BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?

Subject: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 06:28 PM

Well I've just seen him off! My younger son, aged 24, is headed for Accra, Ghana, for an internship with the West African Trade Hub . He will be based in Accra, but will be traveling to other countries in the region as well, such as Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Cameroon, Gabon, Benin, Burkina Faso, etc. Needless to say he's really excited. He will be working with traditional craftsmen, helping them to find markets in Europe and the US without going through middlemen. He has been studying African music and percussion for the past couple of years, and especially wants to work with makers of traditional instruments.

He visited with me for the past week and I helped him get his things together and pack his bags. Although he has read all the guidebooks, he still isn't sure what to expect, but is positive he's in for an incredible adventure. I hope I can manage to visit!

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: gnu
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 06:34 PM

Snakes. Pyyyson snakes! eeeewwwwwwwwww

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 06:40 PM

I was invited to Ghana for the celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. The people are just gorgeous, very friendly and with a wonderful sense of humour. They'll be delighted if he learns even a little of the Tri language and welcoming wherever he goes, but he will have to beware people stopping him in the street for "sponsoring their football team". He'll stand out. Ghana is very poor and very traditional-not many people seemed to drink and beer is quite expensive; tell him to visit Elmina castle, it's terrifying. They are very devout Christians in the main, and the pop/rock music reflects that. Didn't come across any traditional music as you might think of it, but I was only there for four days.
That's all I can think of just now, except do make sure that his visa is in order, as otherwise when he arrives he will be expected to fork out US$1,000 on the spot. No joke, I was lucky enough to be travelling with people that could help, although my visa was supposed to be waiting for me when I got there...
hope he has a wonderful time.
x e

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 06:41 PM

And geckoes though! Brilliant!
x e

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 07:11 PM

Mary - I hope he has a wonderful time ! Always good to see other parts of the world , as YOU know !!

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 07:44 PM

I hope we get to see pix of the instruments, therir makers, and your young adventurer!

There some neat work going on in that way, in India, too: Marketplace India which helps women artisans.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 08:20 PM

Maryrrf, best wishes to your son. It sounds like an absolutely wonderful opportunity-with regards to the trade aspects as well as working with makers of traditional instruments.
I hope that he'll share some of his experiences with us here and also in book and/or DVD forms.

I've not been to Africa though I've met some people in the United States who are from several of the nations that you mentioned. I have a good friend in the USA who is from The Gambia if your son is also traveling there. Also, I may be able to find some other contacts through other Africans and African Americans I know in Pittsburgh,PA. PM me if your son wants to pursue this further.

Also, Quakoo (also known as Kweku), who is from Ghana, used to post on Mudcat about a year or so ago. He pmed me about a month ago, but I haven't heard from him since.
I think that Quakoo lives in Accra. But I think that he may only have sporadic Internet access. Perhaps you might want to PM him. I think he changed his Mudcat name to Kweku (which is another form of the name "Quakoo".

Also, Maryrrf, just for the record, here's a minor correction in the name of the Ghanaian language-it's spelled twi and not "Tre".

Here's some information about that language from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twi

"Twi (pronounced [tɕʷi] in Twi; English: /ˈtwiː/, /ˈtʃiː/, or /ˈtʃwiː/), specifically Ashanti Twi, is a language spoken in Ghana by about 2.8 million people[1]. It is one of the three mutually intelligible dialects of the Akan language, the others being Akuapem Twi and Fante, which belong to the Kwa language family. Twi is spoken in the Ashanti Region and in parts of the Eastern, Western, Central, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions of Ghana."

Best wishes!

Azizi

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 08:24 PM

Sorry, it was GUEST,eliza c that shared information about the Akan language.

:o)

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 08:37 PM

Thought it was sp. Quarcoo? (She may want to PM him.)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Lox
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 09:18 PM

Ghana is a wonderful place.

Especially for a white man who is genuinely interested in African culture.

I had the greatest time of my life there and the advice I would give is - don't stay in any big hotels.

Get out and away from the tourists and go and live among the people. There are guesthouses all over the place, all safe and all comfortable.

If his experience is anything like ine was then he will come back with the joys of life sparkling in his eyes.

The sense of welcome and community is unparalelled.

And tell him to eat plenty of Fu-Fu!!


The predominant clan is the Akan, of which the Ashanti and Fante are subgroups. the other main groups in the south are the Ewe, and Ga people.


I spent most of my time with the Fante of coastal Ghana and I have never encountered a nicer bunch.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Lox
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 09:22 PM

Sorry, I should have signed off with my Fante name,

all the best,

Kwamena.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 09:51 PM

Thanks for correcting my spelling, Susan.

:o)

I think that Quarcoo changed his Mudcat name to Kweku. Both these names mean "male born on Wednesday". And I know that Lox knows that his name "Kwamena" means "male born on Saturday".

Here's a link to a website for those who are interested in reading more about Ghanaian day names:

http://www.angelfire.com/me4/joseph/culture.HTML

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 10:44 PM

gnu, don't you recall the concerns Naemanson had before he ventured to Guam? Snakes, spiders, ewwwwwwwww.

And he doesn't even find them important enough to write about.

I hope your son has a marvelous time, Maryrrf.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 10:11 AM

Thanks for all the good wishes - any and all information is welcome. I feel he will have people there to "show him the ropes". He'll be staying with a person who works at the trade hub when he first arrives, and they give him a housing allowance plus a monthly stipend, so he's all set in that department. They even provide medical insurance. One of his first stops will be The International Centre for African Music and Dance at the University of Ghana, where he hopes to make contacts among the local traditional musicians. He definitely plans to study Twi, and wants to see as much of Africa as he can while he is there. It's a little worrying, as Ghana appears to be relatively safe and stable, but some of the neighboring countries such as Cote D'Ivoire and Nigeria are more problematic. He has a very strong spirit of adventure and as I said, he's over the moon about this opportunity, which came about in a very serendipitous manner and just at the right time in his life.

I really hope he sets up a blog and if he does I'll publish the link.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 10:19 AM

Yes, but not for years, I grew up in Ivory Coast... I loved traveling in Ghana but the bread was sweet, I preferred the French bread from French West Africa, and the people all spoke English so we couldn't talk about them without them understanding us like we could in French West Africa... hope he has a blast, will look forward to hearing from him! If he has the chance to go through Abidjan, I would love to hear about that too...

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 09:57 PM

Mrzzy, my ex husband went to Abidjan back in the early 80's and loved it, but apparently it's very unstable now in the Cote d'Ivoire. I feel pretty sure Tomas will get there though, as it's part of the territory he will be covering and he loves to travel.

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 10 Jun 09 - 09:52 AM

He's there, already working in the office and tomorrow is going out to visit a group of traditional instrument makers!

Subject: RE: BS: Son is headed for Ghana - Anybody been?
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 10 Jun 09 - 10:00 AM

The university is of course a hugley valuable resource.

But something to remember is that Ghanaian people practically grow up with a cowbell in their hand and it is worth checking out how the non academic proles do their drumming and dancing.

It is never more than a few short enquiries away.