Getting the Picture Out!

Just an exciting update about the upcoming photo exhibit... Somehow or another I've managed to tap into some great networks here in Ghana, specifically with one freelance journalist/self-professed Youth and Community Development Social Worker. Kingsley and I share similar views on so many things, and he is shining example of an amazing local organizer, mobalizer, and social change agent. He is involved with everything 'youth' in Accra and so has sent the information round to many, many people.

This morning I got a phone call from the Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, who kindly requested to post our event on their website! They also want me to write a review of the event so that it can be included in their next newsletter.

So, check us out online... www.fcaghana.org. Click on the link for What's Up - Upcoming Events and scroll down to Oct 5 (Images for Development).

To Go to Togo

I’ve been back two months now, and am finally sitting down to write about my trip to Togo and Ghana’s Volta Region. Going to Togo proved to be a somewhat challenging experience but it also offered many rewards and learning opportunities.

Trouble began almost instantaneously when my phone was stolen in the “no man’s land” between the countries – we had officially left Ghana, but had not yet entered Togo. The phone was picked from an outside pocket in my backpack, so in some ways you could say I had it coming. But I didn’t want to be the untrusting tourist carrying a big backpack on my front… Thus, the phone being stolen! Looking on the bright side however – at lest the phone was picked and it wasn’t forcibly taken from me. At the end of it all it was actually wasn’t the best phone anyway – the battery never lasted for more than a day – but it was the personal violation of having something of mine taken that upset me the most.

Once in Lome –the capital of Togo – my friend Alyssa and I found a nice hotel and began exploring the city in search of a bank machine. Herein lies travel advice number one: always go with the currency the country actually uses! Who would have thought there wouldn’t be one ATM in Lome that would accept our debit cards? And, the banks don’t want cedis (Ghanaian currency) because it’s not as strong as the CFA (French West Africa Franc). So, we ended up changing money in the market, on the street, from a guy who could have totally taken advantage of us, but actually gave us a fair rate. Good… so now actually have money!

Back at the hotel, Alyssa and I began what would be one of many fascinating and eye-opening conversations. Just to provide context – Alyssa is a bi-racial woman, but from what I understand identifies much more with her Black identity. And I, obviously am a White woman where while I’ve spent a somewhat significant amount of time in Africa, have never really had many friends from a different race. So, our two very different worldviews, perspectives, and observations about everything really opened my eyes and mind to a world that I never knew existed.

In Social Work we’ve heard about theories relating to “learned helplessness”, “internalized oppression”, and “outsider vs. insider” – but hearing one Black person’s experience of the world and putting that into context regarding the observations I’d had up to that point was really important for me to hear.

In the end, through all our conversations the same notion that kept coming to my mind was one of “the post-colonial psyche”. It’s now something that I am truly intrigued about. I find myself wondering: What is the personal and collective legacy of colonialism? How does this impact the national psyche? What does this do for the development of children – or in other words, what implicit and explicit messages do children receive about their worth, not only as an individual but as a Black person?

When I was in Uganda, many of the Black Social Workers there told me that they are sick and tired of post-colonial theory – that if offered nothing to them anymore and it was time to move on. And I wonder, is this entirely true? And then finally, how does a weak or damaged psyche hinder development and what can be done about it? With all the recent attention on Science and Technology as the key to development, are we not missing something if we don’t focus on people’s psychosocial well-being at the same time? Maybe just the Social Worker in me…

So, needless to say, while I wasn’t expecting it, Togo ended up being a critical piece to the evolution of my research interests and my inquiry.

Well, Alyssa and I only stayed in Lome – a surprisingly quiet and laid back city – for one night and then traveled northwest to Kpalime. The distance and direction is similar to that between Calgary and Banff. Going this way captured our attention because it is known as a great hiking destination and since I was missing the hiking season at home, I wanted to check it out.

The first hike we did was Mr. Kluto – and we did a botanical tour of the area. While the hike wasn’t particularly challenging – we stopped every few feet to learn about a new plant – it was a great lesson in learning how to listen and being in the moment. On the hike we learned what plants coke, glue, paint, velour, and chocolate come from – and of course practiced our French! It was really amazing because it’s so easy to walk by all the plants and think… well, nothing, really… there’s just a lot of green plants! But in fact, I was reminded of how at home so many of us take for granted all of our pre-packaged good. We are so far removed from where everything comes from and it was good to be reminded.

The second hike was Mt. Agou – which was much more rigorous and challenging. First we had to find the trail head and second, we had to find a guide. So, as the Lonely Planet suggested, we just got on taxi-motos (motorcycle taxis) and went to the hospital 20 kilometers away that was named in the guidebook. When we got there, we asked around to see if anyone would show us the way up and the first two young lads we asked agreed – so we were in luck!

About five minutes into the hike we reached a junction – a type of ‘chose your own adventure’ moment. Most “Yovos” (Whites) choose the path to the left, which is the paved road leading up the mountain… or there is the other path to the right, a little less worn but looking much more interesting. So naturally we chose “the right” path, and that was such a good decision! We found ourselves hiking through villages perched on the side of the mountain, with extremely beautiful, warm people all tremendously curious as to just what we were doing. Turns out, many Yovos not only take the road but they go by car… never taking the opportunity to interact with local people.

So, after three hours up the mountain we were at the top of Mt. Agou looking out into the valley in Togo and Ghana’s Volta Lake in the distance. Our guides even seemed to be enjoying themselves, and as we found out, for one of them it was their first journey up the mountain too! I wonder if he’s been again since – and is managing to make some money from the work.

After the Kpalime area Alyssa and I headed back to Ghana to spend one night in Akosombo (the site of Akosombo Dam, which damed the Volta River and created the largest man-made lake in the world) before heading back to Accra. One more challenge lay ahead however! When we got to the border we were told that I could leave Togo no problem, but that Alyssa would have to stay because her visa had been completed – or rather uncompleted – incorrectly. The immigration officer in Lome “failed” to write the dates she entered Togo on – and since you’re only allowed seven days in the country they had no way of knowing if she had over stayed her visa or not. So ridiculous really since her entry stamp – our entry stamp – clearly stated we entered on the 19^th and it was six days later. Regardless, the guy didn’t listen and said we’d have to go back to Lome to get the problem fixed. Or… we could just pay 10,000 CFAs (equivalent to $20 Cdn) and the whole problem would just disappear.

Now, while all of this is going on the poor people on our bus all had to get off because we were taking so long and it as time for the Muslim people to pray. It was also the heat of the day and too hot to sit on the bus.

So, Alyssa pays the man what is essentially his bribe and we finally get on our way. As we explained to everyone on the bus what happened they all just rolled their eyes and said “what can you expect”… In fact, there’s no doubt in my mind that the immigration officer in Lome didn’t intentionally fill out Alyssa’s visa incorrectly so that a bribe would have to be paid somewhere… like some sort of agreement between all the border guards. In fact, he spelled my last name wrong and I just prayed that nobody noticed!

And so that was our final experience of Togo… My next trip outside of Ghana would prove to be very different…

Burkina Faso-nating

When you go to a country that literally means “Land of the Incorruptibles” it already has a different feeling about it! Burkina Faso was simply a great country, it felt great to be there, and even the mood of the people – collectively – was different than Togo.

First though – the journey there…

13 hours by bus from Accra to Tamale
10 hours of sleep
3 hours by trotro to Bolga
30 minute taxi ride to Paga and the border
2 great immigration officers
1 bad man and taxi ride
(And thus) 3 hours by bus to Ouagadougou (The capital city of Burkina Faso)

The journey = priceless!

So, we made it to Burkina with no problems…and right from the start the country felt different – most notably at the border. First, I have to say I despise land borders in Africa. On my overland trip five years ago I rarely had a good experience at any border, and Togo only reconfirmed my fears were valid. But the border at Burkina was calm and orderly and easy to navigate. When we told the immigration officer that we didn’t have passport photos (we didn’t know we needed them for our visa) he just said, “okay, let’s just get on with the paper work anyway”. From my experience elsewhere, this would have been a prime opportunity for bribery – but the thought never seemed to enter the man’s head. Our visas were filled out with exceptional are and attention to detail – and then we were off to Ouaga.

We got into the capital city at night so Roanna and I decided to find a restaurant nearby for dinner and then called it a day…

…Our first priority the next day was to figure out transportation to Gorum-Gorum – where we would go in a day’s time. Like many other things during our trip, we accomplished the task with ease (even found a great place to stop and have a cold drink)… and then it was time to explore Ouaga!

Ouaga is a well organized city, fairly easy to navigate, with a small town feel. I don’t recall seeing any buildings more than 2 or 3 stories tall, and all the people were extremely friendly and helpful – even with my broken French. Roanna’s skill with language saved us lots of frustration!

We decided to go to the Musee de la Musique… and after a brief walk around, reading exhibits in French I didn’t understand, we were trying to decide what to do next when we were led into the music room. Next thing we know, all the guides were with us and they played a few songs on the drums and xylophone. Then, we were invited in to what would become a two and a half hour drumming lesson and jam session! Very cool and lots of fun… All the “music” – or noise, it’s all relative I guess – we were making attracted a lot of Burkina be people in off the streets and before we knew it we had an audience, people singing, and one other traveler join us. Eventually we got hungry and had to say our good-byes, but it was a great experience.

That evening, our music-filled day continued at a restaurant near our hotel – where we ate delicious food and listened to live music on stage.

The next day it was time to hit the road again – this time northeast to Gorum-Gorum and the edge of the Sahel desert. Once again we received the best of Burkinabe hospitality with a comfortable four hour bus ride, which got us to a town called Dori, two hours from our final destination. In Dori, we were met by the owner of the “campement” we were staying at – who got us onto the “bushtaxi” we needed for our final leg of the journey. Once in Gorum-Gorum we were met at the roadside by Ibra – the owner’s son – who took us to our hotel (2 mud huts) and then to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

We returned to our hotel to find our beds – under the stars – waiting for us, and settled in for a peaceful night under the African sky. I remember waking up at one point during the night, looking up at the black and silver sky, and thinking… “oh yeah, I’m in Burkina Faso”, smiling, rolling over, and falling back asleep.

The next day, a Thursday, was market day! We went and visited what is still – apparently – one of the last remaining authentic markets in Africa. Once which is geared to the local people and their needs not the whims of travelers and tourists. So, there was lots of food stuff, clothes, and household necessities. It was also really, really hot… so we took our leave and went for lunch…

When the heat of the day finally broke we began our journey – via camel – twelve kilometers into the desert to a small village within the desert’s dunes where we had hoped to sleep under the stars again. But, a massive thunder and lightening storm put the kibosh on that plan. Instead, our group plus another four “yovos” and their guides al crammed into the village’s one room school where we slept on the cement floor and tried not to get soaked – both from rain leaking in through the windows and roof.

The next morning it was up early to catch the sunrise, have breakfast, and then back on the camels. This day though my camel was an imbecile (mon chameau est un imbecile!) – he decided he was afraid of water, and there was a lot around because of the rain storm, and he led me through almost every thorn tree possible. So, my arms and hands were completely scratched up by the end of this journey!!!

Finally though we ended up back at our camp, where we had a long siesta – after not sleeping the night before – had a late lunch, and then went to watch a beautiful sunset with storm clouds in the distance. We had a great night that evening hanging out with our news friends Ibra and his cousin Younoussa… playing cards, drinking coffee and traditional tea, getting a fashion show of clothes worn to mosque for Ramadan, etc…

But then, the next morning we regrettably had to begin our journey back to Ouaga, and after that, back “home” to Accra.

And Time Goes On... Research Update

It’s hard to believe, but we are now three months into the research/photovoice project (4 months total in Ghana) and it’s time to begin thinking about endings, closure, and new beginnings after my departure. Like any project, this one has not been without its challenges, but also many significant successes.

Some of the challenges were:

1. The physical environment: Originally we met under one of the trees in the school compound, but quickly it was clear that this wasn’t conducive to getting any meaningful work done. Children playing in the yard, cars passing, the wind catching papers, etc… all got in the way and disturbed our conversations. So, we moved to one of the classrooms – which was a little better. Now at least we had tables to work on, and a bit more privacy, but still there were disruptions. Many of the kids I have in my group have younger siblings who wait at the school for us to finish… and in the meantime come in and out of the group to ask their brothers or sisters something. As the classrooms are not finished, and we are in many ways still essentially outside, the wind would often times be the source of many annoyances and frustrations. Who would have thought, but an important logistical issue to keep in mind! As a comfortable and favorable physical environment plays a critical role in helping to establish a conducive work environment and trusting relationships, this has been a constant struggle throughout the project.

2. Language: While the official language, and the one taught in schools, is English there is still a definite language barrier between myself and the children. This was most apparent when teaching the kids how to use a camera, as it was a challenge to explain concepts like ‘exposure’, ‘lighting’, ‘flash’, etc in ways that were understandable.

3. The cameras themselves presented several problems. I ended up buying Kodak ‘point-and-shoot’ cameras (thank you everyone at the fundraiser!) – Very simple ones that use film, have a flash, and are self wound and re-wound. Not all the cameras performed well however, with some of them failing to wind the film after the child had taken anywhere between five and 10 pictures. This resulted in a lot of spoiled film, and several frustrated children whose hard work was being thrown away. Not to mention that just going into town from where we live is not easy, and so it often took several days to get more film and get the child back on his or her way. But perhaps this is a reality of life here, and the group took to the set-backs well and continued to move forward.

4. As I would learn, and probably should have expected, the cameras were a hot commodity, even amongst family members of the co-researchers. I had a few children approach me saying that various family members had taken their cameras – and with that there film – to take their own pictures. Based on a culture that adheres strongly to the notion of seniority, often times the children in my group were in no position to say, “no, that’s my camera and you can’t use it right now”. So, some kids went weeks without their camera, without telling me…

5. Long Vacation: I was failed to be informed during the planning of my trip that the children would have a three week vacation between academic years. So, in the last three weeks of August our group only met once. What was particularly frustrating was that when I found out about the vacation – probably late June or early July – I spoke about it with the group and we all agreed to meet anyways. Turns out though, “yes” often means “no”, especially to someone in authority so as to avoid conflict in the moment. Perhaps similar to the philosophy of “its better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission”. We were further hampered by the fact that not many students actually come to school the first week of classes, so that we have only really gotten going again in the last two or three weeks. So, this has caused a serious set back on my timing and is making my remaining time here hectic and a bit concerning. However, one learns to roll with the punches.

And the success…

1. Children are learning to express themselves, think critically, and even I dare say, are enjoying learning. Yes, I’ve actually seen smiles on their faces when they learn something new!

2. The children are speaking to others who are not in the group about what they are doing, and from what I can tell are using the attention to develop themselves as leaders.

3. The cameras have become an income generating tool for some families. While it served as a disturbance to one girl’s picture taking time, her father was hired because he had a camera to take pictures at a graduation ceremony. This particular family is extremely poor and the father’s work was a source of much needed income.

4. The pictures the kids are taking are stimulating important dialogue amongst themselves, including sharing health information. One boy the other day, was asking another, “Do you know where malaria comes from”?

5. The children are learning to be self-advocates and are realizing that “even at their age” they have something important to say.

Speaking of which, we are coming very close to the end of the first part of the photovoice experience – critical thinking/learning, picture taking, and analysis – and are preparing for the next stage – action and advocacy. Thus, we are hosting a photo exhibit at the British Council in Accra on Friday, October 5. We have invited all the Ministries responsible for Social Services in Ghana, plus a few others whose mandates match the issues the children have raised through their pictures. We have also invited several child-centered organizations including the Ghana National Commission on Children, The NGO Coalition for the Rights of the Child, and The National Youth Council. We hope media will attend also.

We will host an exhibit for the community as well on Sunday October 7, which will give parents, the Parent Teacher Association, and the local community an opportunity to see what their children have accomplished. At the moment, we are still putting the final touches together, with the children writing their stories and the captions for the pictures, and me pounding the pavement – the HOT pavement – in Accra to get the final logistics in place.

I am feeling hopeful and believe the exhibit will be successful. I have been told October is Black History Month, and this in itself should bring a lot of the general public to the British Council, and I hope that due to the placement of our exhibit people will take the time to browse through it. At the very least, I want it to be a great experience for the kids, as this will be their first time “doing” advocacy. I hope the experience encourages and motivates them to do even more!

I’ll take this moment to offer my sincerest thank you to everyone who contributed to Ghana Make You Move! It was an incredibly successful event and the generosity expressed by so many people is now paying off in leaps and bounds. For one, I was able to buy each participant their own camera – which they’ll keep of course – and as we’ve seen could serve as an important income earner for many poor families. Second, the venue we are having the exhibit at is not particular cheap, but it is well respected and programs there are held in high regard. So, I had my heart set on having the show there and am grateful we have the financial means to do so. In addition, here no program where ministers and the like are invited can be without food and a reception, and so another way the funds are helping. And finally, I can afford to have the pictures developed at a quality place and to have the selected exhibit photos enlarged so that everything looks professional and well put together.

None of this would have been possible without everyone’s support of this project and I wanted to remind everyone of my true and deep appreciation!