Ghana Guide and Blog

Help Fundraise for Quadriplegic in Ghana

2012-01-04T21:04:00.003Z

Dear friends, visitors, readers,

We know many of you support worthy causes, especially if you are connected with Ghana already. However, we're hoping you may be able to help out supporting our brother (literally).

Our younger brother, Joshua, became quadriplegic—paralysed from the neck down—after sustaining severe spinal cord injuries when he fell from a tree he was climbing in September, something that could have happened to any one of us. Your donation will help cover Jo’s ongoing medical costs and purchase devices to help prevent pressure sores and improve mobility.

Thank you in advance. If you would like to share this with other supporters, we would appreciate it.

A 1 minute film showing the story

Link to our simple fundraising site:

Help our Brother Joshua in Ghana

Spinal Injury/Neuro Specialist Needed in Ghana

2011-11-02T17:14:00.003Z

I'm hoping the blog-reading Ghanaian community may be able to jump in and help with this. A relative in Ghana (brother-in-law: 11 years old) incurred a spinal cord injury just before the doctor's strike almost 4 weeks ago. He also broke his leg and arm. He fell from a tree he was climbing, as kids do. Something that could have happened to any of us growing up.

He was moved from Bawku/Bolga/Tamale to Konfo Anokye just in time to be admitted before the strike and have scans. C4 burst fracture. Significant damage. He's now paralysed from the neck down. Other complications happened during the strike (which doctors refused to treat) but he recovered, just.

Challenge: We cannot get any meaningful information from the neurosurgeon team at Konfo Anokye, even after the resumption of work. (There was almost no treatment for the 3 weeks of the doctor's strike).

There is no phone directory or online directory for spinal specialists in Ghana as we're seeking a second opinion. We would greatly appreciate it if anyone can recommend a spinal specialist in the south of Ghana, private or public facility, it doesn't matter. The trauma and neuro unit now want to discharge him and send him back to Bolga saying they can't do anything. Before he makes that journey, we would like to try and get him in to another facility, but we just don't know where to start.

We've combed Google search, of course, and located many (yet to be completed) spinal hospitals, but simply cannot find any one clinic where private individuals can enter for their own checks and treatment.

Any help with names, hospitals, personal contacts to surgeons, would be much appreciated. You can contact me at gaylepescud@gmail.com or godwin@g-lish.org with any info.

Volunteer in Africa with G-lish Foundation Ghana

2011-10-31T17:01:00.000Z

I wrote an article about how to volunteer in Africa for creative types under Volunteer in Africa for Artists, Designers and Photographers at G-lish Foundation, the NGO I co-founded in Ghana.

Volunteer Photographers in Ghana

One of the great things about volunteering as a photographer in Africa (see our volunteer brochure for more) is the opportunity to get outside the office and meet families and individuals at home in rural villages where life is lived with the volume turned up.

Photography can be a sensitive issue in some cultures so it’s important to check and find out what is acceptable and not before heading out on assignment. G-lish Foundation provides volunteer photographers with briefings on how to approach photography on the ground in rural villages in Ghana so as to meet cultural expectations and invite the community be part of the experience. There are some taboos with photography in Ghana and we explain these in our briefings, as well as what might make families and communities happy—they like to be consulted first and we work with our communities to ensure there is an understanding about the purpose and that everyone is comfortable.

We have an extensive range of G-lish photos on Flickr if you would like to see what Ghana looks like and our work on the ground in rural Ghana. We mainly focus on activities that fit within the definition of sustainable social entrepreneurship.

Volunteer Artists and Designers in Ghana

We also touched on volunteer opportunities for artists and designers. Many creative NGOs like ours can always use creative or technical inputs from skilled and passionate volunteers. There is sometimes the possibility of developing new ranges of products, or experimenting with existing ranges, and working side-by-side with artisans and craft-makers to learn and teach new skills.

Many volunteers often remark that they feel they were more rewarded by the volunteer experience than what they felt they contributed. This is most likely because the communities you work with on the ground are likely to make you feel very welcome and show gratitude for the contribution that you make while spending time passing your skills and experience on to communities in Africa.

Our experience is that volunteering is a mutually rewarding experience. Volunteers benefit and feel a great sense of personal achievement and fulfilment. Communities benefit and feel a deeper sense of hope, opportunities and connection with the rest of the world.

Ghana: Income Generation and Volunteering

2011-10-25T11:40:00.001Z

Images of basket makers at work for G-lish Foundation in Bolgatanga, Ghana.

Cloth Cutting as part of the recycled Bolga basket process in Ghana photo by G-lish Foundation on Flickr.


Twisting recycled pure water plastic into twine to make recycled Bolga baskets

A group of basket makers at work in the shade in Bolgatanga, Ghana

G-lish Foundation is about to launch its international volunteer program in which volunteers will help G-lish carry out its core projects in Bolgatanga and new locations in Ghana. You can see more about what we do at G-lish Foundation. You can also catch up on Twitter. Watch the YouTube video for more idea about what we do.

Asanti Dance Theatre in Australia

2011-09-19T14:38:00.000Z

Asanti Dance Theatre from Ghana are now actively dancing and teaching in Melbourne, Australia, and traveling to concerts around the country.

They also do dance workshops and African drumming.

Workshops with Asanti Dance Theatre are a great way of bringing your community closer together and expressing yourself through music and dance. Classes are conducted in safe, supportive environments and each workshop is tailored made to make sure you get the most out of your African drum and dance experience. Whether you are born with rhythm or you have two left feet, you can be sure that workshops with Asanti Dance Theatre are fun, invigorating and challenging for people at all levels.

Workshops are offered in drumming, dance, village activities, song and storytelling and cultural activities. They are facilitated by the senior members of the company who are all experienced, talented professionals in their area of expertise. Workshops can be conducted for a one off event or you can come along to one of our regular classes.

The latest poster for what's on.

Around the World with 40 Bloggers

2011-05-03T14:15:00.076Z

It’s launch day for a brilliant project: a free (yes, no cost) and stunning E-Book by the Lonely Planet bloggers from the Blogsherpa programme. Blogsherpies, as they affectionately call themselves, with generous support from LP in the design and editorial process, made this happen.

“Managing 40 bloggers perpetually traveling in and out of jungles, cafes, monuments and ruins, and internet free zones (gasp!) was not an easy task” says Todd Wassel of Todd's Wanderings, the blogger who headed up the project.

"Around the World with 40 Lonely Planet Bloggers" takes readers on a world tour featuring almost 70 countries, and introduces the world of professional travel blogging. Within it, each blogger, hand picked by Lonely Planet, shares a collection of stunning photos that capture the essence of their travel.

Gail Walter from Uncommon Travel and Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil of The Planet D also contributed, along with 37 others (including me!) and both these blogs are well worth a click through. In fact, each bloggers' profile and links are included in their entry in the eBook so you can take a virtual tour of top travel bloggers sites and see how they do it.

An accomplished group, the BlogSherpas have reached beyond their own blogs, having been published in the likes of National Geographic Traveler, Huffington Post, Travel + Leisure, AFAR and more.

Image above from Museum Chick

Unfortunately, the first photo (p36) for my entry is without reference, but many here will recognise it as the central part of Elmina Castle located in the Central Region of Ghana. I took this photo way back in 2005 during my first visit to Elmina Castle and Ghana, then, as it were. You can read more about that journey here at Ghana Guide and Blog. I also co-founded an organisation called G-lish Foundation last year in the north of Ghana and you can read more about that too. What a journey. I'm sure many of the blogsherpies have similar stories of life-changing travel and adventure so be sure to download your copy of Around the World with 40 Lonely Planet Bloggers here. Because it's free, share it with the whole world!

Image above from No Hurry Curry

Read the full story about Around the World with 40 Bloggers at Lonely Planet's site.

Online Resources for Visiting Ghana

2011-02-27T20:03:00.001Z

A couple of excellent online forums to find out about travel in Ghana, or life in Ghana, are:

Internations.org

Internations works on trust and they verify your credentials before being allowed to access the site fully. You can meet plenty of expats and get up-to-date details about living in Ghana, particularly Accra. They have an active expat community that attends regular meet-ups too. A good way to meet people when you first arrive in Ghana.

"InterNations is a community of trust and confidence, present in 230 cities worldwide. Data security and privacy are of major importance. Therefore membership is invitation-only:
You need to be invited to become a member"

and Lonely Planet's "Thorntree" forum.
This is geared towards short-term travelers and is essentially a place to find the most difficult to get information that may not be available anywhere else online. Many current and former travelers lurk around the forums and are ready to offer advice and answer questions from fellow travelers. When visiting Italy I developed my entire itinerary around the feedback on the forums. It was brilliant. I've read loads relating to Ghana there and the advice is helpful and mostly accurate.

This image was taken at Axim Beach Hotel, Axim, one of the best beaches and hotels in Ghana--with prices for all budgets.

Ghana on Facebook

2011-02-24T15:34:00.002Z

There are plenty of Facebook pages about Ghana by Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians for those here and those planning to visit Ghana. Almost six years ago, when I first arrived in Ghana (yikes time has flown!), Facebook was not the main thing I spied on PC screens in public internet cafes. Zip forward to 2011 and it's a whole different picture. Virtually everyone, from children to adults, in public cafes--even in Bolga--is browsing, writing and making friends on Facebook. Football, dating and development issues appear to be the most popular topics.

Here are a few of the pages worth checking out:

Ghana F.L.O.W.E.R.
A great small NGO in the Eastern Region of Ghana doing good work and doing what they say they're doing!

A comment from a volunteer at the page:

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed volunteering for Ghana FLOWER! I volunteered as a public health intern from Jan 2010 and had the most incredible time. The work was hugely rewarding, but the best part was getting to know Helen and her wonderful family, who were so welcoming and made my time in Ghana so enjoyable...

E-Waste Watch Ghana
There are sooo many importers dumping used electronic and electrical goods all over Ghana. Africa, in general, is the dumping ground of the rich. This site keeps you up to date on what's happening here in Ghana.

From the page:

E-WASTE WATCH GHANA monitors the illegal shipments and dumping of e-waste in Ghana by the industrialised countries and documents the public health and environmental impacts.

A group simply called "Ghana"
Slightly patchy content, but a few useful tips for travelers in there.

A question from one of the members:

Can somebody tell me an affordable guest house in Cantonments-Accra? I know it's not the typical backpacker area, but I have to stay around that area and can't pay for the luxury hotels.

Another great page is Ghana Blogging.
As the name suggests, its members are bloggers writing about Ghana. Use the page as a springboard for some of the best blogs about Ghana.

A note from their site:

Have you seen the new GhanaBlogging website? Please visit http://ghanablogging.com/. Massive thanks to Oluniyi D. Ajao and Web4Africa for putting this together!

Ghana Music.
Ghana would not be Ghana without music. Life = music, music = life. This is the Facebook page to find out much about it.

A promo on their site:

Abodam Live In Australia.This Show Is Gonna Be Too Hot To Be Miss.Kwaw Kese First Time In Australia..Nuffin But Madness.

A reader brought Nyani Quarmyne Photography to my attention and it is worth the look!

A post on the page reads:

Nyani Quarmyne Photography Since posting these images on mental health in Ghana, I've had several people ask, "How can I help?" For those of you who would like to make a difference, I've updated my blog post with the details you need.

And then....

This image is from The Gamelian World, a great blog from a Ghanaian. Read his article, Ghana's Facebook Picture, on the popularity of Facebook in Ghana.

Facebook image above from http://www.anticapitalistes.net/spip.php?article1816

Income Generation Video from Bolga by G-lish Foundation

2011-02-18T10:24:00.002Z

It's not all TZ and smock making in Bolgatanga. Press play to see the lifecycle of a recycled Bolga basket and get inspired! Let us know what you think.You can also see the organisation's new site at http://g-lishfoundation.org.

2011: Long Time, No Write

2011-01-23T18:06:00.000Z

A very belated New Year's Greetings. It's all been busy around here and not much time for getting online and writing, unfortunately. However, I appreciate the Christmas and New Year's messages, thank you.

The Harmattan is just about lifting her skirts and hightailing it out of here for another year, thank goodness. Much too much dust and sniffles and coughs. However, she's replaced by the yet more evil Hot Season. Today was the first real hot day in about 3 months. It's been wonderfully cool and even cold since November. Sheets and more sheets were needed at night. Pyjamas even. Unfortunately, that time is over. Back to no sheets and sweating like pregnant toads...from about next week I'd say.

I have loads upon loads of photos to upload but, of course, the internet is not our friend. Some things don't change. So they will come in good time.

Still selling the Ghana guide and had a chance to meet some lovely readers late last year. So many interesting people traveling to Ghana. Feel free to let us know when you'll be here and what your story is.

Happy reading everyone and happy 2011.

Must See Outer Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, Ghana

2010-11-29T15:15:00.002Z

If you come to the Upper East Region of Ghana for a couple of days, you may wish to visit SWOPA: Sirigu Women's Organisation of Pottery and Art. The Sirigu story (the situation is very similar to that of the villages G-lish works with), courtesy of the SWOPA site:

Sirigu’s story is typical of farming villages in Northern Ghana; several years of intensive farming and poor rainfall has degraded the land to the extent that even subsistence farming is threatened. This is where the similarities end though; Sirigu village is also well known for its traditional architecture, basketry, pottery and wall designing. Faced with declining yields from farming, it became not only important to revive the traditional arts of the women of Sirigu but also to leverage it as an important source of income for the women for the upkeep of their families. Many children owe their education and healthcare to income generated from the handicrafts and traditional arts produced by the women of Sirigu.

A shot of design of external walls of hut in Sirigu. Image by Familia Bonnardeaux

At SWOPA you taste village life in the far northern Upper East Region and learn something of the culture, arts and crafts of the village and surrounding areas. And, for the budget-conscious, their prices are great. You can see the accommodation huts here. The Harmattan is in full swing here in the Upper East Region already so if you visit anytime from now until February you will appreciate the cool interior of the huts into which you can escape from the dust and heat during the day.

The peace and quiet at night is, well, a bit deafening; all you will hear is a chorus of electronic sounding insects and the odd lost goat.

We were accompanied by two foreign friends from overseas as well as three Ghanaians from the Eastern Region visiting this region for the first time on a big trip up north. They all said that the trip to Sirigu was the highlight of their entire trip, which is saying something! Something good, I believe. The Ghanaians were fascinated with the life of the village as well as how those of us living in this area can withstand the harsh, dry heat compared with the humid jungle climate of their region. Our Canadian friends echoed similar sentiments. Visiting Sirigu gives you a first-hand opportunity to feel that reality and know another Ghana altogether.

Costs: 15 GHC per night for a traditional, round hut painted in the SWOPA style with 2 single beds and inhouse bath and toilet. An entrance fee of 1.50 GHC is payable. If you tour the village, the price is 4.00 for non-Ghanaians and 2.00 for Ghanaians. There is a dorm with five single beds for 30 GHC total. The dorm is constructed in the traditional style of the area with steps leading up to a wide, flat, low-walled roof from which guests can gaze at the stars at night and sleep during the very hot season, if they like.

The major crafts produced in Sirigu for sale at very reasonable prices in the gallery at the centre include pottery, baskets and acrylics on canvas in traditional designs and style from the area.

A clay, glazed dish about the size of half a PC keyboard costs around 6 GHC. A short piece about the pottery here.

The colours of the pots are black with a geometrical design. The colour is made by putting the hot pots in a mixture of millet grass. These pots have round or flat bottoms and some have lids. The colour of the pot is earthen red with geometrical designs in black.

A typical mud home with roof designed to be slept on in hot season. A basket maker holding a basket typical of that area. Image by Baptiste Delbos.

Awesome chop bar. Image by Baptiste Delbos.

SWOPA is located about 40 minutes drive north-east from Bolgatanga: turn right at the Kandiga junction when heading north to Burkina on the highway from Bolga, SWOPA is another 17 kms along the dirt road from the junction. A bit tricky in the wet season, but not impossible, and easy in the dry season. You could also hire motorbikes from Tanga Tours for 20 GHC a day in Bolgatanga.

Meals are huge, delicious and prepared that day and cost 5 GHC per person. Call ahead and be sure to order drinks in advance as they need to order them from the local market.

A 40 minute taxi ride there (and 40 minutes return, same day, same driver) will cost around 35 GHC from Bolgatanga. Click here for a more extensive view of Sirigu-related images including the village, architecture, design and arts and crafts.

I also referenced another blogger's writing on Sirigu here in Two Excellent Ghana Blogs.

Ghanaian Poet's Blog + Foreigners' Ghana Blogs

2010-11-19T11:57:00.013Z

Writers and generally curious folks may be interested to discover a wonderful blog focused on poetry called Poetry Soundbites by Kodjo Deynoo. Please click through and check it out.

I also came across a few interesting blogs written by foreigners living in Ghana. The more perspectives the better for potential travelers.

A Tiger in Ghana is one such blog.

"Through Princeton's Bridge Year Program, I am excited to be one of five students living for nine months in Ghana. The first half will be in Accra, Ghana's capital, living with a homestay family, working in NGOs, and learning to speak Twi. For the second half we will move to the small village of Oguaa, to serve as tutors in local middle schools."

And this was an interesting view of Accra by someone who popped in for 14 hours. What would you capture if you had 14 hours in Ghana? Sometimes I wish I could have "fresh" eyes to see Ghana anew, but knowing everything I know now. Failing that, I'm curious to see what others' "fresh" eyes pick up when they fly in and out for a short time.

Travels in Ghana Ebook

2010-11-17T11:32:00.000Z

Back to the heart of this blog: Travel in Ghana. I'm writing about an ebook developed by a passionate traveler to Ghana called Marie McCarthy. You may have followed her blog as she was traveling. I did a few posts linking to her travels at the time and the original blog link is still here on this blog.

However, for those who like to get all their Ghana travel posts in one place, and for anyone interested in publishing their travels in digital form, you may like to check out Travels in Ghana. A simple digital download you can read on your e-reader too.

On a completely separate note, you might also want to check out Holli's post on Voodoo and Juju. These are a big deal here across the country and the entire region. Voodoo originated in Benin so that's not really news, but you can see some interesting images when you read Holli's post. Whether you believe in it or not, most Ghanaians do, even those who claim to follow one of the main religions. Even some football teams have been known to believe they'll win or lose a match based on the feedback from those who practice Juju.

I like to understand what people believe and how it affects their lives. If you spend quality time with people in any culture over a period of time you come to understand the interplay between various spiritual beliefs and how that affects things like development. They're all connected and it's worth taking the time to understand in order to connect.

October Winners of Ghana Guide

2010-11-09T16:01:00.000Z

We give away Ghana guides on a monthly basis to subscribers here at Ghana Guide and Blog. These are the winners for both September and October subscribers who would have just received an email and links informing them of their success!

Congratulations to Gale Lynette and Mike C who joined up in October and September. Emails and links coming your way now.

We've also just announced winners of recycled Bolga baskets this month.Erin Anderson who subscribes to G-lish Global and Nii Ayertey Aryeh who likes G-lish Foundation on Facebook were the winners.

Here are some new screen shots to give you a taste of what to expect in the Ghana guide.
You can read more about the Ghana guide here.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

Seed Initiative Winners from Ghana

2010-11-04T11:08:00.001Z

It's with much surprise and delight to post that G-lish Foundation, the organisation founded by my inspiring partner, Godwin Yidana, is one of the winners of this year's SEED Initiative Awards.

"The SEED Awards recognise inspiring social and environmental entrepreneurs whose businesses can help meet sustainable development challenges. By helping entrepreneurs to scale-up their activities, the SEED Initiative, which is hosted by UNEP, aims to boost local economies and tackle poverty, while promoting the sustainable use of resources and ecosystems."

The UNEP's full press release can be read here.

As the press release explains, the award seeks to recognise and support young organisations that focus on sustainable development.

The winners receive support in the form of tailored workshop training in-country and via distance (remotely) to help them develop their business plans and find solutions to barriers to growth so that the orgs can break through whatever problems they're facing and continue their good work.

"The prize they will receive from SEED is a package of individually-tailored support for their business. This includes access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance. SEED will furthermore contribute towards meeting each winner's most immediate needs by contributing to a jointly developed support plan."

You can visit the G-lish facebook page and read more about their activities by clicking the link on the right of this page.

The winners from Ghana are truly inspiring. The other winners are:

Some of the winners from African and further afield that caught my eye are:

Kenya: EcoPost - Fencing Posts from Recycled Post-Consumer Waste Plastic

Burkina Faso: Manufacture and Popularization of Biomass Briquettes (when you see how many trees are cut down for charcoal for cooking fires you understand why an alternative source of fuel is so important).

Senegal: Micro Power Economy for Rural Electrification

"The goal of this enterprise involving local partners from the private and microfinance sector is to set up a profitable rural power provider based on off-grid power system operation and the utilisation of renewable energy sources, such as wind-solar-diesel hybrid power systems."

China: SolSource

You can check out all the winners at the 2010 Awards link.

What the hell? Warning for Travelers in Ghana

2010-10-28T14:09:00.006Z

EDIT: It turns out this news story was not real. In other words, it was a hoax that got the whole country talking. The news that it was a hoax hit over the weekend. Sorry for the panic, folks.

The upside of this:
1. My cynicism was proven wrong. Even the President became involved and ordered a full inquiry. It was heartening to see action taken and the issue taken seriously.
2. That it didn't actually happen. That we can still believe that, while highway robberies are common, they're not as ugly and violent as this was reported to be.

A caution: Robberies along the roads in the northern part of Ghana are common and the same precautions apply as noted in this post below.

-----------------
This was the original story for what it's worth Horror: Armed robbers induce mass rape on passenger bus.

As I wrote at the time or posting originally:

The point of introducing this story is to reiterate a message to travelers I've repeated many times before. The safest bet when traveling between Accra and Tamale/Bolga/Wa or any of the three northern regions is to catch the STC--State Transport Company coaches. This is because the STC has an armed guard and robbers are well aware of this and tend to leave them alone.

The road between Kumasi and Kintampo is particularly poor and slow and you should try to avoid having to pass through here in darkness if you're not on the STC coaches. The road between Accra and Kumasi is also poor and you should also avoid that road at night.

In short, simply try to catch the STC for any long distance trip and any trip in which you'll be traveling in the dark. If you have a private vehicle don't stop for anyone. Only stop at police barriers but not at any other temporary road block unless it's clearly road maintenance. If you do see a road block in a location which normally doesn't have one, stop before you get there, turn around and go back.

Please be careful while traveling in Ghana. It's horrible not to be able to trust people on the road, but do keep your wits about you.

EDIT AGAIN: I received a few odd/threatening emails questioning my motivation for posting this and seeming to make some fairly large assumptions. It seems there is a lot of weird reporting and political stuff going on in the media at the moment. I don't what is underlying all of that. Apparently it's political. I'm not interested in politics.

My motivation was simply others' safety.

This incident, when we thought it was true, was an opportunity to warn people of serious dangers. It would mean I could get across a point about safety without having to some personal and ugly things I've either experienced first-hand or know about first-hand. When this story broke I felt that this story served as a good warning and referring to it would help save others from potentially unsafe situations. The story wasn't true. That is a relief. But the point remains the same.

I choose not to write about the ugly side of life here for the most part; there are enough people doing that already. However, I felt that that story made a strong point about safety that traveler's would do well to heed. This is a blog about travel in Ghana, after all. I do write a guide about travel in Ghana in which we outline dangerous areas in detail too.

The decision to warn people comes from experience, knowing what I know but choose not to make public most of the time. I try to stay positive and really don't want to scare people. But here is some of that experience that I withhold because, for the most part, Ghana is a good and safe country. But it's not completely safe and certain areas and activities seem to be getting worse.

I know of three foreign women who were raped traveling in different parts of Ghana: Paga area, Cape Coast and the Volta Region. I have friends whose friends were also raped somewhere in the Eastern or Central Region I believe. This is over the course of the years 2005-2010 that I've been living in or connected with Ghana. And by that I don't mean they were having a relationship with someone and resisted their advances, but violent attacks during the day or night where they were sleeping or traveling. Sure, some people shouldn't have been walking dark alleys alone at night, but they were. That's why I keep cautioning.

I was accosted and robbed in a taxi in broad daylight between Elmina and Cape Coast on my way to work one day back in 2007. It was a set up. My possessions were rifled from my backpack. Fortunately, I fought back and got all my stuff back, but that seems to be the exception--the thieves didn't have weapons so, I thought, I'll fight back and it worked.

I met a bunch of foreign travelers in Bolga last year who were in a tro that was stopped by armed robbers between Bolga and Paga and had all their possessions stolen.

A Ghanaian friend was set up and robbed, much like I was, in a share taxi between Kintampo and Wa last year.

On one of our trips south, just as we left Bolga proper and headed out of town, and even though it was the STC and mid-morning, a band of youth with machetes stood across the highway blocking our way. The driver put his foot down and sped up. He had every intention of running down anyone who didn't get out of the way. They jumped aside at the last minute.

Another Ghanaian friend was robbed in a trotro somewhere around Tamale and lost all his money and possessions.

I know of people who were robbed traveling in parts of the Western Region too. And then there are the stories in the news about robbers trailing people from Accra to other parts of the country and robbing them somewhere along the way.

Thieves work in bands. One will be present at the tro station and even board the tro himself, checking out the passengers. He will use his phone to alert his colleagues down the road to get ready. You can figure out the rest. A few weeks ago when we were traveling from Tamale to Bolga early in the morning (5 am), I can tell you I was observing every single person anywhere near our tro. There was one guy continuously on his phone and looking around and I was nervous. I even suggested we wait and get the next one. I shifted all my cash out and hid it. Nothing happened. But it's certainly a nerve-wracking experience on public transport these days.

This is what I know about. I wonder how much more I will never hear about.

Although the story that prompted this post turned out to be a hoax, the point of posting it remains the same: to warn people about the dangers of not taking precautions when traveling. It is unsafe traveling on certain modes of transport in certain parts of the country and certain times of the day. I get emails from travelers saying they caught trotros between Kumasi and Bolga and it was OK. Great. I used to too. But I would caution against it.

I guess that those people who emailed me may not regularly travel the breadth of the country, from north to south and back again, or maybe they don't use public transport very often and wouldn't necessarily understand the dangers involved. It's no joy traveling that far wondering if you're going to be robbed or have an accident, I can tell you, but a lot of us have no choice.

I'm not even going to address the other things in some of the emails. I did, however, once have a very annoying boss whose catchphrase often comes to mind when I read some of the comments and emails I receive. She used to say, "When you 'Assume' it makes an 'ass' of 'u' and 'me'." I hate to admit it, but she had a point.

I also like the line: "When you jump to conclusions, you make bad landings." (from The Interruption of Everything by Terry McMillan).

If this blog is not to your tastes, vote yourself off the island; no one is forcing you to read it.

Please try to keep an open mind when emailing or commenting; it would be much appreciated.

The Amazing Race Ghana

2010-10-21T15:57:00.000Z

For those planning to travel to Ghana for the first time, you may like to check out clips from a recent episode of the Amazing Race when it hit Accra, the capital of Ghana. I've just had a chance to see the clips for the first time myself and can vouch that there is nothing unusual in the experiences that the contestants had in Ghana.

That is, this is the Ghana I know and that you will encounter when you arrive. Some Ghanaians are annoyed by a "dirty" representation of Accra but, frankly, that's how Accra is.But we all have to deal with it. As did the racers.

You'll see inside a real market and also check out the famous coffin makers. Of course, you don't need to visit these places when you come to Ghana but you'd be missing out. We do cover how you can visit the coffin makers and markets in our Ghana Guide.

Ghanaweb is hosting the clips here.

The photo of the coffins at Teshie is by Walt Jabsco. A little explanation on the coffins. They're mostly "patronised" by the Ga people of Greater Accra. I say Ga, but I'm sure someone will disagree with me. The deceased may have expressed a desire to be buried in a coffin that represented their occupation in life, but also their vices or hobbies. You will see coffins shaped as cigarettes, bottles of beer, Coca Cola, pens, rockets, lobsters, and the lovely cow you can see in the photo above. Personally, I'd like to be buried in an Egyptian mummy with a bellydance coin motif coffin as well as some Adinkra symbols, kente designs, mud cloth prints and ancient Japanese text. Surely that's not too much to ask?

Excellent Photos of Ghana

2010-09-28T10:47:00.000Z

Ghana Photos

If you are traveling to Ghana, I am sure you will enjoy this simple and quick way to find great photos of Ghana. Basically, head to Google Images and begin a search.

A search of "Ghana" brings back a colourful array of images.

A search of "Wli", which is in the Volta Region and a popular traveler's stop, brings back lots of waterfall pics as well as some from the hike to the Upper Falls.

"Kumasi" gives you both a view of downtown--especially crazy Kejetia trotro and market area--as well as traditional ceremonies.

A quick click on "Accra" gives you a strong sense of the capital.

The photos of "Bolgatanga" are actually very representative and give a strong sense of how the area feels.

Shoot me if the photos of "Cape Coast" don't make you want to visit! And it's sister, Elmina, is just a 15 minute drive away.

Ghana Videos!

You can do the same thing with Google Videos. Here is the link to view videos relating to "Elmina". And videos for Accra, Cape Coast (President Obama in Cape Coast) and Kumasi. There are even some for Bolgatanga!

So, you get the idea. Hit Google images search and type in the name of the place you're coming to visit in Ghana. You will get a sense of the place before you even leave home.

Elmina Castle and fishing photo at top by chris_wilson.Black and White fishermen in Cape Coast photo by See Wah.

Ghana Bloggers Mature

2010-09-20T16:42:00.001Z

The blogosphere in Ghana has been growing steadily. You can read a lot of the regular bloggers at www.ghanablogging.com.

I was checking out some of my favourites and found some fun and thought-provoking stuff going on.

Accra Conscious Forever posted a brilliant poster of Adinkra symbols. If you visit Ghana, especially along the coast from Accra to the Ivory Coast and inland to Kumasi, and everywhere in between, you'll see Adinkra symbols on pretty much everything that's not moving, and much that is moving too--especially vehicles. You will certainly see a lot of batiked cloth printed with the more popular symbols. If you want to know what they mean, check out Adinkra Cloth Symbols.

Interestingly, here in the far north of Ghana most people have no idea what Adinkra is. It's simply not part of the culture as it's unique to the Akan culture, those areas described above.

Accra Conscious Forever also did an awesome post on music called Blending Visuals into Music - M3NSA

"No.1 Mango Street – the international debut album by MC, singer and producer M3NSA. The single is a cocktail of eclectic Afro sounds infused with Nu-jazz and High-Life delicately underscored with sweet harmonies of rhythm and blues."

Holli at Holli's Ramblings wrote a thought-proviking post about the issue of witches in Ghana. Both the post and the comments are worth reading. This is one of the things you're unlikely to notice while traveling through Ghana for a short time, but if you happen to pick up a newspaper on most days you'll find a story about witches. I live in the far north and hear about these problems often. It's hard to listen to and accept.

I was teaching a young girl how to use a computer and using a Harry Potter excerpt that was nicely formatted to show how the Indexing works in Word and "document map" button and she happened to flash across the mention of witches. I had to explain the history of witches in western culture and the Harry Potter phenomenon. She couldn't believe people wanted to "be" witches. One word, totally different connotations.

Here is a small excerpt from Holli's story:

"Northern Ghana is home to over 10 massive witch camps – each housing up to 1000 people – the majority of these are young children. Soak that in. THERE ARE STILL WITCHES CAMPS IN GHANA IN 2010. All of these people have been banished from their villages for all sorts of crimes, including allegedly killing people who died from ‘mysterious illnesses’."

And Betumi wrote about culinary entrepreneurship in Ghana. Betumi, by the way, is the BEST place to read about food in Ghana online. I was intrigued by this post detailing Fran's recent trip around Ghana collecting more data and researching food prep in Ghana in all its forms. I'm interested to see if she finds the 17th Century translation!

"Over lunch I challenged a couple of the English faculty to begin looking at the portrayal and symbolism of food in African literature, a shockingly neglected area, and especially to examine any gender differences between men and women writers. My sense is that women are more intimately connected to food preparation and socializing around the cooking pot and hence their memories (especially when exiled from their homelands) may be different. I'm curious to see if Helen and Kari take up the challenge. I also have the exciting promise of receiving a 17th century translation (from German) of a document describing the preparation of kenkey. I'm still trying to track down dokono's origins and history. Suggestions made at the luncheon were that, unlike "dokono," "kenkey" is a Malay word, that Northerners have always fermented millet, so they just used the same technique on corn when it arrived in Ghana. I welcome anyone's comments on his subject."

The Definitive Travel Library Revealed

2010-09-17T14:50:00.000Z

Greetings to fantastic readers and visitors to Ghana Guide and Blog.

I don't know if you've heard of Wangari Maathai? She is a Kenyan environmentalist and all round bad-ass change-maker. Well, you'd say bad-ass if you were in Government in Kenya in the 90's, but we're using it in a positive sense here. As in, the kind of person you want on your team when you set out to change the world.

What has Wangari Maathai done?

She set up an organsation that has planted over 4 million trees across Kenya
She prevented monstrosity skyscrapers from being built in Nairobi's equivalent of Hyde or Central Park
She helped get political prisoners released
She helped establish true democracy in Kenya
She made corrupt leaders listen to Kenyan women
She wrote an autobiography for which former President, Clinton, gave a front-cover endorsement.

And soooo much more. No wonder she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since our internet connection is something like 100 BYTES per second (yes, sad little bytes from a time-traveling parallel universe circa 1993 I think) I cannot upload any photos with this post.

This is not from a traveling parallel universe, however. I submitted a guest post for a truly wonderful blog called A Traveler's Library.

At A Traveler's Library writers are invited to share books that inspired them to travel to a place. I came up with a short-list. I even submitted my two book titles. And then I changed my mind (erm, what's new?) and chose Maathai's biography, Unbowed.

It's not that I've been inspired to visit Kenya. It is, however, that her story inspired me to another kind of travel. Some travelers are inspired to seek greener pastures after reading a travel-themed book: check out the blog for some ideas. Reading Unbowed inspired me to help make the "grass" a little greener right here in Ghana.

Read why here.

GTV's Breakfast Show

2010-09-16T16:28:00.000Z

Hey all,

Just a very quick note to say to watch GTV on Monday morning at 7 am. You'll see some absolute rubbish on your TV screens :). Of the Trashy kind. This lap top case is made entirely of recycled pure water plastic pages.

Are You Faking It? You Know What I Mean!

2010-09-14T17:21:00.000Z

Hi Y'all,

I'm not really a Texan, but I do like saying y'all. And, on that note, I would love to let you know about a couple of posts about stuff you might love too.

This is all about being who you are supposed to be and doing what you do because "you can't help it"-- because if you don't you'll go mad!

It comes in two parts (no pun intended, seriously).

Five Years of Faking It: Part 1

When I was a teenager my Dad went off on one of his famous lectures again:

“I don’t care if you want to go and sit on mountains and meditate for the rest of your life, just make sure you’re the best damned mountain meditator in the world.”

Yeah right.

“And I don’t care if you want to be a beach bum, just make sure you’re the best damned beach bum in the world.”

Bet he wouldn’t have said that if I wanted to be a politician or a stripper.

and
Five Years of Faking It: Part 2

When someone asks me why I do what I do, all I can say is: “I can’t help it.”

I can’t help it in the same way you can’t help writing, for those who feel the need to write, or calculating planetary orbits, if that’s what rocks your day, or teaching others how to do something, if that’s your heart starter, or meditating on mountain tops, if you dare.

Different things drive different people. Porches for some. Fame for Miss Hilton. Status for Mrs Becks. Creating for the Coen Brothers. And Danger for the Real Madrid goalie.

It’s the “helping” thing that gets my groove going.

But we need different types of passions. The helping people, the innovating people, the Barry Manilow people, the sensible people, the wordsmiths—and you don’t have to be one or the other, you can be many of these people at once.

Liking + Winning Recycled Bolga Baskets

2010-09-10T16:28:00.002Z

Hey everyone, if you have just arrived for the first time, or if you're returning to our blog: thanks so much for visiting. I hope you can see the box for the awesome facebook page: G-lish--on the side bar.

This is the place to see those great photos and learn a little more about what G-lish Foundation is doing in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, simply by "liking" the page when you visit on Facebook (hint: click "G-lish" in the box on the right), you can win baskets! Every month all lovely Facebookers who are liking the G-lish page have a chance to win a recycled Bolga basket delivered anywhere in the world. Woooooo! Yay.

Click it already! :)

The Interview with Expatify for Ghana Expats

2010-09-06T10:16:00.004Z

I completely forgot about this interview I did with Expatify ages ago. They wrote to tell me it was online in July. We've had so many problems with terrible internet connections here in Bolga that I completely forgot about it.

The interview is helpful for those planning to move to Ghana for an extended period of time, like expats, workers, volunteers, and so on. If you're planning to visit Ghana for a short stay, you may also get something from it. I added a few tips that will help anyone planning to travel or work in a developing country too.

A short excerpt:

"Unless you’re in Accra or Kumasi, there are no luxuries like coffee shops, cinemas, or large supermarkets. However internet cafes are improving dramatically everywhere. Water supply and electricity are notoriously unreliable, but you learn to cope."

* The Kosa I refer to in the interview is owned by Dutch, not Germans.

I took that photo in Cape Coast some years ago. It's the fishermen pulling in nets together. It's awesome to watch them work like that in rows all along the beaches, hand over fist, a kind of dance and song to ease the drudgery, I guess.