| Tuesday, January 23, 2007 |
| False alarm |
| I got a call from Reverend Moses today and apparently the security people that came through Kpandai yesterday made the situation to be bigger than it is. It is safe for me to travel back so travel I will! |
posted by angelina @ 4:07 AM  |
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| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| So I am not leaving Tamale after all...for the time being! |
This afternoon I called Ramond and asked him 'is everything okay'.....as in, is everything okay in terms of my survey going off in Kpandai. His reply was, 'not good, but also not bad.' I start worrying, 'Oh no! he's annoyed at me about something!' But no, he was talking about something different altogether.
If you ever have the chance to Google 'chieftancy dispute Bimbilla', or 'conflict, Kpandai' you'll see that there's a little bit of history of tribal fighting in the area I am working in. The chieftancy dispute in Bimbilla is still ongoing and apparently it's been escalating over the past few weeks. Last week a cargo truck was stopped in Bimbilla with Russian short guns (I think I got that right), and over 2500 rounds of ammunition. There's still a lot of tension between the Nanumbas and Konkombas, and on top of that, the Nanumba chief issue is still brewing, making it a pretty messy situation at the moment.
The problem isn't in Kpandai itself for the moment; the issue is that my bus travels through Bimbilla to go back to Kpandai, and Raymond informed me that some security personnel were through Kpandai this afternoon saying that the tensions have escalated in and around Bimbilla and warnings have been issued that things could get worse. I talked to Jeanine and she heard someone saying that in the villages around Salaga, Chamba and Bimbilla any vehicles seen moving through were getting stones thrown at them. She was relieved that she was done the data collection for her survey; I'm worried that I won't get the data collection done for mine.
But anyways, long story short, Raymond suggested I stay put at least for this week. There's going to be some meetings in Bimbilla over the next few days and the powers that be are hoping that the issues will be resolved. I was joking to Jeanine that perhaps we could travel around to the communities, call ourselves the White Peace Brigade, and plead with them to keep the peace and allow us to stay in our communities! We could play some John Lennon "Give Peace a Chance".....it might work!
Oh, and Raymond said everything's cool with the survey, in Kpandai at least. As for in Chamba and Bimbilla, we'll see..... |
| posted by angelina @ 11:13 AM |
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| What's been happening |
January 1, 2007
Today was a pretty low key day. I had breakfast with Barry, and then I went to the market with him and bought a few things for friends and some food to take back to Kpandai for Rosemary. I hung out at the bus station with him until it was time for me to go back to Kpandai.
It was a pretty exciting bus trip! In Yendi the bus was stopped by what looked like over a thousand people walking down the main street, singing, drumming and dancing. There were three different men on horses; the horses were decorated with fancy bridles and saddles, and the men had ceremonial clothes on. I asked what was happening, and the bus driver told me that they were celebrating the New Year, and the men were probably the different chiefs in the town.
When we got into Kpandai, all I could hear was the boom of bass from some pretty loud speakers. It seemed like there were parties everywhere in town! Someone told me that the Muslims were having a celebration for Salah, and then as I got a ride out to the house, we passed by a huge dance by the side of the road. That was the Christians celebrating New Year.
I told Father Flavian that I would take pictures of the Catholics’ jamboree when I got to town, so I quickly washed and headed to the Mission. Unfortunately I was too late for the festivities, but I did get the chance to see Father Timothy, who is almost never in Kpandai, he’s traveling so much to raise money for the Mission and the school.
Since I was now free of photographical duties, I stopped at the Christians’ dance. It was mostly the young kids in town, and I got asked to dance quite a bit, but I was tired so I declined. The DJ tried to get me to dance by dedicating a song to me, but I just went up and thanked him!
January 2-7, 2007
In town on the 2nd I really noticed a difference in the people- everyone was dressed to the nines, even the children had on very fancy clothes. Rosemary said this is one of the busiest times of year for her, because everyone wants to look good for the New Year, and for Saalah. I felt very dowdy walking in town to visit people I hadn't seen in a while!
Another custom here, especially among the children, is that when someone wishes you a Happy New Year, you are either supposed to gift them with a small amount of money, or with toffees. I got many looks of confusion from the children when I responded Happy New Year without giving them something. After I was corrected I quickly went through over 120 toffees in one day!
Over the week there were jams every night starting in the afternoon and going into the evening. Not even the frequent power outages in Kpandai could stop the celebrations (one power outage was for over 30 hours)- no power, no problem! Just find a generator and get the party started! The jams here aren't like the jams we have in Canada, where people gather and play instruments in someone's garage. A club in town will set up some stereo equipment and lights in an open area in town, and play music for people to dance to. But instead of everyone dancing to the music on the dance floor, in this case a tarp over the bare ground (to keep the dust at bay), the announcer will call a select group of people to dance to a song. People will show their appreciation for the dancers by giving them coins, which goes to the organizers to help support the club that put the jam on. There were lots of coins flying around, because most of the people had great moves!
Because I represent 100% of the obruni (white) population in Kpandai, the organizers asked me to dance at every jam that I checked out. I can say that there's nothing as scary for an introvert as myself, as getting up to dance in front of over 300 people, and knowing that every eye on you! Everyone wanted to see the obruni dance. I did, however, make a lot of money for the organizers! And for a little touch of irony, at a jam for Top Radio, the organizers played 'I Want To See You My Father' by King Aiyisoba, for me to dance to. Here in Kpandai I often get called 'Father' by the young children because the first white people to the area were Catholic priests!
At the last set of jams though, I chickened out. German Base, another club in town, had jams on Saturday and Sunday. I went with Mary to the Saturday jams, and just stood in the back. One of the organizers came up to me and asked me if I would sit down. Knowing that as soon as I sat down, someone would ask me to dance, I graciously declined the seat. But then three other German Base members came and asked me to have a seat. Finally after the fourth time of getting asked I sat down, just to stop them from coming around! Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, they asked me to dance. I begged out of dancing that night, saying that I was not dressed to dance, and asked if I could dance the Sunday night. They said that was okay, but then I got scared on Sunday night and didn’t go....I hope they weren’t too angry!!
Also this week Rosemary and Joseph had a combined birthday celebration. Joe turned 32 on the 1st and Rose turned 30 on the 3rd. It was the most organized birthday party I’ve ever been to! Joe had a ‘program’ with a reading from the Bible, then a musical interlude, then a speech from both him and Rosemary, then there was time set aside for words of wisdom from the guests, then another musical interlude, the passing out of beverages and light soup, a musical interlude and time for dancing, and then closing words from Joe and Rosemary. I think that he did that deliberately so that the party wouldn’t drag on all night- the power was off that day and they got a generator from the mission to power the music for a bit! It was still good times though, and it gave me time in the evening to head into town for the Millennium Club jam.
The most frustrating aspect of the whole week was that the telephone lines were down. All week. Even the land lines were down. It made finding people in town very difficult. I tried to have a visit with Beyaa, but somehow couldn’t find the right time to catch him in town. Also, I couldn’t find Lelewu, and it caused a few arguments for him with people in Kpandai because he thought I was still in Accra, and was telling people so, when those same people saw me the day before!
It also made working difficult, because I knew my phase of data collection was coming up and I needed to contact the Tamale youth office to determine sample sizes in Tamale. So I guess I was going into Tamale the next week to talk to the youth office directly!
January 8-14, 2007
Raymond came back to Kpandai on Monday and he told me that we were moving at the end of the week to our new house. Finally! The lights were out Monday evening and they were still off when in the morning on Tuesday when I walked into town to catch the bus into Tamale. I dislike that walk with a passion, especially when the lights are off. It is still dark, and with only my flashlight to light the way, sometimes my imagination gets carried away and the goats start to look like leopards and sticks look like snakes.
I made it into Tamale unscathed and quickly went to the youth office to talk to Rashida, Namawu and David. I also got a chance to meet the nicest man in the world, Mr. Zan, the Country Director for SEND Foundation. He is currently doing his masters degree in England, and was leaving to start his studies when we arrived in Ghana, so I didn’t get a chance to meet him. He was back for the holidays, and I was so glad that we met.
Other than that, I hung out with Barry in the evening, and met some of his friends, the lights were off in the center of Tamale in the evening, so it wasn’t a very wild evening. The next day I hung out with Barry and went to the youth office, and also got to see the new SEND office. It is definitely a step up from the old office. The building was brand new; they were still installing wiring for electricity and still setting up offices. Very nice!
As for the rest of the week, the telephone lines were STILL DOWN, so when I got back to Kpandai, I basically tried to work on what I could, and tried to catch up with whoever I came across. I finally got a chance to have a visit with Beyaa, and Delphina, and Grace. Otherwise it was pretty quiet. Rosemary traveled north to Wa to visit her father who wasn’t doing very well, so it was me, Raymond, Gladys, Fosty, Chadrak and the kids at the house.
The lines came back on Sunday morning, and Sunday was the day that we finally moved into the new house! For the most part it was complete, the toilet needed some fixing, otherwise it is definitely a step up. My own compound, where I can put some clothes lines up outside, and no screaming kids at 5 in the morning!
January 14-21, 2007
Jeanine was in town with Imoro to do her data collection for her nutrition study, so I tagged along and helped with the surveys. I don’t know how much my coming helped, because it required hiring an interpreter which took longer for me to complete one survey. Anyway I enjoyed going along because it allowed me the chance to see some of the communities surrounding Kpandai, that I haven’t been to before.
So on Monday we went to Katiejeli, and my interpreter was a man from the farmer co-operative there named Justice. He was awesome, very patient with me, and he would tell me when people were making comments about me, like why I had an earring in my upper left ear and not in my ear lobes!
I scared a few children in Katiejeli, not on purpose, but probably because I was the first obruni they saw that up close and in their own homes. By the afternoon I had quite a large following of children following me (the ones that weren’t scared of me that is), and I was kind of feeling like the Pied Piper!
On Tuesday we went to Banda, a larger town a little further south of Kpandai on the Kete Krachi road, and I think almost all of my teeth got a little rattled on the ride, the road was so bad! I’ve never been on a road in that much need of repair. When we got to Banda, the farmer co-operative had not informed the community that we were coming, so most of the women went to a market in a nearby village, and most of the men went to the farm, so the town was dead and there was no one to survey. Raymond and I walked around the town to try and find the credit union accounts manager, and the loans officer, and just attempted to find any families that were available to survey, but to no avail. My stomach was sore so I asked if there was a drug store around, the man I asked said there wasn’t one (although there was one 20 feet away, I found out later), so I remember Delphina telling me that she nibbled on kola nuts when her stomach was paining her, and I went to the market and bought some. When I came back to the rest of the group Raymond was chuckling at me because kola nuts are a stimulant, and he said that’s what he’d eat if he wanted to stay awake in university because he didn’t like coffee (Wonder where the Cola in Coca Cola comes from?). I sat for the rest of the afternoon to wait for Jeanine and the rest to come from another village, got jacked up on kola nuts, but my stomach was still sore!
On Wednesday we went to Mbowura, the village nearest to Kpandai on the Krachi road, and Anthony was my interpreter. He was the village chief, so anywhere we went, people got ready to talk. I scared a few kids again, by now I’ve gotten used to kids screaming when they see me! It was funny because I was getting recognized as the obruni in Kpandai, because people often traveled from the village to go to Kpandai for business or for the market.
It was interesting being in Mbowura, and I got informed on some cultural differences. Many of the Christians in town had more than one wife (I still have difficulty wrapping my head around that), and lots of people in the town still practice ‘traditional’ religion. I would like to learn more about it if possible.
That night I really really wanted a drink so I made Imoro take me, Jeanine and Raymond to the guesthouse before dinner to have a few cold ones. It was nice, except I let it slip to Imoro that I had a little phobia of rats, and then he was relentless in bugging me for the rest of the week! One time he even brushed his toe along my leg, which made me jump, and I spilled my beer all over Jeanine! Ooops!
On Thursday we went to Kachina, near Kpandai, but on an offshoot road. There I was in charge of doing the weights and heights of the children and mothers, and there was nothing scarier for the kids than an obruni with a weigh scale (which often means for the kids that a needle is coming after being weighed). One kid was almost hyperventilating, he was crying so hard at being put on the weigh scale! The ride to the town though was gorgeous! I want to get a bicycle so I can go along that road and take pictures. The road to Kachina is higher than Kpandai so it affords the chance of getting some pretty good shots!
In the afternoon we headed for Salaga, I came along to prepare everything for my data collection which is supposed to happen next week. The rest of the day was pretty low key, I went around town with Imoro so we could get something to eat. I had kenkey and he had fufu, but I sat with him and his friends and ate. In the evening I ate with Wumpini, Jeanine and Raymond at Jeanine’s bar (where she takes all her meals), and the lights were out, so I went to bed pretty much as soon as I reached the guesthouse.
The next day was busy busy busy....getting everything organized for the survey with the community officers in each of the communities, and giving them the money from the budget for the data collection in each respective place. Because the cedi is so devalued right now, I was literally walking around with blocks of money, and it was only equivalent to about 1000 dollars. But when you have bills that are the equivalent of about 50 cents, well, you get the picture.
I headed into Tamale that night with Seidu, Janet and Cece, and met up with Barry that night for dinner and some drinks. Well I drank; he had malt because he is Muslim.
The rest of the weekend was low key. I went to the Tamale market to get things for the house like cups and a thermos for hot water, I also bought pencils and pens for the survey. I also found the best store ever....it had lots of European items, such as Pringles! Guess who’s going there before she goes back to Kpandai!
January 22, 2007
Today I’m met with Rashida and David at the youth office to go over the survey in Tamale. It went well; we basically reviewed the survey and what was budgeted for Tamale. I budgeted for over 300 surveys but we’re actually only doing 39. Not too bad.
The other things on the list today are to go with Vasco to buy a fridge and some chairs for the house in Kpandai. I am not sure what I want to do yet- send them on the bus tomorrow or wait until a SEND vehicle travels through to Salaga and then on to Kpandai. We’ll see what happens. |
| posted by angelina @ 4:36 AM |
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| Monday, January 01, 2007 |
| Happy New Year!! |
Whew, what a crazy few days! I spent the last few days in Accra running errands and trying to keep Cassandra happy. I also had dinner with Chief the night before I left, and we went to the Dutch Hotel, a pretty swanky resort right on the coast. I had a beef burger and french fries, the best burger I've had in Ghana so far!
On Saturday I went to the STC yard at 7 in the morning to report for my bus, which was supposed to leave at 8 am . Well, it didn't. It was delayed for 6 hours, and we finally got to board at 2. But then we spent an hour in the parking lot in the bus, while the bus driver tried to make excuses for the delay.
The bus ride in plain terms was pure hell. The lady beside me took MY window seat, and then proceeded to load up every open space around her with gift baskets, palm oil and bread, so I didn't have room to stretch my legs out. Then my seat was broken, so if I leaned back, it would shift back into the face of the person behind me, so I spent 15 hours hunched over my bag, afraid to sit back. THe bus also broke down two times on the way to Tamale, and we finally rolled into town at 4:30 in the morning. The bus ride taught me a lot about myself. I am willing to forgo personal comfort in order to leave at a certain time. I vow I will never ride with STC again. I will sit on the back of a truck with chickens, as long as it leaves at the time it says it will leave!
So my New Year's eve was pretty low key, because I was so tired! I got to see Jeanine briefly before she left for Salaga, and then I met a couple of Seidu's friends, Abdallah and Seidu no. 2, haha. After a bit I called Iddi, my taxi driver, lol, and he took me into the centre of town. Then I met David, a teacher in Gusheigu, for lunch, then I was invited to a passing out ceremony by the man who helped me find my antibiotics when my leg was all gross. That was a lot of fun, everyone was dressed so nicely because it was Saalah, and there was lots of music and dancing. After that Iddi took me around Tamale a bit, I got to see the stadium and the waterworks area, and the big Catholic church and some other things. After that I went back to the guesthouse, and then I talked on the phone a bit, but then Seidu no. 2 surprised me by showing up at my room and inviting me for a drink. That was nice, but lame ol' me, after the drink I went back to my room and promptly went to sleep, until Jeanine called me at midnight, half snapped, lol, to wish me a happy new year.
Today I met Barry for breakfast and he's been accompanying me through the market so I could buy some more things. And that's about it! Hopefully I'll be on the Kpandai bus by this afternoon, and in town by 9. Over and out. |
| posted by angelina @ 2:36 AM |
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| Me, Myself, and I |
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Alias: angelina
Where I'm at: Kpandai, Northern Region, Ghana
In 500 words or less: I am now done my schoolin' and you may all call me Master! I'm currently livin it up in a small town in Northern Ghana, and it's a blast being the only 'obruni' (white) in town!
Step into my mind, if you dare
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