Our Cape Coast Weekend (June 9, 2007)

by Charles Bergeron

- Cape Coast… Where is that?

- It is located in the Central Region, in Ghana. It is actually the capital city of this region. It once was the capital city of Ghana.

- I see… Is there a beach over there?

- Even though it is called “Cape Coast” this city isn’t a destination of choice for beach tourism. It is mostly well known for the unfortunate role it has played in History. In fact, Cape Coast was a major departing point for the African slaves captured in all West Africa.

- So why were you all so excited to go spend a weekend over there?

- Mainly for two reasons:
1) Because I think it is important to educate yourself about the history of the country you visit, in order to improve your understanding of its contemporary culture. I think this is even more relevant when it comes to major historical facts that have left their marks in your own country, in your own culture, and that still effect or at least shade your contemporary social climate. I believe that everybody in the Western World should concern themselves with the history of slavery, whether you’re Black or White. So for me there was no way I would be in Ghana and not go to Cape Coast!
2) The second reason why I was excited to go is articulated on a totally different level: we had decided that this place would be our meeting point with the Denu team, for a mid-term reunion! So I was very excited to share my stories of Konongo with my friends from Denu, and vice versa.

Oh believe me! I had so much fun in Cape Coast, despite my constant consciousness of its history. In fact, everything here reminds you of History. The European architecture, the Castle, the Fort up the hill… even people’s last names like Robinson, Johnson or Van Dyck. Even our meeting point with the Denu team says it all: we met at the Cape Coast Castle Restaurant. Was it because of its historical background or because of the natural group forming process, as soon as we met the other team, many of us felt the need to confide in our friends of the other team, about emotions regarding our respective group dynamics. I naturally came to compare our group dynamics, and I could find many similarities between them, even though we had been working and living in two totally different contexts. This is when I realized how accurate the group-forming theory is! You know? Forming, storming, norming and performing. Just for that reason, this group reunion has definitely been a relieving experience for me, a way to let go some of my stress and launch the norming-to-performing process!

The highlight of my stay in Cape Coast has definitely been my visit of Elmina Castle. Just like one of us said, how ironic and contrasting it is that such a beautiful architecture has been build for the slave trade, such a horrible business! The guided tour was very emotional. I would like to transcribe these emotions here, in this blog entry, but I’m not I writer and also writing in my second language is already a challenge for me, so I will restrain myself to a very basic descriptive tone. With a little imagination, I’m sure you can imagine feel how terrible it was. We visited the donjons starting with the female donjon. We have been told how bad the conditions of life were in that dark and humid room, when 400 women were packed in there at the time, without any facilities to wash themselves, to dispose of bodily fluids… and to hide from their guardians’ hatred. In fact, we have told that it was common for the Portuguese and then the British soldiers working over there to choose, once in a while, a female slave to be raped. Any form of refusal would be punished by being enchained to shackles and exposed to the sun, without any food or drink, for a whole day. On the contrary, “consenting” to be raped would be rewarded by being provided with a washing bucket and some extra food. We also visited this small room called the Point of No-Return or the Door of No-Return. Imagine again a dark and humid room, that you enter by a door so low that you need to bend to pass through it, and that you exit by another door so narrow, that only one person can pass through it at the time. This exit door leads to ocean, to the boats that would ship the slaves in different parts of the world. This room was the last place an African slave would see of his or her home continent before being humiliated for the rest of his or her life in some random and unknown part of the world. Some flowers were lying in there on the ground, brought by visitors, in remembrance. I guess people leave flowers in this room because they can speak for you, in a place where anyone suddenly becomes speechless. They say: “I hope this will never happen again.”

Out of School Workshops

Over the past four weeks we have been conducting about 3 or 4 out of school workshops each week. I think the out of school workshops have been my favourites. We have had meetings with seamstresses, hairdressers, draftsmen, taxi and trotro divers, market women, and did a series of radio shows on Kings radio which broadcasts all throughout the entire Ashanti region of Ghana.

There is something very rewarding about doing in-school workshops. The students are all in their uniforms, crammed into small classrooms (three to a desk) eager to learn and excited to see us. However, although these workshops are essential, the out of school workshops were the ones that really got me excited about our project. We met with hundreds of young adults (but normally only 5 to 10 at a time) and were able to discuss issues in regards to HIV/AIDS that many had never been given the opportunity to learn about before; either because they were not able to attend school or because they finished school before HIV/AIDS education was on the education systems radar.

In these small groups the people we met with felt comfortable to ask questions and we were able to afford them the personal attention they deserved. The questions they asked were very interesting. Questions such as “can a mosquito infect me with the virus?” or “if I kiss someone, am I at risk?”

Typically, in each presentation we discussed the modes of transmission, prevention, played a high risk / low risk game where we would give participants scenarios and ask if they were dangerous or not, do a condom demonstration, and then take questions. But it was nice that this structure was informal and a lot of the time we would go where ever the workshop took us based on what the participants needed to learn. Normally we would make appointments for only half an hour, but by the time we were ready to leave, we had spent over an hour and a half with each group.

The only area of the workshop that ever left me feeling like our work was not finished, was when it came to application. We could discuss how you get HIV and how you protect yourself, and we could discuss the criteria to evaluate risk, however when it came time for participants to apply what they had learned, they found it challenging.

I think this was the result of two things. First of all, these misconceptions are so engrained into the thought process here, that one 1 ½ hour conversation is not going to change someone’s beliefs right away. So we could explain that you can only get HIV through blood, vaginal fluid, semen or from a mother to a baby and the participant would understand, but then would find it very difficult to apply this knowledge to how he or she felt about sharing a drink with someone who is HIV positive.

The second reason why I think application is challenging for many people here is because application or logic is not emphasized. The school system is very rigid and focuses on mathematics, engineering, science, etc. There is not a lot of room for critical thinking and as a result, those skills are not developed as well as they are in a country like Canada. Also, there is a very formal social hierarchy here. In a school, you respect your teacher and repeat what he or she says. In your work place, you respect your master who tells you what to do. And in your home, you respect your father who makes your decisions for you. Questioning the logic behind things or even having to think for yourself (at times) is not really emphasized.

That said, I still feel we got through to many people and I have come to terms with the fact that someone has to take the first step. If you need to be told that you can share a cup with someone who is HIV positive 5 times before you believe it, at least we got to do it that first time. The Ghanaian peer educators, who have all learned so much in the past two months and who are ready to keep doing their work voluntarily, will have to be the ones to do it 4 more.

By Sarah Beldick

Lake Bosumtwi

May 25-27
by: Akosua Michelle

This weekend we went to Lake Bosumtwi, about 2 hours by tro-tro from Konongo. I was very excited, as it had been on my to-do list since pre-departure in Canada, though the suggestion met with early resistance because of the fear of bilharzia. However, after several tour books and tourists confirmed that the lake is bilharzia-free, consensus was reached and we were off!

Lake Bosumtwi is a true crater lake- created by a meteorite that would have crashed into earth about a million years ago! It is the home of the Ashanti god Twi, and it is where Ashanti souls are said to go when they die. Because of its significance, certain unwritten restrictions exist on the lake- for one, the use of dugout canoes is verboten (I don't know why). As such, there is a special style of plank canoe used by the fishermen on the lake. I was lucky enough to be able to try one, and it was an expierience! Not too difficult to use by just one person, but pretty much impossible when 2 or 3 people want to share the same plank!

We stayed at the Lake Point Guesthouse, run by Nana, an Austrian, and Stephen, her Ghanaian husband. They were both cordial and kept the guesthouse in impeccable condition. Our rooms (actually self-contained huts) were breathtaking, and the bathrooms were clean!! Very very exciting to find clean bathrooms in Ghana.

I went off on my own on day 2 to hike the surrounding hillsides. Within half an hour of starting my hike up a dry stream bed, I found myself deep in the jungle, and loving it. I passed small plantations, followed by bamboo forest, cleaved rocks and hillsides, and finally the top of the hills and the source of the former stream. I was only able to stay at the top briefly as I was low on water and being burnt alive away from the shade of the forest, but the experience of being in the middle of the rainforest, away from civilization, was one of the highlights of my trip.

The food at the Lake Point was another highlight...I'll admit I found it ridiculously overpriced (Canadian prices in Ghana!), but it was so worth it...Sarah, our cook, is amazing, but even her food can't beat cake and ice cream.

We hadmade a pact that weekend to leave work behind for a few days while we were at the Lake, which we did (very) successfully, and we left on Sunday refreshed and ready for another week of activities.

In School Projects

By Colleen 'Akua' Robinson

The Canadians and the Ghanaian peer educators travel to a number of schools throughout the Ashanti Region ( Konongo, Morso and Odumasi)

It's hard getting up so early in the morning to be there for 7am, sometimes 8am. I don't know how these students do it!

Each workshop consist of over 70 students per class. Sometimes less sometimes more. The classes are split up into JSS1 and JSS2
The session normally begins with morning devotions ( a song and prayer... You should see these kids dancing and praising God... it's so refreshing to see) and then we begin with our workshop. They are so well disciplined. They refer to you as Madame so and so... and when you say goodmorning class, they all rise and say goodmorning all in unisen... they're like robots.

The students have been educated on HIV/AIDS. Topics covered were the Modes of transmission, Prevention methods, Risky Behaviours and Care and Support.

Each group has delivered the workshop in a participatory learning style to get all students involved. Activities and skits were incorporated into the workshop to provide a better understanding and comprehension of what was being taught. Because of the literacy level, at times the workshop would have to be delivered in or translated in Twi.

I was amazed to hear some of the questions being asked from students who are from the ages of 12-16yrs.
Example of questions were: 1. Why can't the immune system fight off the disease? 2. How long does it take for the HIV virus to develop into AIDS? 3. How can a pregnant mother protect her child from contracting the HIV virus? 4. Why is there a treatment for HIV but no cure for AIDS? and so on.

The outcome of the workshops left not only students running to us, the peer educators with more questions, but also the teachers.

I'm privileged to be working with these students.

Next task: I need to from a YLC group!

Second Kumasi Experience

This time in Kumasi, Eva (a peer educator that stays with us at the YMCA) and Ellen (who runs the Ashanti district YMCA and is in charge of our project) joined us. We arrived on Friday and settled into the Guest Line Lodge. We were introduced to a Lebanese man that Ellen knows and sometimes works with. He took us out for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant where we endulged in the best Lebanese food I've ever had. We stuffed ourselves and smoked the most amazing Sheisha. It was definitely a luxurious experience.
That night it was ladies night at Kiravi night club, the same night club we danced at the weekend before. This time it was so packed it was even difficult to dance at times. All-in-all it was a good time and we went back to the hotel very exhausted.
We all collectively decided that we would never stay at Guest Line Lodge again after the horrible night of sleep we had. A church service started at 1 am and lasted until about 3 that kept us up. Then when that was over about an hour later there was a couple fighting in the building next door that kept us up for the rest of the night. Noise travels far here.
On Saturday we visited the Cultural Center where some of us bought traditional African gifts for friends and family back home. Later in the afternoon we went to the Ghana Social Club, which is run by the same Lebanese man, to watch a soccer match that Mosquito and Banana (two boys who work at the Kumasi YMCA and often takes us around) were in. It was the Ghanaians against the Lebanese. It was weird to see so many Lebanese people in Ghana.
We ate dinner at a restaurant called Vic Babboo's. The meal was decent but made some of us a bit sick. That night we were looking forward to a good night's sleep but unfortunately that didn't happen. The power was out and so the hotel was using a generator which made such a loud noise it was almost impossible to sleep.
The next morning some of our team went to Banana's church in the morning. Others stayed in to rest. We left shortly after that to Konongo.

Lights Out!

May 20, 2007
by: Lindsay Core

Last weekend we went to Kumasi (Ghana’s second-biggest city after Accra) ready for a big-city experience after a week of village life. However, we arrived to a darkened city because of the power outages. In Kumasi the outages are on a rotating schedule with the power off for the 12 hours of the day, then a full-day of power, and then the power is off for 12 hours of the night. In Konongo the outages are supposedly scheduled as well, however we have had daily outages. The power sometimes comes on for an hour or two, and then shuts off for six, only to come on again for another hour before being out until the following day.

For the Canadians, the outages are annoying and frustrating because of the lack of warning, but the lack of electricity doesn’t limit our activities too much. For Ghanaians trying to run businesses however, the power outages often result in productivity grinding to a halt. One businessman was explaining that his business could go international, but without a consistent source of electricity it’s too unstable to be able to increase the size of the company. People have made many adaptations over the past 2 years since the power outages started, many businesses have generators, homes use charcoal or gas stoves, seamstresses use sewing machines with hand cranks, and most people have just come to accept the lack of power as a part of daily life.
The outages are as a result of power sharing across the country. Power sharing means that when one community has power, another is in the dark. When power sharing is described, I imagine a white-haired old man sitting in front of a monstrous panel of switches, with his right hand on one switch and his left on another, flipping one on and one off simultaneously…and then laughing at the power he wields, giving and taking away light at will.

The electricity in Ghana is generated through hydroelectric power. The shortage of electricity is as a result of drought. According to local people whom I’ve asked, the main hydro-generating lake is nearly dry. Currently, it is the rainy season, and based on the weather we’ve been having I can vouch for the drought. During a typical rainy season it will rain for days on end, with bouts of storms bringing down even more rain. Last week it rained most evenings for a couple hours, but it hasn’t rained in more than a week now. This means there literally isn’t enough power to light-up Ghana, it also means that it’s hotter than usual. (It should also be noted that there are many conspiracy theories about the power outages, including that the water shortage is a hoax. The theory goes that with elections next year the current government has been cutting the power now so that they can later “fix” the problem closer to election time in order to get re-elected.)

In addition to power outages in Konongo, there have also been water shortages. I live a 20-minute walk from the YMCA in an area called Low Cost. Last week the water was out for a total of 8 days. Luckily, the woman I’m staying with had giant plastic drums with water stores. We used the stores for bathing, washing our clothes, and flushing the toilet (with a bucket). She has been keeping some of the water in large plastic 20L buckets that were once used for house paint; I’m worried about leeching so I haven’t been using the water for consumption and have instead been buying bottled water all week instead of filtering my own. Most parts of the city (and the YMCA Centre) have boreholes or wells as backup to piped water. On day 4 of the water being out, we hauled water to re-fill our stores.

There are a few bright sides to the water shortages and resulting power outages though. In the evenings that the power is out there is a marked increase in community activity in the streets. At my house, the neighbours and local children will gather in the courtyard to play games and talk by candle-light. A favourite game is Chinese checkers. The game board has the pictures of important people in the four corners: Nelson Mandela, Lady Diana, Ghana’s First President, and Jesus.

During one evening of games, my neighbour asked me why Ghana is poorer than Canada, and why I can afford to visit her country, but she can’t afford to visit mine. What kind of an answer can be given when there is a language barrier, and when she has a limited degree of education? What sort of answer would be just? And for lack of a just answer, what type of answer can I give her without inadvertently saying “that’s the way things are”? The latter answer would not be satisfactory for her, or for me. What other answer can I really give though when I compare two countries which are so different? The country I’m writing from has water and power outages so frequently that they are the rule rather than the exception. In 2002 Canada had a major power outage for 24 hours (if I remember correctly) and it was an event which is still discussed as having been remarkable.

In Canada people rarely think twice about leaving the water running to warm it up or cool it down, nor about allowing it to run while they soap their bodies in the shower, nor about flushing the toilet every time they use it, nor about leaving the air conditioning on in an empty house, nor about leaving televisions on, or computers running. Yet, I’m sure that if Ghanaians had the choice, they wouldn’t think twice about those things either. But instead, they must.

Training with Ghanaian Peer Educators in Konongo

Monday May 7th- Thursday May 10th

We spent the past four days with our fellow peer educators training and preparing for our HIV / AIDS workshops. We covered topics ranging from the modes of transmission to preventative measures. We learned how to do condom demonstrations and practiced workshop delivery.
I will admit, that when it came to the actual curriculum of the training, most of what we learned was remedial. That said, I personally found the training to be a wonderful learning experience. We did cover topics that I had questions concerning, it was a great opportunity to bond with our fellow peer educators, and it challenged my preconceptions of what I thought I knew in regards to HIV/AIDS. Obviously the biological make up of the virus does not change depending on where you are in the world. That said, the context, issues, challenges and strategies in relation to the virus are completely different here. You almost need to do a little unlearning, or shedding of your preconceived notions, before you can begin to understand the local challenges and recognize the appropriate methods of change.

While many living with HIV/AIDS in Canada experience stigma, the misconceptions and stigma associated with the virus here are very different. HIV/AIDS is a gender related issue in Africa. As a result, Lindsay, our group facilitator, ran a workshop on sex vs. gender. The training in its entirety combined with her particular workshop both highlighted our cultural differences when it comes to gender roles but it deconstructed them as well. Our Ghanaian peer eductors may not see eye to eye with us when it comes to a woman's role in society, however, they are accepting of our way of life and our choices. For example, the general concensus of the Ghanaian peer educators on a man's role is that he will be the uncontested provider, decision maker and head of the household. We as Canadians shared that both men and women can assume this role in our culture; most often this role is a partnership and shared. Although there was a struggle to understand these roles for both the Ghanaians and the Canadians, we were challenged to find a balance between tolerance and upholding our own personal values. I also think that the workshop's emphasis on gender being a social construct, which changes depending on place and time, has challenged our peer educators to reevaluate their concept of a woman's role. What they feel is a woman's role may not have changed, but I think many of them came to understand that this role is relative. It has also challenged us, as Canadians, to reciprocate and understand these differences. I have learned that I can disagree without judgment.

Finally, these differences did not seems to hinder our peer eductors from being the most friendly, accepting, and gracious hosts. Francis, one of the Ghanaian peer educators, invited us out after the training on Wednesday afternoon. He proudly invited us into his home and we met his family. We walked through the market and town, running into people we knew from the training as the afternoon went on. Eventually, our group of 5 turned into 10. We stopped at a local parlour to drink pito (millet wine) and then spent the rest of the evening walking throughout town talking with our new friends.

Today we leave for Kumasi for the weekend. I have to admit that I am excited. That said, I think I am even more excited to meet back up with our new friends to start putting our workshops together next week.

Our team has been in Konongo for one week now. I think we are all settling in very well. You know that you are adjusting when the power outages every night no longer bother you and the small school children who shout "oboroni" (or white person) at you in the market no longer seems shocking or out of sorts.

By Sarah