face and gave me a juicy kiss, I knew I was getting into more trouble than I was ready for, so I stepped away from the dance to regain my bearings. I went to the corner store and bought a case of beer for the musicians. One of the elders came over to me and gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheeks. The young men were pouring themselves shots of gin and were getting a bit rowdy. I thought it was time to leave as dusk was falling so I jumped into a trotro and sadly said goodbye to the girl who had so kindly given me a kiss. What a lovely day I had! (see dance video 1 and dance video 2)
If you Found my Flash Drive
Out of Accra, March 20
Finally out of Accra and into the countryside. On my way out of town, I saw thousands of fruit bats hanging from trees and took it as a good omen for this new leg of my journey. I headed for the Volta River delta where I heard it was mellow. Yes it was indeed! I was the only one at the beach resort, the last guests visited two weeks ago from what the register indicated. I walked for a few miles on the sand to get to the resort, as I did not want to take a boat ride there, and got a bit harassed by a horde of kids asking for money. I had to do a bogeyman dance to scare them off. Along the way, I got to speak with some local fishermen who were supervising the building of their new canoe. After I told them I had been a fisherman in my youth, I got to ask them lots of technical questions about their ways of fishing.
After much needed rest (my pack is heavier than I thought!) I decided to head further East on the other side of the delta. Instead of going on the beach, I decided to walk through the fishermen`s village and it was a treat! (see slide show). There were no roads, no cars and no electricity. Just women cooking and washing, and kids playing. And the children, maybe in the proximity of their relatives, were sweet and not overwhelming like the day before on the beach. In the trotro out of town, I got so engaged in a conversation with a young Canadian that I missed my stop, and not willing to get dropped off at the border (Togo) town of Aflao, I decided to head north to Ho. I am now enjoying this quieter town, and had dinner with two young women, volunteers from Europe, after rescuing them from a local hustler who followed their cab to the restaurant.
Carrying my backpack feels strange. Now I am one of them tourists, sweating, wearing funny clothes and standing out like an eyesore. Everyone here dresses very sharp. I almost want to buy some fine clothes because I really feel like a tramp!
