Ghana be... fun

Koforidua

This week has seen more travel, and true to form there have been some of the usual trials and tribulations to test patience and ingenuity.  The only difference was, this time I was traveling with 46 Grade 6’s, and luckily five fantastic chaperones. 

The weather at the minute appears to have two settings: HOT, HOT, HOT or WET, WET, WET and over this trip we had both in equal measure.  Torrential downpours, thunder and lightening, and bright blue skies, vivid colors and scorching Africa temperatures, unfortunately the rain the and lightening came at a time when we were all supposed to be outside at the famous bead market- so that was one place I didn’t get to go to, and I will have to head back to at a future date.

The first stop was at a Government School in Mampong.  We were to meet with their Grade 6 students, the age at which compulsory schooling ends in Ghana, and swap experiences.  The students at this school treated us to some amazing drumming and traditional dancing, these were highly talented students; we were also treated to some poetry recitals and a tour of the school.  I only wish I had had the confidence to get up and put on a performance like these twelve year olds did when I was their age.  What I found fascinating was the tour of the school.  Each grade was taught all together in a single classroom, desks in rows and sentences to learn written on the board.  Each child stood to answer a question and all stood as we entered the room en mass.  To me it all seemed very traditional, and all students from the youngest to the oldest followed these rules.  I think maybe the most bewildering feature (for anyone who has taught in a British School) was the school uniform.  It was uniform.  All shirts were tucked in, all the time, all skirts/ shorts were of knee length and everyone managed to wear every piece of clothing exactly were it was meant to be worn.  It really was an impressive feat. 

Koforidua is the capital of the Eastern Region in Ghana and was founded in 1875 by the Ashanti who were moving south due to tribal divisions.  It was at one time the largest cocoa producing area in Ghana and it is still the oldest area, still producing cocoa today.  (See, I was listening the Chief’s talk).  It is also home to the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana- another stop on our tour.

As the Ashanti have strong connections here one activity that we had planned to do was to visit the Shrine of the Ashanti Priest.  Unfortunately he died just before we arrived, which from a selfish point of view threw the trip planning into a little bit of disarray as an alternative activity was found.  (No, I did not have this eventuality written into my plan or my risk assessment.  I see that this was an oversight on my part and as such it won't happen again.)  Luckily we had the CRIG to visit instead.  I have absolutely no idea how these priests are chosen, and how the tradition is passed on, this is something I will have to research as I am actually interested and more than a little disappointed that we couldn’t visit.  However, this did not seem like the time to call and ask for more information.

 

Again, I was paying attention to the talk that we were given and it turns out the CRIG was first established in 1938, and continued when Ghana got independence in 1957 and then as Nigeria followed in 1960 they continued to work together to ensure that the quality of cocoa was high, and the diseases common to the plant were under control.  All of this is good news, as Ghana and the Koforidua region continue to supply Nestle and Kraft who happen to be two of my favorite food manufacturing companies.

Next up was the Chief’s Palace- and this is where I managed to glean a lot of the facts and dates I have mentioned.  Despite careful explanation I am still mot sure I totally understand the succession rules.  It is passed down thru the maternal line, but only a man may sit on the stool and reign as chief.  So rather than pass from father to son, as far as I can understand it, it passes from uncle to nephew.   

The other main stop on the trip was Boti Falls, the Three Headed Palm Tree and Umbrella Rock.  Umbrella Rock is a precariously balanced outcrop of stone that brings good luck to anyone who climbs up it and writes their name on the overhang… my good luck came from the fact that none of the 46 students I had with me fell, tripped, banged heads or any such other disaster that I worried about happening (and yes, all of that had been written into my risk assessment).

This was followed by the Three Headed Palm tree; usually- I am reliably informed- palm tress grow with just one shoot, this one starts with one trunk and then splits into three, and it is all totally a natural phenomena- no cross breeding, no genetic manipulation, just magic (and Voodoo is still practiced here).  This palm tree has a huge base, each stem is about 70 cms in diameter and all have lush green leaves and coconuts.  It is said that if you sit on the tree you will give birth to twins, a good reason to avoid lingering too long here!

The final part of this hike was Boti Falls, a waterfall of 150 feet high and located on the Ponpon River.  Again this was a lush green area, and because the dry season is ending the pool and the waterfall are very dry.  However, the tourist authorities are working on developing this site and making it more accessible, they have built in roads and tracks rather than just hiking routes, and they have built a 250 step staircase down to the bottom of the waterfall.  This does seem to make it safer and easier to navigate – even if the steps are uneven and have varying depths.  If you visit at the right time of the year then there are two water flows that merge here creating a rainbow.  However, at this time there wasn’t enough water to see this.

This week also a quick note- some of the images (Umbrella Rock and the Three Headed Palm) come from Google as my photos all have students in.