You are welcome: Community

On the Sunday we spent in Ve-Koloenu, our guest house lost power very early in the morning. My travel partner's ceiling fan still worked, but we had no AC. Normally, we would have been fine with this turn of events, but it was Sunday morning... so everyone usually tasked with driving us around/providing us with food was in church. They were in church for a very, very long time. We finally heard from Obed, our host, around 1:30 that afternoon, by which time we were so excited to get out of the guest house. The plan for the day was to head to the monkey sanctuary, check out the historic village nearby, and then head back to town for that evening's cultural celebration in honor of our visit. Because the chiefs had been so occupied with the funeral, we had not yet the chance to meet them, so that evening's events were going to be very exciting.

Fred, our amazingly kind driver, picked us up with Obed and El and off we went to see the monkeys. My youngest kiddo LOVES monkeys, so I was excited to get to record some up close and in their natural habitat for him. It was one of the times I wished my kids were with me on this trip because videos just will not do the experience justice. The sanctuary is just a building along a road near a monkey habitat. The monkeys are most active in the morning, so my the time we arrived, there was really only one family hanging around while the others were off in the jungles searching for more food. They were happy to see our bananas (which we picked up at a roadside stand in a town along the way), and climbed all over everyone as expected. I did not want a monkey on me, so I held my banana at arm's length... and only offered one. The monkeys figured out quickly that I was not their mate, and they left me alone. The family who runs the sanctuary loves these monkeys. It's clear that they want them protected to maintain their livelihood, but also because they have value as living things.

After our monkey visit, we walked over to the adjacent town (where the monkeys steal food daily). The secondary school there specializes in kente cloth weaving, so we were able to watch some young men practicing their trade on their looms. It was really cool to see how weaving the kente is a full-body experience. I got to use a loom at the Lowell Mills National Historic Site in Lowell, MA once, and I found it so meditative and fun. This loom required a lot more physical effort, and the patterns were much more intricately designed. The students were so proud of their work, and happy to show us how to use the looms. Yet again, they welcomed us right away into their community as though random white people roll up to their looms every day (there were some other white people at the monkey sanctuary, the first we had seen in a while, but they did not have Obed with them to take them to the school's looming facility). The monkey sanctuary store sells cloth woven by the students. The piece I bought is really cool because it is clearly made by students. There are a few flaws in the patterns, and the way the panels are sewed together is a little funky, but that's what I love about it, and what I want my own students to see. It's the process, not the product, that is valuable.

After we visited this community, it was back down the wildly inadequate road to our community for the Sunday night gathering. Along the way, we ran into the Assemblyman, whom Obed knows, of course. Obed told him about our power being out, and that it was not yet back on, and he said he would "check it out". Sure enough, 20 minutes after we got home, our power returned. I was never again able to turn on the AC because it would short out everything else in my room, but it was nice to have lights and our wifi hotspot back in action. Now, if only this assemblyman could address the roads...

Obed insisted we get ready quickly, so we did, and then ate at the school again before heading to the town center for the gathering. When we arrived, there was a debate between the two men running for MP in the upcoming election (that'll be another post) happening, and then it was time for the students to perform. The chiefs were already seated by the time we were shown to our seats. Sarah and I were so excited to see them all dressed up and ready to perform. The music teacher sat behind us ready to talk us through the dances, which was especially helpful.

First up, the Ewe students took the stage. Volta is the seat of the Ewe chiefs in Ghana. The Ewe also live in Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Students travel to board for secondary school in Ghana, and many use that as a chance to return to Volta if their Ewe family had to move elsewhere for work (like Accra, Tema, or Kumasi which was the case for a few students I met). The Ewe students performed the most, and had the most students participating. They performed a funeral dance that would be performed if the person who died had lived a good, long life, and they performed a celebration dance that would be performed at a chief's installation, or after an especially great harvest.

To view the remaining videos and photos, please visit this link.

Next up, the Ga people of the coast performed some really entertaining dances (you can see those in the Google Drive file linked above) that were a crowd favorite. The dances involved some young men demonstrating their farming skills for some young women in the hopes that they would win the favor of the young ladies. The chiefs really liked these dances, appreciating the cultural exchange they represented.

Then, we gave the chiefs our gifts, which were bottles of Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey (they were VERY pleased) and the Ga students performed one more dance.

Finally, the Konkombas students performed last, but won the day with their costumes. They are native to the northeastern corner of Ghana, and the northwestern part of Togo. Their lands spread into northern Volta, which is why there is a small population at the school in Ve-Koloenu. Their language is Gur (which means in just one night, we heard three different languages spoken), and their dances focused on their history as a farming community who was ready to fight for their traditions. We saw them dance for their harvest, and dance for their battles. These dances were my personal favorite (again, you can see them via the link) because I am a sucker for a great costume. This is also the smallest ethnic group at the school, and Obed noted that since their leaders are not chiefs, but polytheistic religious leaders, the majority of these students are not Christian or Muslim, and therefore do not participate in any of the monotheistic rituals found around town. They remain seated during devotion, or are not required to come at all.

In the end, Obed told us to be prepared to speak, which we would have been happy to do, but time ran out and the students needed to get back to their dorms since they had school the next day. So, we had the chance to thank people individually, but I really wish we had had the chance to thank everyone for such a beautiful, special evening. We know we are so lucky to have been welcomed into this community so quickly, and I am so grateful to have had the chance to experience their traditions and culture in this way. Usually, it was hard for us to speak to large crowds because of our accents (contrary to popular belief here in the States, not everyone in the world cares about us and our culture, so a lot of folks had never heard an American accent before), so it was probably for the best that we met people individually, but if anyone from Ve-Koloenu is reading this blog, please know that I am so grateful for that night, and for your beautiful community that welcomed us so easily. Thank you.