Today’s post is 1750 words, 39 photos, 2 videos, a 7 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the second article in a long series about my trip to Ghana in March of this year. If you missed the first post or would like to reread it, click here.

This week I’ll take you to a university, a baby naming ceremony, a bead market, and to a 4-H club at a rural school.

But first…. We leave Accra behind and travel 2 1/2 hours north to Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region, one of the sixteen regions in Ghana. Koforidua, also known as K-dua or Koftown, is home to about 200,000 people. The main industries in the area are electrical generation (Akosombo Dam on the Volta River), pharmaceuticals, textiles, crafts, wood products, and this city serves as a major hub for education.

We lodged for 4 nights at the Koforidua Guest Hotel (KGH) while our group explored the area. While our stay was mostly comfortable, the electricity when off a few times. Ordinarily, it’s one of those things that does happen from time to time in Ghana but air conditioning relies on electricity to cool those of us not used to the heat. Every day during our stay, the temperature was over 90° F dropping to 75-80° at night. Most Ghanaians live without AC and respect the heat by limiting activity or finding a shade tree to work under during the hottest part of the day. We aren’t that smart!

Across the street from KGH was this huge entertainment center, Dadi’s Bar. It looked like a happening place, the music was quite loud until late at night and the place was packed. I think secretly some of our group wanted to sneak over there to take part in the activities. I know I did!

Ashesi University

One member of the group I traveled with had family members that once worked at this University. The private Ashesi University opened in 2002 with the purpose of educating and developing ethical and entrepreneurial leaders. The United States helped to fund this university, to me it looks like a good investment.

Upon arrival at the campus, we were impressed by how well the grounds and buildings were kept.

We were met by a couple of students (Nas and Francis) who gave us a tour of the campus. There are about 1500 students studying business, economics, computer science, and engineering. We looked in on a few classes that were in session, students were engaged and willing to learn. I was impressed that all the students are involved in developing leadership skills with the expectation those skills will be used to help improve the business and political climates.

During the tour, the guides took us to the library where we escaped from the heat of the day. It was cool in there and almost all the desks and seats were taken by students studying. Posted were the learning goals/expectations of students and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Adherence to both bode well for developing the next generation of Ghanaian leaders.

I was pleased to see this university also taps into the creative side of the mind by holding a student art competition. I’ve include one example of the many artworks entered in the competition.

It was a nice stop that gave me hope for the future, not only of Ghana but of Africa and the world.

Name that Baby!

The leader of our group, Mary Crave, has been to Ghana over 30 times. During her many visits, she’s developed relationships and connections to many Ghanaians. One of those is Stephen who has worked with some of the programs Mary has been involved with during her time in Ghana. Stephen’s partner had a baby on January 9 and it was time to formally name and present the baby to the world per Ghanaian customs. They held the naming ceremony when Mary was in country because the baby’s middle name is Crave and Mary is the godmother.

We were invited to the post-ceremony gathering at the home of Belinda’s father. We had a traditional meal of jollof rice, chicken, fried plantains, and other local dishes. After lunch, we sat in the yard under the plantain and mango trees to catch a bit of breeze. We met many members of the family, they didn’t want us to leave when the time came. Here’s a few photos and a video from the gathering, an unique cultural experience.

 

Koforidua Bead Market

One morning after breakfast, we stopped by the Koforidua Bead Market. This traditional market has been in existence for over 200 years selling beads made of glass, clay, wood, and other materials. Also sold are things such as cloth and leather bags and purses, fans, brass and wood carvings, jewelry, and more.

When we pulled up to the market, we noticed how quiet it was, not many customers. Apparently, there are times this market is very busy and crowded. The vendors perked up when they saw us, ready to invite us into their booths to look at their wares. My Traveling Partner and I decided to scope out the market before making any purchases. Here’s what it looked like.

As you can see some vendors sold packages of beads to make your own while others sold the finished product. In one of the more remote booths, I saw this fellow making necklaces by using his big toe to hold the stringing material.

We met and talked to some of the vendors where we purchased bracelets and necklaces. Meet Stephanie and Esther who worked hard at making a living in the market. One of them told us that the past four years has been difficult with the pandemic, inflation, the weak currency, and the economic impacts on the people making it hard to be optimistic about the future. But here they were, trying.

These two ladies worked pretty hard to sell me something while my Traveling Partner was off looking at wares in another booth. The woman on the left was flirting with me all with intention of making a sale. It worked. I bought a couple of bracelets.

Just before we had to leave the market, this couple lured me into their booth to show me the traditional clay and stone bracelets and necklaces. They were really heavy but very well made and interesting. They were so funny, joking around but yet subtlety tried to sell their products.

We had a good time in the market. We figured that we purchased about $30 USD worth of beads and other gifts. The US dollar buys a lot in Ghana, the exchange rate was certainly in our favor. Hence, our bag of purchases was quite heavy.

4-H – Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

Everyone in our travel group had some past experience as a 4-H member, leader, participant in the  International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program, or 4-H Youth Agent. Mary has worked with Ghana 4-H in some past trips so we spent parts of a couple of days learning more about 4-H in Ghana.

The National 4-H Office is located in Koforidua. We went to their offices where the Acting Executive Director, Eleazar Larweh, gave us an overview of the 4-H program. 4-H in Ghana began in 2000 and now has about 70,000 members in clubs throughout the country, many of them associated with schools. The majority of the funding comes from grants and support by foundations and private organizations. Thus, they get a lot done and make an impact on youth and their families with very little money.

The 4-H offices are on the second floor of a building that overlooks a busy street. It was quite hot and stuffy (no AC) in the conference room so the windows were open to let in a bit of breeze. Nearby there was a preacher preaching using a PA cranked up to the max making it difficult to hear the presentation. Twice the power went out shutting down both the projector and the preacher. The Director continued his presentation without the Powerpoint slides, at least we could hear him.

The next day, we made a two-hour drive to the rural school with a 4-H program. Towards the end of the drive, Martin, our driver, maneuvered the bus over some narrow, rough dirt roads to reach the school. There were some large, deep potholes filled with water because it rained the night before.

When we ran out of road, we walked to the school.

We were met by the village chief, the headmaster, school committee, 4-H volunteers, and a couple hundred kids.

The headmaster gave a short talk about the school and the school garden that the 4-Hers are tending.

The school garden was a short walk from the school. The volunteers showed us the peppers and tomatoes growing in the garden. It’s interesting to note that one of the positive outcomes from having the school garden is that kids and their families are beginning to have their own gardens. This reduces the food insecurity that some experience.

We were told wandering goats are eating off the pepper plants. They are trying to solve the problem by creating a barrier where they cross a creek to get to the garden. The goats seem to leave the tomatoes alone.

Below is a photo of some of the students. They were so fun to be around, they were quite curious about being around white people, it’s possible we were some of their first contacts with another racial group.

The 4-H members did a program for us in what is the chapel or church. It was very nice to see the kids get up and speak plus they sang the 4-H Ghana song. We left behind a large bag of gifts, pencils, notebooks, and etc. that can be used as incentives for participation in 4-H.

As soon as I pulled out my camera (a Sony RX100 MVII), the kids would ham it up especially the boys. It happened at every school we visited.

Meet the school lunch ladies who cook in an open-air facility. At the end of the program, the kids were cueing up for their lunch of rice with a side of protein.

When I asked where the washroom was, this is where I was sent. A two-stall latrine on the edge of the jungle. What I don’t know if one side is for the girls and the other for boys. I didn’t stick around to find out. Another cultural experience.

I enjoyed the visit to the school and the 4-H members even though it was a long, bumpy bus ride. I think we all left with warm memories of the enthusiasm of the kids and volunteers to make a difference.

Next week, more Ghana.

Until then, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM