It is our third day in Ghana and somehow I feel as though I never left.
Accra is an assault on the senses–the smell of burning trash, the incessant horn beeping of overzealous taxi drivers, the unintelligible shouts of the tro-tro mates (“circ, circ, circ,” “la paz, la paz!” and “a-ccra, a-ccra”), the oppressive heat, clouds of red dust, herds of roaming goats, the stench of sewage… yet somehow amidst this chaos there is a very fine balance that is maintained in which everything-in spite of significant challenges-seems to work.
Kissehman is a village within Accra, where the Maine Ghana Youth Network operates. We have been to Kissehman twice now–on Tuesday afternoon to teach class, and last night to see the kids drum and dance. It was wonderful to return and see how the Kissehman group has grown. When I was here last, 15-20 kids seemed to show up regularly. On Tuesday, there were over 40 kids, and Frank (one of the instructors) informed me that this was a very small day. Now that kids are coming from Christian Village as well as Kissehman, they have upwards of 100 children on any given day.
The kids of Kissehman maintain a sense of energy and joy that is contagious. Receiving one-on-one instruction during their classes at “Pacostand” (Mollishmael’s house in Kissehman) is something that I think has been helping them enormously during their time in school. Instructors in Kissehman primarily work on English literacy instruction and arithmetic, skills that, if developed, will ensure safe passage through the lower classes in the Ghanaian educational system.
We have not started filming yet–we are waiting until this weekend or even Monday, as it is important for us and the kids to become acquainted with one another. Everyone in Kissehman has been overwhelmingly kind to us, and much of our success during our time here will be due to their generosity in allowing us into their lives for these three weeks.
It is very good to be back.
Glad to hear that you folks are settling in. I look forward to hearing more of your experiences. Best.
Hi, Aisha, et. al.,
Congratulations, again, on winning the grant to do this project. I’ll be following your progress closely. It’s been four years since I’ve been to Ghana, so I’m very interested in your impressions. Good luck with the documentary!
Dave Treadwell (Bowdoin ’64)
Now that you have each weighed in, it is evident that Bowdoin has fielded another good team and easy to understand why you guys were choosen for your project.
Your early messages show breadth and sensitivities that travelers from the territorial USA do not always display. All who had a hand in your selection deserve a kudo and can be confident, along with your reader/viewers, that you will achieve lasting goals on a personal level as you carry out a most interesting project.
Looking forward to more!
Hi Aisha!
I am glad you have arrived and so glad to be able to learn of your experiences while you are there. Good luck, enjoy, and please share as much and as often as you can.
-Kate
Glad you made it safely, interesting reading and pictures.
Hope all continues to go well, keep the mosquitos at bay.
L. G.
The entire blog (all contributions) are most interesting. It is wonderful that you have re-connected to these children you so care for. I look forward to learning more.
Sissy