Weekend Visits: Kokobite Beach

Continuing my weekend beach tradition, I ventured to another popular beach in the Greater Accra Region called "Kokobite." I accompanied my housemate, Melanie, and two of her friends. Along the way we swapped TroTros at Kaneshie Station and I got the opportunity to snap a photo of this major station and market.

Kaneshie Station (or as the TroTro Mate would call it: Knesh! Knesh! Knesh! Knesh Kneshie!)

This is only one view of the Station where the market is located. If you can imagine a 360 degree panoramic view, you would see lines and lines of TroTros and taxis surrounded by dense crowds and vending booths. I took this picture on an overpass above one of Accra's major thoroughfares.

Side note: One of the most interesting vending booths I've come across thus far was at Circle Station where I found a sign that advertised "Music, Movie and File Downloads." Next to the sign (well, the word "sign" is a bit of a exaggeration, it was a printed Word document set on the landscape setting and size 18 font ... a re-branding exercise may need to be in effect) a few guys sat with a laptop and with what I presume is high speed internet connection and knowledge of how to download MP3s.

Anyways, the overcast you see in the above photo cleared a bit in the afternoon and a relaxing time was had at Kokobite beach. We snacked on the baguette and hummus we bought at the ludicrously expensive Western-style supermarket Koala, otherwise known as the place where a chorus of white people can be heard nostalgically moaning about the prices of the packaged goods we so cherish and love back home. (par example: "This can of Alphaghettis costs nine cedi! Nine cedi! You can get this for free at a homeless shelter back home!).

Unlike Bojo beach which markets itself as more of a isolated resort and where visitors are restricted to purchasing food and drink at its semi-upscale restaurant, Kokobite is free, popular and offers a variety of food and drink services. A series of budget hotels line the beach, each with their own bar and restaurant. Behind these hotels is an entire village that is quite hustling and bustling at nighttime.

Posing Ninja-style for the camera

Kokobite is a very popular tourist destination and this is evident in how much more accustomed the locals are to seeing foreigners. You don't get the same amount of obroni heckling as you would in say Hohoe or even in most parts of Accra, for that matter. Those who take the most interest in foreigners are often children. And, as it happens, foreigners often take a lot of interest in the children as well. We were fortunate to be accompanied by a group of very un-shy kids for most of our time at the beach. Aside from playing with our electronic gadgets, building some sand sculptures and tasting some hummus (they hated it), a few of the boys answered my request to teach me some words in "Ga" - a popular language in Ghana. Boys being boys, my lesson plan for the day included the Ga words for: stinky armpit, fart, punching, boobs and penis. After pleading for terms that may be slightly more useful outside 8-year-old boy social circles, I was privy to learning the words for sand, water and hair.  

Pineapple sellers take a break to chill out with us.

David (I think) goes through Melanie's iPod library

One of the pineapple sellers, a girl of 14 years of age or so, asked to see the Bradt Guide to Ghana that was lying next to us (for my bitter opinion on this book I invite you to revisit my Wli Falls blog entry). She flipped through to one of the glossy photo pages and pointed to a picture of a woman who she said was her mother!! How great is that! I really hope it's true and she didn't pull one over on us!

A girl selling us some pineapple showed us a picture of her mother in the Bradt Guide Book for Ghana. Small World!

As the sun set, we walked through the village looking for a restaurant. Originally, I wasn't planning on staying the night. But I informed my friends that a good meal and a glass of wine could persuade me to do almost anything at that point. 

Finding a restaurant was easy-peasy! As it turns out, the best restaurant in the world is located right in Kokobite (take a look at the sign at the right)! How could we resist such an alluring promise??

At least the sign was honest, managing our expectations with the modifier "probably." Imagine the horror had Kokobite Garden confirmed their culinary mastery on this hand-painted sign with a cocky tagline like "Best in Town and Most Definitely the Best in the World"! 

Alas, as you may have guessed, Kokobite Garden is PROBABLY NOT the best restaurant in the world. In fact, I am quite confident that this spot is in fact amongst the more mediocre restaurants I've been to in Ghana and PROBABLY even in town. Though the atmosphere and the service were A+, the food was nothing to write Le Cordon Bleu about and they ran out of wine when we arrived (!!!). The absence of this precious nectar required me and a friend to run out on a mission to the nearest spot that sold wine (not an easy task I tell you). In honour of our American friend Tyler, who was scheduled to return home the following night, we purchased a bottle of wine called "Obama." It was PROBABLY one of the least delicious wines I've tasted thus far but I assure you this has no reflection on the president himself. Probably. 

A Load of Hot Air: My Semi-Coherent Recap of Recent Oil and Gas News

Stretched across the front page of The Daily Graphic (Ghana’s leading national newspaper) yesterday was the headline “Ghana Joins Oil Giants in December.”

Yesterday, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama announced at the Daily Graphic Business Roundtable that commercial production of oil will commence as soon as November. The article wasn’t clear as to what is scheduled to happen in December, the month in highlighted in the article's title. That aside, the (other) question on many people’s minds is: is Ghana ready?

Remarks made by the VP seemed to address the catalogue of concerns that have arisen from the public over the years. But personally, I am not entirely sure whether this was an example of well-researched political lip service or genuine effective planning. Has Ghana really listened to its citizens?

Well, let’s give Mr. Dramani Mahama his due diligence for now and recap some of the problem-solving strategies Ghana plans to implement.

Concern #1: There has been much anticipation of a huge influx of employment opportunities with the oil and gas industry. Will Ghanaians be the ones to benefit from the supposed mass job creation?

Solution #1: Ghana promises that it will adhere to what it calls a “local content” policy. This means that it promises that 90% (this is the latest figure I’ve heard in the news but should be fact checked) of the jobs created will be held by Ghanaians.

Criticism of Solution #1: At the meeting I attended at NETRIGHT on oil and gas, a discussion was held on the local content promise. The general consensus seemed to be that this is a big step in the right direction but it is so lofty a promise that it deserves to be met with suspicion. Can this goal realistically be achieved? Skeptics are sure to answer "no." Partly because that is what skeptics do, you know, being skeptical and all... they say no. But also because they believe that Ghanaians are unlikely to be qualified enough to occupy many of the jobs created by oil, especially the well-paying jobs (non-labour intensive jobs).

Another troubling aspect of the local content promise: what exactly is meant by "local"? Folks at the NETRIGHT meeting stressed that most of the jobs would likely go to the educated class from the big cities such as Accra and Kumasi. Great for these cities, yes, but bad once again for the rural poor. Particularly the rural poor in the cities where oil and gas is being extracted. Why them in particular? Because their economy is driven mostly by agriculture and fishing - two industries that have a history of being destroyed by the environmental impact of oil extraction. Their fears of their livelihoods collapsing has thus far been appeased by the excitement around job creation. But will they be the beneficiaries of the new jobs?

Which brings me to...

Concern #2: What about the agriculatural and fishing industries? 

Solution #2: The VP insisted that these sectors will continue to receive the funding allotted to them and will remain unaffected by oil spending.

Criticism #2: But will that be enough? As mentioned above, oil exploration often comes at the detriment of the agricultural and fishing industries in the affected area. Now this doesn't just affect the fisherman and the farmers. It affects the chain-of-command, so to speak, of people who make their living delivering these goods to local and national markets. So will a maintenance of the current funding for agriculture and fishing really be enough? Keep in mind Agriculture and Fishing makes up an estimated 60% of Ghana's GDP.

Segue in to...

Concern #3: But what about the environmental impact of oil and gas extraction??

Solution #3: To quote from the article: "Mr Mahama said the government prioritised the importance of safety and environmental protection, citing the lessons of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as “a signal to us that we must put in place a mechanism to closely monitor safety environmental issues"

So in other words: don't worry, the government will take care of it... one step closer to the most important concern:

Concern #4: Will the government really take care of it? Like REALLY REALLY take care of things? Cause history ain't in our favour. Governments in most oil producing countries have often turned corrupt - YES the GDP rises in oil producing countries, YES the industry booms BUT the standard of living for the majority of the population is known to deteriorate - everything from poorer health and security to ruined livelihoods to civil unrest to depletion of other precious resources. So how serious is the government in being responsible, accountable and transparent with its petroldollars?

Solution #4: Have we mentioned that the IMF and the WB have indicated that current oil reserves could account for 7% of the GDP? And that oil and gas extraction would greatly help the country become self-sufficient in electricity generation? You like electricity right?

Concern #4: That's all fine and dandy, but answer the question.

[side note: yes I have decided to turn this article into a play]. 

Solution #4: Well, Ghana will be setting up an Ghana Petroleum Account which will be used as a "single destination collection account for all petroleum revenues due and collected on behalf of the state." This will be treated as a savings fund with only part of the value being used and some of it collecting interest.

Ideally this account will be subject to scrutiny and ensure monitoring of petroldollars going out and coming in.

To ensure the utmost transparency, the government has committed itself to extending the transparency act it currently adheres to for its mining activities called the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), to include the oil and gas sector. According to the Daily Graphic, "The EITI, which is currently being applied in the mining industry, encourages the publication of revenues received by stakeholders, such as the government, the communities and mining companies."

Criticism #4: Well you better behave...

End of Scene.

(should the Daily Graphic read this blog I'm sure they are writing my name on a "never hire this person to write a real article" list).

Okay this blog post had high hopes in the beginning but low blood sugar, the heat and my fear of plagiarizing the entire Daily Graphic article is preventing me from continuing. But to end on an optimistic note: There are in fact SOME countries that have handled their oil successfully. Mr. Dramani Mahama cited a few popular examples: Trinidad and Tobago and Norway... Don't Scandinavians have it all??? Wealth, oil, effective social services, art, free university, blonde hair, height... Geeze. 

If played well, the oil and gas extraction can obviously adhere to the proverbial "let it be a blessing rather than a curse." But many precautions must be taken to avert disaster.

Link to the REAL article: http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/page.php?news=9045

Ghana Music Sample: Hiplife

Thank the Ashanti Kingdom, I finally found this damn song!!! It's been playing all over the radio and has been stuck in my head for weeks!!

R2Bees' Kiss Your Hand is a great sample of the "Hiplife" music here in Ghana! (Says me, of course, who occupies zero-authority on the matter.)

Listen Here:

R2Bees - Kiss Your Hand

Look Here:

Learn More Here:

http://www.r2bees.com/

Hiplife is a branch from Ghana's traditional popular music category "Highlife." I cannot express how fun Highlife music is. It's kind of a fusion between reggae, jazz and traditional African music with a pop sensibility to it. It is quite possibly the happiest music on earth - like the Disneyworld of music with a little less spinning tea cups and a little more synth tones. The "happy" factor is bizarre since the theme of Highlife music is always unrequited love.

I knew about Highlife prior to arriving in Ghana (as it is quite famous for creating this musical category in the 70s), but Hiplife was totally new to me. Hiplife introduces elements of Hip Hop into Highlife music. An match made in heaven if you ask me.

Interruption: Literally as I am writing this blog, the song "Kiss Your Hand" just came on the radio!

I promise to post more Ghanaian music in the future. It's super fun!

Interruption: Okay now they're playing Return of the Mack... you win some, you lose some.

Weekend Pics: Bojo Beach Part Deux and Metro TV visit

Emmanuel, the guy who works at Metro TV, and I have met on several occasions to discuss documentary film ideas. Usually for quick drink after dinner and before he has to take off with the crew to cover the next story. However, last meeting, Emmanuel suggested we hang out on a Sunday and he'll show me some fun parts of the city and give me an exclusive tour of Metro TV's headquarters (located quite close to my house actually).

So, we made a plan and started the day off with a trip to Bojo beach. I think he was a bit disappointed that he was not the first to show me Bojo beach, but he recovered his pride when I expressed how impressed I was that his media connections got us into the beach for free! It's normally five cedis entrance as the place is considered a resort.

The day was quite beautiful. I ordered some lunch upon our arrival - some juicy tilapia and jollof rice. Whereas this meal would normally cost me a meagre 2 cedis at the chop bar near my work, on the beach it cost me 11 cedis. It was well worth it though as this tilapia was grilled (as opposed to deep fried in batter) and was a lot healthier than the anorexic fish I normally eat in Accra. A shame really, how these young tilapias, these innocent little things, see stick-thin models in the media and starve themselves just to look like one of those bimbo trouts on the cover of "Fishing Quarterly." What has the sea come to?

A strange encounter while digesting tilapia: watching a Bojo beach workers fish for more tilapia.

Now the tilapia these guys were catching were actually really small. In fact, I really don't think they were tilapia (neither did Emmanuel).

You can see in the pictures above that the boys catch sea creatures with a seemingly neverending net that they have spread out along the coast line (this is on the other side of Bojo, not the nice ocean side). Unfortunately they seemed to catch more plastic bags than fish, which they would then launch back into the water. Now I don't normally intervene in cultural customs, particularly when it's in an activity that I have no experience in such as fishing. But I could help but provide my "two Ghanaian pesewas":

"Do you think it might be a good idea to keep the plastic bags and throw them out afterwards rather than placing them back in the water? So that you won't keep catching them in your net?"

Isn't that sentence the perfect specimen of a unsolicited suggestion turned passive-aggressive question? (just like this one following it).

Another great example of this manipulative rhetoric: "you don't want to start dinner before the guests come so that you can leave the kitchen and entertain them? That's funny."

Anyways, my suggestion fell on deaf ears. And by "deaf ears" I mean the ol' "pretend you don't understand English" trick. I encounter that same trick anytime the price for something mysteriously increases from the initial price I negotiated. Prior to setting the price, a taxi driver can improvise a Marxist analysis of the Canterbury Tales but the moment I call him out on upping the price he's incapable of reciting his ABCs. Doesn't happen often but when it does it's annoying.

My final attempt to assist the boys was met with a crab pinching my finger as I tried to unravel the little bugger from the net. I yelped. The older boy punished the crab by ripping off his pinchers and tossing him into the bucket.

The latter half of the day was equally as exciting. As promised, Emmanuel brought me to sit in on a live shoot of the 6pm Metro TV news! I sat in the control room with the director and some of the other technicians. It was so exciting! I've never really witnessed live coverage - it's a lot more exciting than shooting scenes that you can re-shoot as many times as you want. I also got to walk on the set of "Good Morning Ghana" which was a nice treat.

Shots from the control room during the 6:00 News.

Weekend Pics: Makola Market Part Deux

A picture says a thousands words. So, I am lucky to have more pictures of Makola market as it will greatly reduce the energy and thought I must expend writing about the area.

Remember how I tried to describe the chaos that was Makola market? Well, I found a sneaky place on the fourth level of one of the building in Makola where I could finally get some great pics of the market. Now the pics below do reveal the hectic crowds that line the streets, the colours, the busyness etc. But what it doesn't show is how at every turn, there is an alley lined with even more booths. And each of these alleys leads to other alleys and other alleys and so on. It's a veritable maze straight out of a children's activity book, with every square inch lined with household products, shoes, clothing or food.

My sneaky aerial view!

This view is even sneakier! But a little less exciting of a subject: the parking lot.

Though it appears chaotic (and it feels that way, I assure you. One leaves Makola completely exhausted) there is a method to the madness here. For example, when I asked people where I could get shoes (my Birkenstocks have officially retired after I noticed moss growing on them), I was led through a forrest of wooden booths and stands, following the tiniest stream of concrete that I could hardly call a path. And where did I end up? In an area completely surrounded by shoes!

Some of the friends I went with said they found themselves in what appeared to be an alley of meat vendors. One complained of his particularly close proximity to a butcher slamming down his knife on a fresh slab of meat, flicking blood onto his face. I will add this story to my top ten reasons why I love being a vegetarian. We have been granted a karmic immunity to animal blood splatter.

The market is not all business. All around you see women and men accompanying their vendor friends - chatting, eating, laughing. Even when conducting business, there seems to be a strong social component. Especially when you pass by women getting their hair done, trying on dresses, having their toesnails painted. It's a fun time!

The pictures above unfortunately refrain from describing the market's soundscape which is equally as stimulating as the visuals. Against the backdrop of white noise that one finds in any busy city, certain sounds are so very Ghana. Like the honking of the horn held by Fanmilk vendors (sounds a bit like the horn that clowns use when they trick you into sniffing the flowers on their shirts but instead honk a horn and water sprays in your face... does anyone catch this reference?), or the incessant high-pitched taxi horns who will literally continue to honk for blocks until a customer finally shuts them up. One of the sounds that I hear so often it has literally begun to haunt my dreams is the Trotro call for Circle Station. When said in the Ghanaian accent it sounds like "Seh-cle." However, when said in the Ghanaian accent, 100 times over and at inhuman speed, it sounds like this: "Se! Se! Se! Se! Se! Cal."

Certain vendor calls have become quite familiar to me as well. The girls carrying sachets of fresh water call out "pure water!" but with the accent it sounds a bit more like "pyah wahta!" Other familiar calls (and my attempt to describe the sound of the dialect) include: plAN-tain, Feesh! (Fish), Bees-Keet! (Biscuits), Mentos! (yep, Mentos, the original Freshmaker).

I've noticed that some merchants opt for shouting the price rather than the product. This is a particularly useful strategy when the price is a much more attractive feature than the product itself: "Wan Cedi, Wan Cedi, Wan Cedi, Wan Cedi!" (one Cedi). Usually the enthusiastic chant decrescendos into a rather solemn description of the product: "nayce shirt" (nice shirt).

Continuing on the subject of "sneaky photos of places I have thus far only described in words", I managed to snap some pics of Circle Station (yes the infamous Se! Se! Se! Se! Se! Cal station). Circle is by far the biggest transport hub in Accra. Trotros, taxis, buses to almost anywhere in the country can be found at Circle. It takes up a generous amount of land on either side of an interchange. The place is a bit difficult to navigate but luckily people are really helpful at guiding you in the direction you need. Here are some pics of a parking lot of Trotros:

This is about 1/18th of the amount of Trotros at Circle station. So don't judge me for getting completely lost all the time.

Top Ten Most Common Questions I ask Myself in Ghana

A list of common questions that pop into my head since arriving in Ghana:

1) How many fried plantains can I eat per day before I can no longer fit into my clothes?

2) Where am I?

3) How many times can I ask this person to repeat themselves before they find me both annoying and offensive? "What station did you say I get off at? I'm sorry what? Sorry, I didn't quite catch... what? One more time... Oh! okay! *pause* No actually I just pretended to hear you that time, what did you say? Slowly now."

4) Yes that dress is beautiful, but will I wear it at home? And if so, will people suggest I return to Ghana immediately?

5) Is this person laughing AT me or WITH me?

6) Will this rather forward man believe me if I say I don't own a cell phone, I don't have access to email and I've never heard of Facebook? Not if my cell phone, lodged snuggly in my laptop case, rings in the middle of delivering this excuse.

7) Why do people prefer to describe a location or address by referring to a nearby landmark (or often a not-so-nearby landmark) when most streets here do in fact have names?

8) Is carrying things on your head better for your body than carrying things over your shoulder or on your back?

9) Was my mother wrong all along in telling me not to eat with my hands? Ghana: 1, Caroline's Worldly Mothering Skills: 0.

10) Should I eat that? I really want to. Okay, small bites.

10.5) Why did I eat that?

The Workplace

It's not exactly Richmond and Bathurst, but it's quite nice and cozy all the same. Take a look at the pictures below to see what the world looks like around ABANTU's headquarters.

The view along the path to ABANTU's office. I suppose years of rain have led to the creation of this backyard pond. It's not uncommon to hear frogs croaking as I walk along the path! Frogs ribbits, rooster cockle-doodle-doos, goat neys, dog barks... it's mother nature's orchestra out here.

Getting closer to the office.

My stomping grounds. (Literally, where I stomp my feet to get all the gooey mud off my sandals.)

The view when leaving the office. After a major rainfall, these puddles become very large and form an unfortunate red pasty mud with the soil. The staff call this path (only half-jokingly) "lake ABANTU." They really are quite challenging to cross! Well, they were challenging to cross until I was advised that there was really no need for me to dive in and swim across them. Good advice, as I was growing quite tired of changing out of my bathing suit upon my arrival at work.

Walking this path twice a day, five days a week, has done wonders to my footwear. I've already managed to destroy two pairs of sandals. I wonder if CCI would be willing to throw in a "shoe allowance"? Surely that's more important than a medical kit.

Best Compliment Ever

On the Trotro to work this morning, I bumped into a guy who I see at a lot of ABANTU's forums and conferences. He paid me a very sincere compliment:

"Your nose is very flamboyant." He said.

Thank you?

I have never heard the term flamboyant applied to my face before. My nose was ready to respond with "Girl, please! This nose is fierce!" and crank up the Kylie Minogue.

Weekend Visits: Wli Falls, Hohoe and Tafi Atome

We loaded the STC bus at Tudu Station where we were scheduled to leave for Hohoe at 3:00pm. We were out of the station no later than 3:45pm, or what locals might call "leaving early."

STC Bus schedule at Tudu Station.

I was content with the decision to take the STC bus, Ghana's popular national transit system, as the journey ahead of us was likely to take about five hours (probably about 45 minutes sans Friday afternoon Accra traffic). The Trotro seemed to me the poorer travel option given that in Trotros my knees are always pressed into the metal frame of the seat ahead of me for the duration of the trip. Five hours was sure to leave some unattractive bruises.

The bus was comfortable and allowed for some much needed nap time. We stopped in a village along the way where the bus was swarmed by people selling food to the hungry traveller. As a vegetarian, my snack options were limited to a loaf of white bread, peanuts or Kenkey (a kind of deep fried maize meal donut treat). I opted for the granola bar I packed along with me.

Rest stop in a village with no shortage of kebabs, fried fish and other treats.

Soon enough the sun had set and the bus was pitch black. I took the opportunity to listen to some podcasts, lean my head against the window and close my eyes. An hour later I realized this was a grave mistake. Upon its stop in a village near Hohoe, the bus flicked on the lights and my eyes were met with a family of cockroaches crawling all over the window and wall that I was using as my headrest! And we're not talking like, nuclear family of cockroaches... this was like a cockroach family reunion including the extended family, uncles, aunts, 3rd cousins, nephews and nieces and their best friends, grandpa's new wife, the cousins that you are told to call "cousin" even though you aren't related etc.

*Deep breath.*

I don't think I can talk about the cockroaches anymore so I'm going to skip to the part where we arrive at Hohoe and I jump out of the bus shaking my head and flailing my limbs violently to ensure no cockroach has decided to resettle its cockroach life on my body which is officially a cockroach-free zone DIDN'T THEY GET THE MEMO? *shiver* blech.

OKAY! Let's fast forward to the next morning at Wli Falls where an ill-prepared Gabrielle was met with a 6-hour excruciatingly exhausting hike to Ghana's highest waterfall wearing BIRKENSTOCK SANDALS (thank you crappy 4th Edition Bradt Ghana Guide Book for omitting the part about Wli Falls that informs the reader that the "pleasant hike" towards the falls requires two years of intense cardio training and an ice pic)!!

Now my friends who hiked along with me may disagree as to the level of difficulty of the hike, as they arrived at the falls about 1.5 hours ahead of me. But I for one have yet to participate in a hike where I had to use my hands to climb a near-90 degree ascending mixture of dirt, rock and tree branches (I harken back to my first entry where I stated VERY CLEARLY that Zilkhas are not climbers). All this in the rain no less!

I nearly broke (both emotionally and literally) when I positioned my hand on a rock to prop myself over a fallen branch only to hear and feel a stomach-wrenching *crunch*. Flattened against my palm, with its legs sticking out in ill-formed "z"s in a tragicomic Looney Tunes kind of way, was a hard-shelled beetle the size of a small mouse. I cried out in disgust but continued along trying to forget what just happened. In the words of Doreen from Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

"How much longer until the falls?" My friend Melanie, equally exhausted, asked our guide. Melanie's struggle with the hike made me feel a lot better about my own shortcomings, as she too needed breaks to keel over from a cramping stomach and a racing heart.

"We have about one hour until the falls." The guide responded, displaying no evidence of any physical exertion, not even a bead of sweat on his brow.

Breathtaking view isn't it? Not as breathtaking as the hike, I assure you.

Soon enough, the hour passed and the sound of the falls became louder and louder. Through the trees we could see that the site which once seemed much too far away to be worth it, was to become a reality.

Wli falls, from below.

I expected to find my friends in the same rough shape as me - covered in a delightful mixture of earth, mud, bugs, sweat and mist. Wrong again. I seemed to be the only one who was covered head to toe in filth.

Our guide snapped this photo in the middle of my instructions on how to use the camera "click and HOLD the - oh, I look bad in this photo don't I?" Notice the layer of dirt covering my clothes.

Given my current state of looking like Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic, jumping into the falls was the answer to my prayers. I did myself a favour and temporarily suspended the knowledge that I will have to do the very same hike all over again to return back from the falls. I simply tried to enjoy the moment. I especially enjoyed the sensation of standing under the falls as it was the closest thing I have experienced to a stand-up shower since I arrived in Ghana. Like a showerhead with a near-fatal level of water pressure!

Me forcing a triumphant smile. I have used Photoshop to removed the stink lines emanating from my body in this picture.

A friend enjoying the refreshing falls.

The hike back was met with similar challenges, though this time I was accompanied by a headache and a horrible taste in my mouth from taking a bite of the world's sweetest fruit. I have to thank my lucky stars though that my sandal broke only at the last 30 minutes of the trip - when all that remained was flat land.

Other than the sweet fruit, our guide showed us some other neat plants and vegetation including a pineapple bush/tree, coffee beans and cacao trees.

Our guide shows us the cacao beans located in the cacao pod. The white stuff tasted sweet and gooey but inside was a reddish-brown bean which provided the pallet with a faint reminder of chocolate.

Sunday brought about a completely different activity. One I have been anxiously awaiting since I was informed of its existence: the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary!!

We left for the sanctuary at 6am as we were told (by that same deceptive guidebook that led me to wear Birkenstocks and skinny jeans on a 6-hour hike) that the monkeys tend only to come out in the early morning or at night. Waking up at 5:30am was early enough for us, thank you very much.

We bargained with a taxi driver until we were blue in the face to take us form our hotel in Wli to Tafi Atome (about an hour to 75 minute drive) for 25 Cedis. Upon arriving to our destination, our driver tested his luck and tried to bump the price up to 30 Cedis to which we wildly protested with the help of the Monkey Sanctuary staff. I was desperately hoping that the Monkey Sanctuary would actually be run by monkeys, with one wearing thick glasses and a visor, crunching numbers on an old fashioned calculator with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth... alas, much to my dismay I was met with boring run of the mill HUMANS.

Our guide led us through various trails in the forest, often asking us to hang tight for a few minutes (or forty) while she went into the thick of the forest presumably to bribe the monkeys into entertaining the tourists.

An hour or so passed and all we had seen up until that moment were a couple of butterflies and some ants. We sat patiently, awaiting our guide's return. The taxi driver (who tagged along for the monkeys with the hopes of our using his service to return to Hohoe) grew impatient and told us that the guide didn't know what she was doing and we were very unlikely to see any monkeys.

Upon her return, the guide, remaining optimistic, motioned us to follow her back to the dirt road where the Monkey Sanctuary office was located. I really felt as though our chances of seeing monkeys was diminishing by the second. Even a dog at this point would have lifted my spirits.

Just as we were ready to resign ourselves to a monkeyless Sunday ("Guide, where's the closest bar?") lo and behold, we were brought to a bench underneath a tree just off the side of the main road where at least a dozen monkeys were flipping and flopping about!

The guide handed us some bananas (cliche, I know, but it really is their favourite snack) and showed us how to feed them. They were so adorable and so much fun!

Here you go little fella!

"Don't worry, you look fine! Just act natural, no don't look at the camera.... ok, tilt your chin a little to the left. Yes! That's it. Tyra would be so proud."

The king monkey or the leader of the pack, so to speak. You can't tell here but he's actually a lot bigger than the others. I told him he looks just like the actor who plays the wise old monkey doctor in The Lion King. "If I had a nickel for every time someone said that."

After running out of bananas, an hungry monkey contemplates eating a live snail. "I mean, the French do it all the time, don't they?" Kinda...

A monkey's expression after I tested my new stand up material on him. "You see it's funny because airplane food is so SMALL... get it? Whatever, I don't care for the opinion of someone who eats with their feet anyways."

Our journey home on the Trotro (no buses leave from Hohoe on Sundays) was, as predicted, painful, particularly on my back where the back of my folding seat kept digging every time we hit a bump in the road... which is all the time. Luckily it was a hell of a lot faster than the STC bus (driving at 165km/hour can speed certainly things up) and we were back in Accra by 2:30pm or so.

Weekend Visits: Bojo Beach

This past weekend I joined my friend and fellow CCI volunteer, Matt, his housemate, Duncan and a New Zealander, Andrew, to Bojo beach. Located about an hour outside of Accra (though the trip is likely to take about 2.5 hours with traffic), Bojo beach is one of Ghana's nicest, cleanest beaches.

The beach is actually located on a sand bar a little off the coast. To get to the beach you take a canoe across a small body of water. On our return to the parking lot at the end of the day, Andrew, feeling adventurous, opted out of the minute-and-a-half canoe ride and decided to swim the distance from the sand bar to the coast (equivalent to a city block or so). Upon leaping into the water, he discovered that the water level rested pretty much at waist-level, forcing him to actually just walk across. He still managed to arrive to shore before the canoe, though! Unfortunately, however, the sea floor was covered in sharp spikey shells which were unkind to the man's poor feet.

Bojo beach was quite beautiful, spacious and relaxing. I had completely forgotten how fun the ocean is! Quite different from my usual summer swim at Toronto Island where e coli and arctic temperatures are a strong deterrent to playing in the water. We played catch with a tennis ball in the waves and although I found my aim to be quite spectacular (the boys might suggest otherwise) I seemed to lack the powerhouse throw demonstrated by Matt and Andrew that enables one to launch the ball far(ish) distances. I chalk their strength up to their higher levels testosterone and the presence of muscles on their arms. Both are physiological qualities I sadly lack. Alas, there goes my dreams of becoming a professional tennis-ball-thrower-in-the-ocean.

We had lunch and a few beers, I read and wrote while the guys played an abridged form of cricket. Afterwards we drove about 15 minutes along the coast to a fun and touristy hotel/camping ground called Big Milly's Backyard. Our little bungalow was very quaint and pleasant save for the absence of a bathroom door (the curtain was a poor surrogate). Not to get into too much detail, but any person who has travelled to Ghana and consumes the local dishes, recognizes the importance of a bathroom door.

The night ended with a live Reggae band and dancing but I, being a loser, became exhausted at around 11pm and crashed.

Here are a few pics from the beach. Enjoy!

In the distance, a mother dog is feeding her little puppies. SOOO cute! It takes everything in my power not to pet the dogs and cats here. I took this picture because Andrew happen to be holding a cricket bat next to the dogs and we all thought it would make it look like he was returning from giving them a beating. Rest assured, just a photographic coincidence - no animals were harmed in this photo.

You can't really read the sign in this photo but it states that the swings are for children only. No Adults! Obviously this was ignored ("What sign? where? I'm not an adult?")

The canoe ride back to the coast. More specifically, the canoe ride back to the coast that we missed.

Will Gender Equity Make its Way into Ghana's Revised Constitution?

First of all, I would like to say that I now officially know more about the Ghanaian constitution than the Canadian constitution. It appears that the more literate I become in Ghanaian politics, the more I realize how disappointingly unversed I am in the politics of my native country, Kananatario... what's it called again?

I am raising the topic of Ghana's Constitution as it is due for a review period in coming months. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana was created in 1992 and maintains its stature as the supreme law of the land. As this monumental document is now being reopened, revamped and updated, interest groups around the country are tasked with the act of assembling their constituencies and clearly identifying the key issues in they would like to see reflected in the update constitution.

Various organizations are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet with the Constitutional Review Commission to discuss what they would like to see in the updated Constitution. Among these groups is an assembly of women and men who represent the interests of women and gender activists all over the country. These representatives are to meet with the Constitutional Review Commission today, Wednesday August 11.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a forum on Monday August 9 where members of women's groups, assemblywomen and men, politicians, MPPs and media alike were gathered to review how the Constitution can better address national gender issues. The "Validation Forum on Gender Proposals for the Constitutional Review" was organized by NETRIGHT and the Women's Manifesto Coalition (WMC) and took place at GNAT Hall (a teacher's college in Accra).

A representative of ABANTU opened the forum by providing some background on the constitutional reform process. When the Constitution was formed in 1992, Women's groups were not as organized and thus their voices and concerns greatly omitted. When the constitutional review process was announced in February 2010, a great opportunity opened up for a much stronger and more sophisticated Ghanaian women's movement - a movement that has vastly increased its political clout over the past two and a half decades.

ABANTU and NETRIGHT met with the Review Commission soon after the announcement in February to ensure that this time around, women will play a significant role in shaping the updated Constitution. A meeting date was set and women's groups got to work.

NETRIGHT asked its member organizations to submit proposals for the changes they wish to see in the new Constitution. These recommendations were consolidated and reviewed by a committee of legal experts who synthesized the proposals into key recommendations.

ABANTU joined in the action as well, commissioning Chris Dadzie, Chief Legal Officer for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, to produce a report on proposed amendments to the constitution that will better reflect the needs of women.

Mrs. Dadzie's presentation on proposed changes was thorough and meticulous. Each article, sub-article and (in some cases) sub-sub-sub article, was examined with a fine-toothed gender equity comb (available for purchase at your local Feminist Book Store... comes with a free bumper sticker).

To ensure the Constitutional Review process was not solely left in the hands of select panel of experts (a major challenge in any political movement), the room of about 120 forum attendees representing all regions of Ghana were given their very own fine-tooth combs to further probe Mrs. Dadzie and NETRIGHT's proposed amendments. The room was divided into four groups each of which was given a set of Articles to review. The groups were to record whether they agreed with the proposed changes to the original Constitutional text and whether any further modifications were required.

If this sounds like an incredibly exhausting task to you... then you are right. Challenging though it may be, it was necessary if NETRIGHT, ABANTU, the WMC and other women's groups are to confidently communicate on behalf of women across the country - a slightly more onerous task, n'est pas?

I was fortunate enough to be the secretary for group 3 - recording the comments of a group of 25 - 30 people none of whom were at a loss for words. It was a wee bit challenging to synthesize all the opinions into a few bullet points, particularly when discussions got especially heated and folks would converse in Twi. Every now and again the group facilitator would look over her at me and voice a casual "you understand?"

Here are some of the highlights and key amendments that will be proposed to the Constitutional Review Commission:

- The addition of a bill of rights for women that details the forms of discrimination against women in Ghana. Currently nondiscrimination clauses in the Constitution focus only on maternity rights. The proposed revision would employ a more holistic, all encompassing definition of discrimination against women.

- Legislating special measures to accelerate women's success and progress in Ghana. What this means is pushing the government to move from a stance of simply stating that women and men are equal to a position of proactive enforcement. A good example of this would be the implementation of affirmative action - insisting that a certain portion of parliamentary and municipal leaders are women.

- Recognizing and addressing the plight of women in rural areas where poverty and ill health are much higher. Many of these women are central to the survival of their communities but their work lies in the informal sector. In other words, their contributions are non-monetized and thus largely overlooked.

Other reforms proposed a number ways to address the gender gap in education, employment and public life.

All in all, it was quite an experience to witness and even participate in such a vital part of the democratic process. Ghana's women activists have every reason to be optimistic about the impact the reviewed Constitution will have on the nation. Other African countries who have recently revisited their constitutions have reported positive progress in the ways of gender equity and women's rights (Kenya is a most recent example).

I certainly hope that all the marginalized groups in Ghana are afforded the same opportunity as ABANTU and NETRIGHT to contribute to the rewriting of Ghana's Constitution. Yay for the wheels of progress!

New Logo! You Vote!

Hello to all my lovely 31 (million) blog readers. My darling and amazing friend Jennifer Mason (also referred to as Jenny Schechter) has taken it upon herself to design two new fancy title headings for my blog!! As Jenn and I can rarely make decisions about anything, we were left unsure of which heading design to use for my blog.

As a fan of the democratic process, I thought I would ask my readers to indicate which of the two options they prefer, and I will move ahead with what the majority selects. Or, I will charge you taxes and use this capital to set up a "Blog Heading Design Task Force" who will then deliberate over the decision for months to come. I'll be sure to report about this in my annual budget.

Unfortunately I cannot post these as large images or else I will be sitting by the computer watching a little spinning upload animation for about six more years. However, keep in mind that the introductory text is the same as the text that I currently have above.

Okay. So here is option number one:

And option numero dos (that's Spanish for "the second option I'm going to show you" or possibly "I'll have a number two please"):

Now in this second one, the squiggly line in the back is the introductory text following a "journey."

Post a comment with your preferred option!

The Black Gold: The Mixed Blessing of Oil and Gas in Ghana

In 2007, UK's Tullow Oil discovered about 600 million barrels of light oil off Ghana's shores. Since then, Ghanaians have been teetering between optimism and fear - cautiously awaiting what will result from the extraction of this much sought-after resource.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting at NETRIGHT (a member-based umbrella organization of women's organizations in Ghana) on "Gender Issues in Oil and Gas Exploration." NETRIGHT has organized a committee to address issues that have emerged from the oil and gas extraction from a gender-based perspective. This committee, comprised of a small number of national & local NGOs including ABANTU, is seeking to establish itself as a lobbying group and a mouthpiece for those communities most affected by the oil and gas extraction - communities whose voices are often neglected.

Much of the media buzz on Ghana's oil has remained optimistic. Many are anticipating widespread job creation and a hefty new revenue stream that will help fund all sorts of national programmes in health and education and ideally improve infrastructure. However, amidst the widespread giddiness over the potential boost to the economy, apprehension and fear are just as strong as many are all too familiar with oil's nasty reputation for destruction. Ghanaians need not look any further but to their (almost) neighbour Nigeria - a country where the oil industry has caused one nightmare after another.

Environmental degradation, the illegal usurping of land and subsequent destruction of farmers and fishermans' livelihoods have plagued Nigerians surrounding the oil regions. In addition to these issues, Nigerians have witnessed widespread human rights abuses, terrible corruption and an increase in violence (including the murder of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa) all due to the oil industry in the country. Needless to say, the majority of Nigerians have yet to see the benefits of their country's valuable natural resource. For more information on oil issues in Nigeria, take a look at this link: http://www.globalissues.org/article/86/nigeria-and-oil.

The purpose of yesterday's meeting was to brief committee members on the socioeconomic issues that we can anticipate from the oil extraction in Ghana, using countries like Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea as examples. Through awareness campaigns, activism and lobbying, members of this committee hope to get policies in place that will prevent oil's destructive patterns.

Dr. Akosua, one of the committee members, initiated the meeting with a thorough literature review on the impacts of oil and gas on local communities. She also reviewed a recent study conducted by Dr. Rudith Kings on the impact of oil on the livelihood of citizens in Ghana. It was a fascinating albeit frightening introduction to the issues that we can anticipate in the communities where oil and gas extraction will occur. In some cases, we can already see the impacts taking place on local environments and economies. I'd like to summarize some of the key issues that Dr. Akosua touched upon.

For many African countries, Dr. Akosua reminded us, natural resources are a curse rather than a blessing. Take, for example, the mining of gold or diamonds. History has shown us a solid link between countries rich in resources and conflict - particularly with oil. Dr. Akosua sited a UNEP 2009 study that reported "since 1990, 18 violent conflicts around the world were fuelled by exploration of natural resources." Conflicts arise for a number of reasons - control over the resource itself, the depleted economy that results from the destruction of land, the displacement of indigenous people, the lack of transparency in government spending, human rights abuses, child labour, exploitation... am I depressing anyone yet?

Whereas one would expect that a country lucky enough to house such valuable natural resource would be just as lucky as to reap the rewards of said resource, unfortunately this is rarely the case - even for countries outside of Africa. As it turns out, most oil producing countries see a decline in their living standards even as their GDP sky rockets. What is more, countries sitting on oil rarely see a decline in their country's oil and gas based products like fuel for cars and cooking. This is because these countries often do not have the technological or financial capacity to refine the oil themselves in which case they must outsource this job to foreign corporation. Once the oil is refined by a third party, it is subject to the prices set by the global market.

Unfortunately the financial rewards of oil and other commodities are usually seen only by corrupt government officials and the foreign corporations contracted to extract the oil. Rarely does the general population see the oft-promised increase in spending on health and education or the influx of jobs on the labour market.

One of the tenets of oil optimists here in Ghana that Dr. Akosua was quick to refute was that of mass job creation. Sure a ton of jobs will open up, but who exactly will be filling these positions? If other African countries are any example, many of the jobs created will be filled by foreigners as they will be the only ones with the necessary qualifications and credentials.

Okay, so Ghanaians may not get the higher-paying positions and may not get as many jobs as initially thought - but what about the surrounding economy in the oil and gas towns? Surely the local markets, restaurants and other enterprises will benefit from an influx of foreigners and newly-employed Ghanaians? Well, perhaps. But Dr. Akosua warns that the influx of foreigners (particularly western foreigners) often leads to gentrification of the area. European expats, homesick for their creature comforts, tend to forgo the wooden stand at the side of the road for a drive to the nearest western-style grocery store where they can load up on overpriced imports from home (I found a box of Corn Flakes the other day for 8$ Can.!!). When the demand for these shopping centres becomes high enough, a savvy entrepreneur will eventually takes the leap and open a "Shoprite" or "Max Mart" in the mining or oil town whose economy was once fuelled solely by agriculture.

Dr. Akosua also reminded us that the jobs created are almost exclusively filled by men, thus turning oil towns into a haven for lonely single men (or married men who left their families to take up a job). This often leads to an increase in commercial sex work, rape and violence against women which then leads to increased rates of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

The list of potential problems that oil can bring is quite numerous and daunting. Too numerous to go through all of them here. The committee at NETRIGHT was adamant about educating and preparing the communities that will be the most impacted by the extraction of oil for the potential problems coming their way. Many of these communities are already quite poor with low levels of education and poorer health as compared to the rest of Ghana. Their livelihoods are inextricably linked to the land and sea - many of them are farmers and fisherman. Oil and gas extraction will have grave consequences on the ecosystem in these areas if the government does not do everything in its power to perform the extraction carefully.

The meeting left us with a better sense of what Ghana will have to deal with, and there are definitely many likeminded groups lobbying the government to do this oil thing right. However, upon leaving the meeting, my supervisor gave voice to what I believe was the general consensus in the room: "I wish they would just leave that stuff in the ground."