We got an email from Emmanuel that said the library was now open for three days a week! When the librarian comes later this month it will be everyday, but until then, its being run by volunteers like Bright.
Yay!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Now Arriving at Gate C
So....we're home.
After a 31 hour flight from Accra to Dubai to New York to Toronto/Halifax, we made it!!!
The flight was long and the days blended together....but we watched the new Star Trek movie 4.5 times....as well as Pocahontas, part of Hercules, the second half of Australia (the first half was on the way there), Dragonball Evolution (which was weird at best) and the Street Fighter movie (a total plot holed waste of everyone's time, but I made it through to the end because I could). There may have been others but at this point, they've all blended together.
While I've made it home, I haven't stopped moving yet. I spent all this week with my family in Rondeau, but we're now on the move again, driving out to BC. I won't stop traveling until I get to Ottawa (which won't be until September 8th).
The Ghana adventure is over...but only for now...and only in some ways. The work that we did is always continuing, even though the library is finished. We're already planning our next rip and a series of projects that we're working on. I plan to keep track of some things here, though my blogging will likely be less frequent than it was while we were actually there.
Aside from all that, the Ghana trip isn't really over yeet because we're still sorting through pictures, memories and reflections. I'm posting a bunch of pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goodquestion18
Not all of them are from Africa...but I'm sure you can figure out which ones are and aren't.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the library a reality!!!!
For information as to how you can help, you can email us!
Conor Falvey
sunbathing.turtle@gmail.com
Jessi Taylor
goodquestion18@gmail.com
Love,
The Spotted Jessicat
After a 31 hour flight from Accra to Dubai to New York to Toronto/Halifax, we made it!!!
The flight was long and the days blended together....but we watched the new Star Trek movie 4.5 times....as well as Pocahontas, part of Hercules, the second half of Australia (the first half was on the way there), Dragonball Evolution (which was weird at best) and the Street Fighter movie (a total plot holed waste of everyone's time, but I made it through to the end because I could). There may have been others but at this point, they've all blended together.
While I've made it home, I haven't stopped moving yet. I spent all this week with my family in Rondeau, but we're now on the move again, driving out to BC. I won't stop traveling until I get to Ottawa (which won't be until September 8th).
The Ghana adventure is over...but only for now...and only in some ways. The work that we did is always continuing, even though the library is finished. We're already planning our next rip and a series of projects that we're working on. I plan to keep track of some things here, though my blogging will likely be less frequent than it was while we were actually there.
Aside from all that, the Ghana trip isn't really over yeet because we're still sorting through pictures, memories and reflections. I'm posting a bunch of pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goodquestion18
Not all of them are from Africa...but I'm sure you can figure out which ones are and aren't.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the library a reality!!!!
For information as to how you can help, you can email us!
Conor Falvey
sunbathing.turtle@gmail.com
Jessi Taylor
goodquestion18@gmail.com
Love,
The Spotted Jessicat
Thursday, August 6, 2009
To Kpetoe and Away
Yesterday, we spent the whole day in a roadside village known as Kpetoe.
Kpetoe is larger than Nyive, but really still just a spit of buildings along the highway to get to Aflao and the Lome/Togo border....but its FAMOUS!
Well, its famous around here.
Kpetoe is the hubbub and happening center for one of Ghana's best known and special handicrafts: kente cloth. When shopping for Kente, this is where you go.
Kente is a form of intricate and time consuming weaving that is done with some very elaborate looms. Kente is usually a family trade and small boys start their apprenticeships very young. Its very difficult to do and will require years of practice. Initially, Kente was done only by men and boys but lately (contrary to all the guidebooks) I've been hearing small mentions of women taking it up too.
Kente is very special to Ghanaians, especially the Ashanti and the Ewe (who I'm told have niftier patterns...but staying in Volta, my sources are a touch biased). Biased or not though, Kpetoe's collection of Kente is amazing, especially when you take a few minutes to watch it being made. Realising the effort that goes in to making it is a little breath taking. We found out that it takes one person 18 days to finish the average cloth. With a whole slew of apprentices working, they estimate they might be able to finish in 4 days.
Kente is woven in small strips, with varying patterns and colours, about the width of my land and 4 yards in length (I think that's about right). Then, when someone chooses their kente, the weaver takes all the strips and sews them together into one gigantic blanket of cloth according to the size needed (its pretty standard). Often, women have the kente sewn into a dress and the men wrap it around much in the way that they did at the inauguration. I'm keeping it in one big sheet since, as a chief, I need to wear it in the "men's" style. I don't know that its really a men's style, I just know they don't sew dresses out of it and some women do.
Also...sign of the day: on a tro-tro coming in to Ho, one of them had a sign that said "Heaven's Gate, No Bribe"
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Patriarchy on Top
Here are some helpful hints for women that we've had to learn on our own. About 2 weeks ago we picked up a fourth guide book for kids. This one was written by a man travelling with his wife and actually had one or two of the lessons we'd already learned. This isn't to say that they never had anything useful to women, but these ones were all missing. Please keep these in mind!
What the Patriarchal Guidebook Left Out
1) Moving to the tropics messes with everything you ever knew or thought you knew about your cycle...remember this in terms of kotex and ovulation.
2) The availability of Canesten/pads/tampons.
3) In a humid climate, pads CHAFE! Major badness here...>.<
4) A bra may be neceassary in a tro tro for even the most liberated of women, especially major roads to Accra. A rumble strip in Canada simply causes a noise. In Ghana, a rumble strip is a series of 5 speed bumps used to control speeding (necessary!). Rural roads have trenches the size of, well, tenches.
5) Hot, humid climates encourage Yeast Infection. Bring breathable panties or leave them at home. Canesten is your friend.
6) Probiotics and useful yoghourt are impossible to come by in Ghana. In the even that you have to take Cipro (or any other antibiotic) for digestive issues, there will be nothing to replace good bacteria. Canester is your friend.
7) There is no fool proof way to repel men.
8) When pretending to be married (which the guide book suggests) be sure to invent some kids as well or you will a) get lots of flack for not having children yet and/or b) a proposal from more "vigorous" and "potent" men than your imaginary husband.
9) Tro-tro drivers estimate how many people can fit on a seat based on male hips. Yours, and any other woman's (African or otherwise) will only ever be bigger than the skinny man they used to measure.
10) People WILL use the Bible (to attempt) to "prove" your inferiority.
Patriarchy rots!
Love,
The Jessicat
What the Patriarchal Guidebook Left Out
1) Moving to the tropics messes with everything you ever knew or thought you knew about your cycle...remember this in terms of kotex and ovulation.
2) The availability of Canesten/pads/tampons.
3) In a humid climate, pads CHAFE! Major badness here...>.<
4) A bra may be neceassary in a tro tro for even the most liberated of women, especially major roads to Accra. A rumble strip in Canada simply causes a noise. In Ghana, a rumble strip is a series of 5 speed bumps used to control speeding (necessary!). Rural roads have trenches the size of, well, tenches.
5) Hot, humid climates encourage Yeast Infection. Bring breathable panties or leave them at home. Canesten is your friend.
6) Probiotics and useful yoghourt are impossible to come by in Ghana. In the even that you have to take Cipro (or any other antibiotic) for digestive issues, there will be nothing to replace good bacteria. Canester is your friend.
7) There is no fool proof way to repel men.
8) When pretending to be married (which the guide book suggests) be sure to invent some kids as well or you will a) get lots of flack for not having children yet and/or b) a proposal from more "vigorous" and "potent" men than your imaginary husband.
9) Tro-tro drivers estimate how many people can fit on a seat based on male hips. Yours, and any other woman's (African or otherwise) will only ever be bigger than the skinny man they used to measure.
10) People WILL use the Bible (to attempt) to "prove" your inferiority.
Patriarchy rots!
Love,
The Jessicat
Friday, July 31, 2009
Fanfare for Literacy
Theses are pictures of us getting the library in order. As you can see the carpenters are all finished with the interior. The other pictures are us at various stages of the cataloguing process. There are about 6 or 7 steps to our cataloguing process.
We start by assigning the book a ca
ll number that is very roughly based on the Dewey Decimal System....I'm ashamed to say I was having a lot of trouble figuring out the decimal part of that equation. Then we entered the information into an electronic catalogue on the computer and created a catalogue card for the physical catalogue in pencil (that's one up there). Then someone edits the card for mistakes and inks it. When this is finished, we tape the edges of the paper back books in order to give them some added protection over the years and tape over the call n
umber too. The last step, and by far my favourite of all the library jobs here or in Ottawa is to take our fancy-pants-rubber-stamps we had made and to stamp the
umber too. The last step, and by far my favourite of all the library jobs here or in Ottawa is to take our fancy-pants-rubber-stamps we had made and to stamp the 
first page of 
the books and the three sides. I think that's most of the steps...I tip my hat again to all my librarians over the years and the people at Jean-Leon Allie Library for showing me all this. I hope the Saint Paul people in particular are not aghast at 
my irreverant trouncing on all that is Library of Congress.
the books and the three sides. I think that's most of the steps...I tip my hat again to all my librarians over the years and the people at Jean-Leon Allie Library for showing me all this. I hope the Saint Paul people in particular are not aghast at my irreverant trouncing on all that is Library of Congress. 
Eventually our set up was ready for the big day.
The big day involved a lot of speeches and participation from everyone is small ways. Anyone not making a speech was playing an instrument, singing, dancing, being chiefy, doing a cultural performance or working behind the scenes. There was a lot of cheering, celebrating, processing and even a ribbon cutting. It was so cool to see all the kids getting excited about the books in the library. It was definitely a community event....which is everything it should have been.
You may see from some of these pictures that Conor and I are hanging out with the chiefs when we're processing. As I mentioned in my last post, the community was moving to quasi enstool me this week. Despite some hitches that went on through the day, I am not enstooled but I am marked as a chief and will be enstooled formally next year (please see last post).
Making me chief involved having a group of people come over to the house (only certain people are allowed to participate but I knew them almost all of them...most of them are really good friends in fact). The ones I know least are actually the chiefs themselves. They all came in and with them came a bottle of something they called Schnapps.
They sat down and explained some things then went outside to pour some of the Schnapps outside on the ground as an offering and prayed for me. When they came back in they gave me a sizable dose of it to drink. Not really being allowed to go outside, I settled for pouring some on the carpet, also in prayer. I figured it was at least 40% and something akin to gin...so it should evaporate quickly. I then drank the firewater down. They put beads on me and and smeared my arms with white chalk. Then more Torgbe's came in and gave me another round of Schnapps where we poured more poured more libations and drank more. There was more chalk on my arms. They sent for beer and then sat down to explain some things to me. This is where my memory starts to fade a touch.
Apparently part of becoming chief is getting you very drunk....I don't think it actually is, but that's what the aforementioned Schnapps does. I don't know what this Schnapps is but it must be higher than 40% because it kicked our asses. The only time I was ever this drunk....It was 7 0r 8 shots of Tequila in a drinking game that involved episodes of Firefly (For those of you who are familiar with Firefly/Serenity, the one of the game's major premises was that everytime they spoke Chinese, you took a drink) All I know is that it is imported from Holland and that the box cannot/will not give us a percentage. To give you some perspective of how the night ended, one of these pictures, Conor took from her position on the floor.
Luckily, this didn't happen until after they all left for the night, but it was starting around the time they sat down and started going over duties and do's and don'ts. I'm not allowed to walk outside barefoot (I know some people who are gonna LOVE that...) and something about not dancing in public (which is tossed aside completely on the occasions where the chiefs tell us to dance....there are pictures of that at the inauguration too). The next morning, Torgbes returned and took me out of the house (I wasn't allowed to leave since the ceremony the night before) and while they couldn't present me, they had me walk in the procession for the Library inauguration so that everyone would know, without them making a procession for that occasion in itself. They dressed us in some beautiful kente cloth (that's what you see us wearing in all the procession pictures.
I feel like I really can't do justice to everything that happened the last few days...especially when it comes to the traditions and the enstoolment... There are tons of pictures of everything from our whole trip that we're going to put online when we get home....but we managed a bunch for today.
This library has been an amazing amount of work but the community always amazes me with he amount of effort they are willing to put in not just to build the place but also to make it really special for their community. I'm also touched by the effort that people make everyday to make us feel part of their community: whether its teaching us a little more Ewe or giving us a pineapple (or making me a chief) or telling us to bring our families down.
The library project is not over...it will never really be over. We have some few odds and ends to tie up here but even after that , there will always be new books, new ideas, new technology and new resources for this community. It will definitely never be over.
We're looking at less than two weeks until we get home now...Not much time left to enjoy village life.
Thank you again to EVERYONE who helped make this project amazing!!!
Love,
The Jessicat
Monday, July 27, 2009
News of All Types
Firstly, I would like to share some sad news. Torgbe Kotoko, one of Nyive's chiefs has just past away this week. He's been sick for a very long time. Not totally unexpected, it still took everyone as a surprise. No one really expected him to go so soon. I guess he's been a part of the community a very long time. He's very well loved and the entire village is upset by their loss. I think people are also upset he isn't around to see the library now that its finally finishing up.
The inauguration of the library is still on Wednesday and we've confirmed the attendance of lots of dignitaries and the whole community. This means that we've spent the last few days, and probably all night tonight binding, cataloguing, stamping and shelving books. Its the Jean-Leon Allie Library all over again...ecept now I'm teaching everyone what to do. I keep asking myself "What would Desneiges do?"
For those of you who have been paying attention, you may ask about that missing day. The one where we're pulling a late nighter tonight instead of cataloguing tomorrow.That's because tomorrow, Tuesday, we're not allowed to work. At least I'm not. Tuesday I will be confined to the house. This is due to some really cool news which I've neglected to share up until now and some complications following it (one of the reasons I haven't mentioned it yet).
The piece of really cool news, the chiefs want/started planning to enstool me as a Queen Mother (Female Chief) partially for the work I've done and partially for the work they want me to continue in the future. They have lots of different chiefs for lots of different purposes, mine has to do with helping in the development of the community and being an elder for the youth (in Nyive, I think "youth" is anyone under 50). They tell me its because I'm interested and value their arts, crafts and industries. This paragraph really isn't doing justice to anything that's been happening the last few weeks. The complication I mentioned is that since Torgbe Kotoko died, there is a kink in everyone's plans for me. Its traditional not to enstool any chiefs between the time someone dies and they are buried. In Ghana, this is at least a month, especially for a chief. Funerals here are very costly and involve a big party with a lot of planning. We're very sad that we're going to miss it. This also means that they can't really enstool me.
Enstooling usually has two parts: an indoor part that is sort of private I guess and an outdoor part where they present someone to the community. Babies are also outdoored a few days after they are born for the same reasons. To have a big party would be disrespectful to Torgbe Kotoko since everyone is supposed to be in mourning but the chiefs are determined to do something. So what will happen is that there will be the indooring and then they want me to come back and have the outdooring in about a year. The indooring will involve some rituals done around 6 am and then they lock me in the house the whole day. Then they will come get me the next day (Wednesday) and will spend the day sort of treating me like a chief so everyone will know without it being announced. The special treatment is just in time for a big pubic occasion that has nothing to do with enstooling so it seems to work out perfectly for everyone. Pretty cool, eh? I'm really honoured because its really putting forward that they want me to stay a part of the community and involved in the affairs here.
Since I'm catching a cold, I think staying indoors all day (and SLEEPING) sounds like a fantastic idea. Conor and I were up at 5 am this morning singing "I just want to be a sheep"...I'm goofy when I'm sick.
Anyhow, its gonna be a big couple of days.
Ciao for now,
-The Jessicat
The inauguration of the library is still on Wednesday and we've confirmed the attendance of lots of dignitaries and the whole community. This means that we've spent the last few days, and probably all night tonight binding, cataloguing, stamping and shelving books. Its the Jean-Leon Allie Library all over again...ecept now I'm teaching everyone what to do. I keep asking myself "What would Desneiges do?"
For those of you who have been paying attention, you may ask about that missing day. The one where we're pulling a late nighter tonight instead of cataloguing tomorrow.That's because tomorrow, Tuesday, we're not allowed to work. At least I'm not. Tuesday I will be confined to the house. This is due to some really cool news which I've neglected to share up until now and some complications following it (one of the reasons I haven't mentioned it yet).
The piece of really cool news, the chiefs want/started planning to enstool me as a Queen Mother (Female Chief) partially for the work I've done and partially for the work they want me to continue in the future. They have lots of different chiefs for lots of different purposes, mine has to do with helping in the development of the community and being an elder for the youth (in Nyive, I think "youth" is anyone under 50). They tell me its because I'm interested and value their arts, crafts and industries. This paragraph really isn't doing justice to anything that's been happening the last few weeks. The complication I mentioned is that since Torgbe Kotoko died, there is a kink in everyone's plans for me. Its traditional not to enstool any chiefs between the time someone dies and they are buried. In Ghana, this is at least a month, especially for a chief. Funerals here are very costly and involve a big party with a lot of planning. We're very sad that we're going to miss it. This also means that they can't really enstool me.
Enstooling usually has two parts: an indoor part that is sort of private I guess and an outdoor part where they present someone to the community. Babies are also outdoored a few days after they are born for the same reasons. To have a big party would be disrespectful to Torgbe Kotoko since everyone is supposed to be in mourning but the chiefs are determined to do something. So what will happen is that there will be the indooring and then they want me to come back and have the outdooring in about a year. The indooring will involve some rituals done around 6 am and then they lock me in the house the whole day. Then they will come get me the next day (Wednesday) and will spend the day sort of treating me like a chief so everyone will know without it being announced. The special treatment is just in time for a big pubic occasion that has nothing to do with enstooling so it seems to work out perfectly for everyone. Pretty cool, eh? I'm really honoured because its really putting forward that they want me to stay a part of the community and involved in the affairs here.
Since I'm catching a cold, I think staying indoors all day (and SLEEPING) sounds like a fantastic idea. Conor and I were up at 5 am this morning singing "I just want to be a sheep"...I'm goofy when I'm sick.
Anyhow, its gonna be a big couple of days.
Ciao for now,
-The Jessicat
Friday, July 24, 2009
To All Who Made Me a Book Worm
Firstly, I want to put forth a special thank you to all the librarians and library technicians I've gotten to know over the years. I would be absolutely useless here without everything they taught me. I'm not in contact with most of them and many of them probably don't remember me (it all started with elementary school) but man have I learned a lot. My thanks especially to Mrs. Allen-Cofell (St. Mary/St. Anne's) Mrs. Goldhawk and Mrs. Woods at UCC (These people are all still in the Chatham-Kent area I think) And EVERYONE who works at the Jean-Leon Allie Library at St. Paul University (especially Desneiges). If anyone sees these people around, feel free to let them know I hold them partially responsible for the presence of a library in rural Ghana, in a village that knows no map. A library which is going to be officially opened this Wednesday!
The construction finishes today and the cataloguing operation (which Conor and I have been running out of our front room will be moved to the library tomorrow. We've been cataloguing mountains of books and we've only just touched the surface, from the sounds of it. We've been creating a catalogue, barcoding all the books and stamping them and everything I was doing at home for the Saint Paul Library. Given the lack of a Staples or similar stationary depot, this process, like the carpentry, takes longer because everything has to be done by hand. Rather than printing stickers and sticking them on the book, we have to cut out the sticker, create the non sticky sticker, write on it by hand and then tape it on the book. Thanks to the People's Republic of China, there is no shortage of affordable tape (though no stickers).
Luckily there are a lot of people who want to help out. This weekend is going to be a mad blur of readying books that will make me never want to enter a library again. Popular opinion feels that it will be worth it.
I will let you all know how it goes.
-The Jessicat
The construction finishes today and the cataloguing operation (which Conor and I have been running out of our front room will be moved to the library tomorrow. We've been cataloguing mountains of books and we've only just touched the surface, from the sounds of it. We've been creating a catalogue, barcoding all the books and stamping them and everything I was doing at home for the Saint Paul Library. Given the lack of a Staples or similar stationary depot, this process, like the carpentry, takes longer because everything has to be done by hand. Rather than printing stickers and sticking them on the book, we have to cut out the sticker, create the non sticky sticker, write on it by hand and then tape it on the book. Thanks to the People's Republic of China, there is no shortage of affordable tape (though no stickers).
Luckily there are a lot of people who want to help out. This weekend is going to be a mad blur of readying books that will make me never want to enter a library again. Popular opinion feels that it will be worth it.
I will let you all know how it goes.
-The Jessicat
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