See You Soon America!

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Today I went on a day trip to Wli falls! Which was unbelievable....

Above is the top of the fall...

This is the lower part of the waterfall. So cool.

I really underestimated the force of the water until I got right under it... It was an unbelievable rush to walk under it, you could hardly stand under the force of the water coming down. It felt pretty similar to the time that Greg (my brother) soaked me with the power washer, except multiplied. 

On an aside, did you know that bats can swim?

Because they can... I was astonished to find this wittle fruit bat swimming next to me. After a miner freak out, I found myself just staring at it, as it flapped its wings through the water looking for shelter....

After watching him make several failed attempts at scaling the wall out of the water, we decided we needed a rescue mission. 

We had one of the NYU staff pick him up and bring him to safety....

We did not anticipate that we would also have to rescue the bat from the natives who wanted to eat him once we saved him from the water. Thats Ghana for you....

There were more butterflies and mesquites. It was wild.

The waterfall filled the area with mist and wind.... Took forever to get a picture that didn't have my hair flying in front of my face....

Why Not?

Because sometimes you just have to go all out...

Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Right?

Love On Their Terms

With my time in Ghana dwindling, NYU Accra went on its final overnight trip of the semester. This weekends trip was to Tamale, located in the Northern Region of Ghana. We Departed at 4:30am on Thursday for the long 12 hour journey through the hills. I slept nearly the entire way... I was so impressed with myself. 

On Friday we had a packed day. After a quick breakfast we departed for Tamale Town and explored the central Mosque of Tamale. The Northern Region of Ghana is predominantly muslim, which was interesting to see, as the south is almost entirely Christian. We entered the mosque in our long pants and long sleeves in the 100 degree heat, and we watched each other melt as we were toured around. After a fainting incident we decided it was time to go and shed our layers.

Following the mosque, we traveled to the central market of Tamale. I found the market to be like every other market in Ghana, however this market sold shae butter. Northern Ghana has tons of shae nut trees. Local women smash the shae nuts and make unbelievable shae butter. I purchased lots of it. The woman in the market filled a large tub for me, which she sold to me for GH 2.00 or $1.25.

After lunch at the Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies (where we were staying), we headed out to  visit Dr. Abdulai's Clinic. Dr. Abdulai is, hands down, one of the most amazing and selfless human beings I have ever met. He was one of ten children and the sole survivor of all of them. His parents were lepers who died of starvation when he was very young. His siblings deaths quickly followed the parents, but somehow Dr. Abdulai was able to survive on a diet of trash until he was taken in by a priest. 

Dr. Abdulai, thanks to the charity and kindness of others, was able to grow up and attend school, later attending university where he studied to be a doctor so he too could help other people someday. Once an established surgeon, Dr. Abdulai found himself unsatisfied. At this time, those that could not afford life saving surgery were left to die. Dr. Abdulai decided he could not go on working like that for any longer, so he quit and started his own small clinic where patients would be treated absolutely free of charge. It is a miracle that the clinic has grown as it has and that Dr. Abdulai has continually been able to provide medical care free of charge to as many people as he does. The clinic just celebrated its 20th anniversary. He thanks god for this. 

The doctor was all smiles as he talked to us. He is an adorable man who is constantly laughing and making light of situations, as you often need to do working in such an environment. He explained to us that his clinic is not simply about meeting peoples medical needs. He said that the clinic was about love, about loving those that needed to be loved and loving them on their terms. A lot of the patients at the clinic are mentally ill, and while none of them are medicated they all seem to be quite happy where they are. This is probably due to the fact that they are there by choice. Everyone is welcome at the clinic for as long as they want to stay. The women next to Dr. Abdulai, in the photo below, has been living at the clinic for 15 years. Dr. Abdulai explained that this women is mentally ill and used to wander around naked putting sand in mailboxes. He shared a laugh with the women (who does not speak english) as they reminisced about how she used to do this. As you can see, she now wears clothes and is generally pretty normal.

"When people feel loved on their terms, then they will want to stay with the person who loves them, always." - The Amazing Dr. Abdulai

Dr. Abdulai introduced us to his patients and told us their amazing stories. The man in the checkered shirt explained that he is carrying a GIANT box of condoms because he is bringing them into town to give out, in hopes to prevent the spread of HIV, as he himself has AIDs. 

The experience at the clinic was extremely uplifting. Despite the fact that I was surrounded by very sick men and women, I was also surrounded by an overwhelming amount of love. And that is what seems to make all the difference. 

After making donations to the clinic, we split up, climbed in the back of several pick up trucks and departed. Myself and ten others arrived at a diviners in a small little village near by. Diviners are a part of the traditional religion in Northern Ghana, so we all wanted to give the experience a go. I met with the Diviner just as the sun started setting. He scribbled in sand and spoke in a foreign language. He had me whisper my name into a bowl which he then placed over several objects. When he lifted the bowl, to my astonishment, all the objects had moved. He then told my translator my fortune. I must say, he could not have been any more wrong, but the whole bowl thing was pretty neat. 

As I waited for my classmates to have their fortunes told, I played with the local children that had gathered outside the diviners door. They got a kick out of our cameras and insisted that they test out each one. They grasped the concept pretty fast, but not before taking a series of ridiculous pictures with my camera. 

On Saturday we drove to Paga where we visited the Pikoro slave camp and cemetery, but not before hitting up the border! Paga is right on the border of Ghana and Burkina Faso. We were able to charm the Ghanian border control into letting us cross over into Burkina Faso for the sake of taking some pictures! Totally awesome. 

Here I am in Burkina Faso!

There was not much left to the slave camp in Paga. Conservation is a huge problem on the continent. But what was left was hard to take in. The rocks above indicate a mass grave. The area was spotted with these piles of rocks, as many died at the camp on a regular basis. It was easy to understand why as we stood in the hot sun. 

After a quick lunch we headed for Bolgatanta where we visited a village of widows that make their living weaving baskets. In this area of Ghana widowed women are forced to marry their deceased husbands brother. If they refuse they are beaten and thrown out of their community with their children. The community that we visited was composed of women who had refused to marry, or have sex with their dead husbands brother. The strength these women have is remarkable. And of course the children of the community were adorable. The little girl below did not speak any english but insisted that she hold my basket for me as she followed me around.

After purchasing lots of goods, as well as donating lots of goods to the village, it was time for some traditional tribal dancing. The women of the community danced for us and then choose those that they wished to have dance for them. Below you can see two of my classmates breaking it down Ghana style.

Of course one of the women chose me to dance. She must have known that I am extremely talented in the arena of tribal dance. I made an absolute fool out of myself and LOVED every second of it. 

At least the village kids got a good laugh out of it.

This is Africa.

It was a great two days in Tamale!

I can not say that the drive home was as enjoyable.

15 hours on a bus and one blown out tire later, I am home in Accra.

...but we have no water... psh, what is another day without showering?

31 Days....But Who is Counting?

Ok, ok, so I admit it... Beyond missing pizza, I miss my loved ones back home. 

So this is my newest creation to remind myself that I will be seeing them soon enough!

I am off to Tamale in Northern Ghana for the weekend! Wish me luck on my 12 hour bus ride....

Did I mention it is going to be 107 degrees there?

I am going to be one hot Tamale... sorry, I could not help but make that pun.

The Sounds of Ghana

I have been told that Africa can only truly be felt through its music... With that said, I would like to present you with the song that has unintentionally become the background music of my every day life here in Ghana. It is a silly song, but it is catchy as hell. I don't think there has been a single day that I have not heard, or had this song stuck in my head.

And perhaps this isn't THE SOUND of Africa, but it sure as hell is one of them.

Enjoy... :) 

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah is the largest slum in Ghana, it is also where I had class last Wednesday.

An Estimated 80,000 people live in this dense squatter settlement, strung along the banks of the now polluted Korle Lagoon in the center of Accra. As in other Sub-Saharan African cities, rapid urbanization is driving the growth of slums at an astonishing rate. Today over one billion people live in  urban slums worldwide. The United Nations estimate that number will double by 2030.

The name Sodom and Gomorah, an allusion to the Biblical story of a town so wicked that God destroyed it, reflects the popular perception in Accra that the slum is a den of vice and filth. The people who live here, mostly migrants from the impoverished Northern region of Ghana, prefer to call their home "Old Fadama" and contest the idea that their community is defined by crime.

The Growth of slums in third world countries has become a global phenomenon in the past twenty years. Rapid urbanization has resulted in the radical growth of slum populations. In the case of Ghana, 50% of the population is now urban, which is quite large when considering the landscape of Ghana and the fact that globally only 32% of the population is urban. This is highlighted by the fact that currently Lagos is the fastest growing mega city in the world! Of Ghana's urban population an astonishing 72% are living in slums.  The population of Sodom and Gomorrah has sky rocketed to an astonishing 80,000, double what it was just ten years ago. And with no end to urbanization in sight, one has to wonder the fate of slums like Sodom and Gomorrah thats conditions worsen with population growth.

The issue of slums dates back to the early colonial periods, but most slums originated from the 1990's. Even with the world's long history of slums, few cities have slum policy, as the issue tends to fall by the way side because few want to be concerned with it. It is generally thought that there are two approaches to urban regeneration, one can take a human rights perspective, or one can look at it from the stand point of economic efficiency. Ghana is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees rights to housing, clean water and sanitation, education and work. With that said, one has to recognize that, "increased population density in inner cities inevitably leads to diminished accommodations and services. When housing, water, sanitation and other public services do not meet the needs of large numbers of urban residents, as in the case of Accra, their health and well being are at risk".

In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah there are few sanitary facilities and all kinds of waste end up in the lagoon.  Looking at the lagoon today you would not recognize it as a lagoon at all. It is filled with piles of trash and e-waste, which the children of the community utilize as a play ground as well as a bathroom. The health risks of such an environment are overwhelming. Not surprisingly, preventable infections and parasitic diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among residents of the Accra Metro Area. 

Sodom and Gomorrah resembles the images of "poverty-porn" that news stations across the world are flooded with. The area is a major source or pollution and has been described as "a hideout for armed robbers, prostitutes, drug pushed and all kinds of squatters". People in this area sleep in shifts on the ground due to the extreme density of the population. Some of the women in the community sleep in the open and this makes them prone to rape or abuse, which is a common issue within the slum due to the fact that the area is not policed by the government. Being that Sodom and Gomorrah is an illegal settlement, the government refuses to grant it any protection, fearing that would be a validation of their presence on the government owned land. 

Walking around the slum, the first thing you will note is the smell, which renders all other senses useless. Once aquatinted with the stench, you will notice the people of the slum hard at work. Scrap metal works is a huge source of income in the slum, hence there are men everywhere sawing apart cars or other machines for the metal, which is sent to China. The women of the community are cooking over giant fires, or carrying huge bins of items on their heads. The people of the community are extremely hard working. As one Ghanian put it "work, or die". Despite the horrifying look of the slum and its informal economy, it is highly organized, or so I was told. 

Walking down the narrow flooded paths, children are seen everywhere. The high concentration of children is astonishing, I assume this is a result of the lack of birth control and the high rate of prostitution (which makes HIV a HUGE issue). Few of the children are clothed, and all of them are barefoot. The thought of being bare foot in that environment, was actually to much for me to think about. One small little girl had a makeshift weave made out of wires. I had to admire the creativity, but then stopped to think where those wires could have come from and how uncomfortable and unhealthy that must be. 

This Is Africa?