Tourist symptom

First off, election day in Brazil! Though I couldn't register as a resident voter in Ghana, my thoughts are with the nation!

So, Friday at Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), Toni was going out to order the new office furniture. Toni is the regional project manager, and is in Ghana for three weeks, flying in from Washington to assist in the start-up activities. She is a tremendous asset to the office dynamics, and the staff was actually planning to ask the home office to keep her here for another week.

Toni asked if I wanted to join her, for a second opinion on the furniture and paint colors. Since I'm so experienced with interior designing (not), I went along.

The bottom line is we did get the paint buckets in DAI colors (brown, blue and green), and selected the furniture for all the office, from the reception and the conference room, to the cubicles and managers' tables.

What I wanted to blog about though, is a comment Toni made in one of our conversations stuck in traffic. Toni traces her roots back to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and so considers herself African.
With this perspective, she gave me her take on tourists in Africa: "Tourists come to Africa to take picture of kids".

My thought ran through the past two months.

Guilty.

Though I felt I was blending in as a local (in terms of behaviors), I also took part in some of the cliche, touristy actions. Taking pictures of groups of children, which is supposed to represent Africa.

This thought is SO far off the reality, it actually made me chuckle.So the children are very cute and sympathetic. But it now seems to me as the expected behavior of an obruni in Ghana.

I don't mean to say I am against taking pictures of children; they actually enjoy it more than we do! But recognizing the difference between appearing to be culturally immersed, and actually being part of the environment is essential. Thanks to Toni, this aspect of living in Ghana (not Africa, that is way too broad), was reanalyzed.

Still, pictures of children are on this post, but recognized as a symptom of "touristiness", not because they present a view of what is life in Ghana. That, I still am discovering.


Happy Halloween!

Henrique

Report on Volunteering

Almost two months of work at Self-help Initiatives and Support Services (SISS) have passed, about time to give a summary of what went on.

SISS is an 18-year-old Ghanaian NGO, focused on empowering people at the grassroots to become economically and politically independent. Through skills trainings, such as catering and information technology, as well as personal development coaching, for example family planning and job interviews, trainees are granted the opportunity for a new life. Also, SISS has partnered with the Ghanaian government in HIV/AIDS education programs. In the past, individuals from all over the greater Accra area have participated in the programs. Currently, the focus is on residents from Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra, considered one of the worst-off places in the country.

Over the last 6 weeks, I had the opportunity to accompany the final month of a batch of catering and information technology students, as well as assist in the preparations for the incoming group.




Elvis and Wisdom, two of the most motivated and promising students

 Graduation was a very cheerful event, and the pride in the trainees' eyes was overflowing. The relationships we built over the days of work were also very meaningful, and I must say I also felt very proud for them. In the ceremony, students thanked SISS, talked about their experiences, and exposed some of their work. Also, delicious food from the catering batches was served, including pastries and biscuits.
There was music, organized by ex-trainees from Agbogbloshie, and, as usual, dancing accompanied the drum beats.

IT students and trainer, Lizzie

Although it might be the last time we see many of the students, the fact that they now have an opportunity to redefine their realities through the learned skills is comfort enough to happily watch them go. Of course, many of them exchanged numbers with some volunteers, and calls to check-in are expected!

For a little imagery on how close we got to the trainees: when one of the IT girls was taking me to take a picture with her, Cecilia, from the catering group, pulled her by the arm and promptly asked "what do you think you are doing with my husband?!". I'm really not sure where she got that idea from, but I took it as a warm demonstration of friendship. haha Just to be sure, I interjected with Menware!, or "I won't marry!".

All the trainees at graduation

Some of my projects at SISS were personal development presentations, such as personal finance and goal setting and accomplishing. For the new batch of trainees, I interviewed about 40 individuals, around 60% of our new class so far. The interviews comprise socioeconomic status, long-term goals and personal history. Although a little repetitive, this kind of personal contact is unique for learning more about the trainee's lives. Many have communication issues, from English problems to stifled confidence, which adds to the necessity of flexibility, improvisation, and patience.
The overall process lasts from 40 to 70 minutes,which sometimes left trainees waiting for an entire day for a chance to be interviewed. Thus, knowing which questions were more meaningful to the trainee assessment, I redesigned the form, from 9 pages to 3. Now it takes between twenty and thirty minutes to complete, and also saves stationary funds.

My main function at SISS, however, has been formal grant proposal writing. We planned a six to nine-month project, to triple trainee-intake. After some research and reading, I got to work on the proposal itself, for values that range between $20,000 and $35,000. By now, we sent proposals to three different organizations, in the US and the UK. With the help of Comic Relief, a charity organization which partners with SISS, I will explore more options to send in more proposals. In about two months the results should start coming out, and hopefully the NGO will be benefited with the funds.

Contrasting with the experience of working in the non-governmental sector, last week I joined a start-up team at DAI Organization. DAI stands for Development Alternatives Incorporated, and as the name implies, is a company focused on economic development, environment and health in developing countries. In its forty years, DAI has worked in over 150 countries, and is one of the main contractors of USAID, the US Agency for International Development.

For the remainder of our time in Accra, I will have the privilege to intern in the Africa Lead project, as the Program Assistant. Basically, this is an economic development project, focused on agricultural production and food security. Our area of work is West Africa, although the project also has offices in Southern and East Africa. The objective is to train national leaders in the agricultural sector, to direct African economies into agricultural-led growth. This effort is in support of the African Union's Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and the United States' Feed The Future (FTF) programs.
The project involves delivering leadership training, assessing the needs of various institutions to help meet the CAADP and FTF goals, and create a database for future consultation on African leadership training.

After two days of orientation, I learned as much about African economics as I would in an academic seminar. I honestly can't put my excitement into words, especially since economic development is currently my dream career path.

We moved into the new office on Monday, although it still needs to be painted and furniture has to be bought. Oh, my first contribution to the team: I linked the office to my family's chair and table rental service.

For the first week my job is to research the status of each of our five target-countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Liberia) in their CAADP and FTF programs, and then to compile folders on each of them for the project's consultation. This includes their national and regional policy changes, investments and growth in agriculture, as well as future plans in the ministries and national administrations. Also, identifying focal points of contact in ministries and private sector organizations. Basically, reading documents such as investment plans and technical reviews, and transforming 150 pages into 5.

Playing a supporting role to six employees is an opportunity to learn from each of them. Also, such research provides a close look into the African development scene, one of the main reasons I came to Ghana.

Working with a smile,

Henrique

Making My Kpanlogo Drum

Three days of intense work under moonlight and sunshine (mostly not on my part, though).

Materials involving wooden drum-shells, polish, rope, cow leather and chisels.

Finally, my own kpanlogo is ready!

Gidi went on a one-week quest to buy all the required materials for building a kpanlogo, on a double note. He is moving shortly to the US, to be with his wife, and also made a drum to commemorate this stage of his life.

For the drum's outside, it is traditional to select Adinkra symbols, West African drawings very popular in traditional culture, with various meanings. My drum had space for 9 symbols, two large ones and seven smaller ones. Selecting the symbols based on their meaning was great part of the fun of getting a drum made.

 

One of the shells, some rope, wooden pegs and leather.

Last Thursday, after work, I went over to Gidi's house for the first stage of the process: carving. His friend, Salam, came over with some a few tools: a pencil, a chisel and a mallet. In a few hours, the drum was not a smooth shell anymore, but partly covered with Adinkra symbols.
The two large symbols I selected are the "Siamese Crocodiles", which represent unity in diversity, and "He Who Wants to Be King", which represents service, or voluntary work. Both are the central parts of these nine months in Ghana, and will be engraved in my drum as a reminder of the significance of this experience.

Salam doing the deep-carving of the large symbols.

 The two large symbols were deep-carved, to give the impression that they are coming out of a portal in the drum. As for the seven smaller ones, their outline was carved more superficially.
The seven upper symbols were selected based on characteristics I believe are important in life, such as life-long learning, humility and persistence.

After Salam's carving work.

After the carvings were complete, I stepped in to work on my drum. In a very hot Sunday, I sand-papered the drum for three hours, to make sure it was esthetically flawless. Just to give you an idea, each of the lines on the carvings must be sand-papered, in order to make the edges curved and smooth. Believe me, after losing my finger prints (almost), I felt proud of my drum-to-be.
The next step was polishing the drum, in order to keep away termites and other bugs, protect the wood from moisture, and give it that shiny touch.

Polishing the wood.

We let the drum dry in the sun for an hour or so, and Gidi decided it was time to skin it. The three leather pieces had been in water for about three hours, so they would become malleable. Yes, their smell was pretty bad after that...
Why three skins for two drums? One was for me to do, of course Gidi expected me to destroy the leather anyways.

After putting the wooden pegs in the holes of the drum, and placing the skin on the mouth, a copper-wire ring is measured to the drum's opening, and set on top of the leather. With some leather-pulling, nail-hammering and rope tightening, the skin is set on the drum and stays for about a day outside to dry (and to get rid of the stench).

Learning how to skin the drum.

What Gidi had done naturally and flawlessly in half an hour, I took about three times as much to complete. Despite some clumsy strikes of the mallet at first, and folding the skin in ways that would make it unplayable, the children from the neighborhood lent helping hands to get the job done. If my own drum has any problems back at home, I would know how to change the leather.

My turn!

On the next day, after drying, the final stage was cutting the overlapping leather, shaving the top, and twisting the ropes to tighten the skin. To tune the kpanlogo, the pegs are hit down with a mallet.
Below is the final product: my own kpanlogo. With its weight of about 15kg, Gidi guarantees the wood will sound better and better as it ages. Nonetheless, it has a sweet sound already!
Yesterday I brought it home, and the Kumi seemed to think it was just as beautiful.

Playing and singing, it turns out the rhythm fits perfectly with samba!  Still at Gidi's house, I taught one of the older kids how to sing Marinho da Vila's "eu vou falar pra todo mundo, vou falar pra todo mundo, que eu so quero voce", while playing a fast-paced lead drum.
Drumming, dancing and singing is guaranteed fun in Ghana, especially with children around!

  

 

When I go home to Brazil, I'll bring along a traditional Ghanaian drum. Just one of the surprises West Africa holds.

Now drumming daily,

Kwame

Ghanaian Family - Kumi

Menkyea mo! (I greet you all)

First off, thanks so much for all the comments up to now, I really enjoy reading them and knowing you are checking the blog frequently!

So, this Saturday was the first time in a month (yes, really) that the entire family was together. We took this opportunity to get our family shot!

The Kumi have received me as part of their family from day one. As my father, Mr. Kumi, said on the first day, "you are now our son, and I will take care of you as our own". This has definitely been the feeling in the house, from watching football matches on TV, to talking about Ghanaian customs. The comfort in which we share conversation is the same in which we share silence, as if my presence indeed is of a family member who had always been there.

Efua, my mother, runs a restaurant and catering business, conveniently located at the front of the compound. She is an excellent cook, and always makes typical Ghanaian dishes, listing the ingredients, explaining how to prepare it, and from which region it comes from.Although the Kumi speak Fante, a language slightly different than Twi, Efua helps me daily with practicing the language. I can say significant part of my Twi comes from the constant practice at home!

There are also two siblings, Abenaa and Kwasi. Abenaa studies accounting at the University of Ghana's Business School, and has kindly offered me her room. Because she lives in one of the student hostels near the University, we only see each other on Saturdays. However, more than once I received surprise calls in the middle of the week, from Abenaa "just calling to see how's everything".
Kwasi is almost nineteen, and I am happy to have become his movie and football-watching partner. He is a die-hard Chelsea fan, and after Ghana's Black Stars, I'm VERY disappointed to say, an Argentina fan.
Yes, I know, an utter sin. No worries, I will change this by the end of the year.

 This Monday was Mr. Kumi's birthday. As a surprise, Efua and me conspired to get one of his shirts for his measurements. One day after Twi class, Clara and I went to the market to buy some cloth. Then, before going to a kpanlogo drum lesson, I placed the order at a tailor friends with Gidi, my drum teacher.
I'm happy to say Mr. Kumi was utterly surprised, when the wishes of tiri nkwa (long-life to your head) were accompanied by a gift!

The beautiful house of the Kumi.

There is also another member of the family: the dog Grobro. (I'm really not sure how to spell her name, I just call her Grobosinha). Although she growled at me suspiciously in the first few days, I am now received with whimpers and a wagging tail whenever I return home, wake up, or just walk out of my room.

Both outside and inside the house, Ghana just always feels like home. There's actually a song on a commercial on TV here, that says "home is a feeling, not a place". Agreed.

With a special thanks to the Kumi,

Kwame

Kpanlogo Drumming Lessons

Hello everybody, akwaaba (welcome)!

So, remember the musicians at the engagement ceremony? Well, one of them, Anthony, is a really good friend of Clara's. We talked for a few minutes that day, and decided on doing a drumming lesson, just to get a feel for it. By the way, thank you Clara!!!

Last Friday evening, I went over to Gidi's (that's Anthony's last name) house, for what I thought would be a quick, one-hour kpanlogo drum showcase. Kpanlogo (pronounced "pahnlogo") is a traditional Ghanaian drum, as rhythmic as one would expect in African music. Usually three people play in the regular band, two drums, one leading and one supporting, and a bell to keep time.

Kpanlogo drums.

Gidi is a really talented musician, and can play several instruments, particularly drums and flute. That night, he started out by teaching me two supporting rhythms. As we started to play, and the beat spread across the nearby houses, kids started showing up, dancing and having fun. Of course, they also laughed a lot at the obruni with no groove, but that made it all even more enjoyable.

Two of Gidi's friends, Eli and Kwadwo, also came, and after about an hour and a half of class, they took over the drums. My fate was sealed.

For the next two hours, maybe 30 people passed through Gidi's front yard, coming to sing and dance to the kpanlogo beat. It was impossible to just stand watching, all the bodies in the place were moving! The men sang joke-songs, making fun of each other, or telling anecdotes in Twi. At times, when the drummers where sweating so much they had to stop, other people would take over. It is amazing how every person present had rhythm in their hands! In comparison, the kpanlogo party that night was similar to a Brazilian "roda de samba", where many people come together to just have fun, and the "repentistas" in the Northeast, improvising mocking lyrics.

When I checked the time, I had been there for over three hours! The powerful drumming and singing, with the extravagant dancing made me lose track of time. Also, I knew I had found a new big part of my cultural experience in Ghana!

Some of the people by the end of the night.

Today was my third kpanlogo lesson in four days, with another tomorrow morning. Haha, I know, it's getting pretty intense.
Gidi is a really fun person to be around, and the chance to learn from him is just as amazing as hearing him play. More importantly, he is an incredibly effective teacher, with a well-organized plan and a great talent for presenting rhythms that are challenging at just the right level. I've learned a few supporting and leading rhythms, a few lyrics, and some drumming patterns that represent sentences.

One goes: "fine, fine baby, you no go fine past your mother", as a saying that young people should demonstrate humility towards their parents and older persons.
Another, in Twi, composed by Gidi: "Woya eh negbe woya? Woya shi lolo", meaning: where are we going? We're going to play the kpanlogo rhythm.

In a few weeks, I should have a drum ready. Gidi already found a shell, and I am deciding on the symbols to be carved on it. For now, my lap, chest and stomach do just fine for practicing!

Although the four different slap types Gidi taught me still sound quite similar, playing kpanlogo makes me feel the Ghanaian happiness of their musical tradition. Learning this beautiful art from a world-class musician, and precisely where it was born and perfected, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That's also why I will take a drum with me back home! Hopefully by then, my hands will sound more Ghanaian, and kpanlogo will be a piece of Ghana to carry with me through the years.

Caught in the beat,

Kwame

The beach - Jamestown, Accra

Kwasiada (Sunday), was another day that brought on new sights and lessons from Ghana.
Clara took us for a tour of Accra, concentrating specifically on Jamestown, a humble neighborhood by the sea. From what I had read on travel guides, Jamestown was a lively, yet somewhat poor area. Having seen real poverty in Agbogbloshie, just a kilometer away, I looked forward to seeing a comparable reality within the same city.

After walking out of the trotro (always the means of transportation around here) park, we approached a compound of houses where men were sitting and chatting. After a few minutes of conversation, one of the locals, Mike, agreed to take us around what he called "my hood".
Mike was a very warm guy, excited to talk about Jamestown, its issues and development. He told me he had worked in cruise ships before, and had therefore been to Brazil twice! I'm happy to say, he had a positive image of the country. He also pointed out the "Brazilian House", a museum just next to his house, where President Lula was received when he visited Ghana. I plan to go back there and see the cultural ties between Brazil and Africa, one of the reasons I came to this beautiful country.

We took a stroll around the beach, filled with wooden canoes from the local fishermen. Sharing the space were small cabins meant to store fishing nets and equipment, as well as a few houses and small stores. Considering it was Sunday, many people swam in the ocean, and, to my delight, played football on the sand (the kind you actually use your feet for kicking). Mike said during the European off-season, Ghanaian soccer stars such as Muntari and Asamoah Gyan came and played scrimmages on that very same sand. Unfortunately, I missed them by a few months...

Walking around, it was a bit less comfortable than on the usual streets. Because we were accompanied by a local though, taking pictures and "venturing into their territory" was considered ok.
Mike took us to where the fishermen sewed their nets, a pier that used to be the path for transporting fish from the boats to the beach. Now, the port was no longer officially active, although the quantity of local fishermen would have you think otherwise.
Not many fishermen were actually out at sea fishing, since it was their day of rest after a 6-day long week of work. If one did not know Accra was at the back though, this could well have been called a fishing village. I have seen a few fishermen (and actually accompanied one, Noa, in a midnight trip to retrieve his net) in the Northeast of Brazil, my father's homeland. It felt very connecting, to see that an ocean apart, in very different cultures, people still went through similar means to survive. The canoes might be more colorful, the oars might be shorter, but people are sweating to get through a day's work in either place. The best part of it though: both in Brazil and in Ghana, the fishermen I saw were never reluctant to smile.

Noa then took us to a lighthouse, where he currently works as a painter. From the top, it was possible to see most of Accra, including Agbogbloshie. There was a clear difference in the patterns of green trees, where the wealthier neighborhoods were, and the jam-packed, gray landscapes of the less-privileged areas, such as Jamestown.
In the picture below, it's possible to see a dirt football pitch to the left (aren't these a beauty?), and a blue house next to it. It actually is the official palace of the Jamestown king. Kings and chiefs in Ghana are still existent, and have a very cultural influence where they are present. These men are very respected, and are also powerful community leaders.

Mike and us then parted our ways, after exchanging numbers, of course. When I go back to the area, I hope to see him again, not only for the comfort of walking around with somebody who lives there, but also for the experienced conversation he brings along.

Love from beautiful Ghana,

Kwame

Oh by the way, I'm now leaving for a drumming lesson with Anthony, Clara's friend who played at the engagement ceremony! I'll be sure to get a few pictures and post them next time.