SANKOFA is a bird looking back over its shoulder. The symbol means "go back and fetch it," or "go back and reclaim your roots." My sister LaVerne and I traveled with an Elderhostel tour to Ghana this year. It was to be an adventure, but also a time to be with family.  Our brother Ronald, and his wife Ann retired to Ghana in 1999, and he is trying to convince the rest of us that we should do likewise.  Our brother Michael, who will retire in December, was visiting Ghana, exploring the possibilites of living part of the year there as well.

And although LaVerne and I were on a tour, our brothers followed our itinerary, and showed up whenever they could.  Ronald on wheels, Michael, me, and LaVerne in the back.
 
 

We were traveling with Elderhostel, a continuing education program for older adults, that schooled us in the Akan language, Twi, and gave us lectures in the political, social, educational, and cultural systems.  We started at the capital, Accra, and moved out into the villages of the central region of Ghana.

A wonderful air-conditioned bus took us everywhere:

The main enterprise of the traditional village of Dodowa is the production of cassava dough, a staple in the Ghanaian diet.  Cassava is a root, that is pounded and baked.  Mixed with papaya it becomes fufu.  Grated and fried it is gari.

I felt as if I had travelled back in time to an ancient home of an unknown ancestor.  The people of Dodowa were friendly, and allowed the foreigners from another time and space to come in for a moment.  This woman is making palm nut soup outside her hut.  She agreed to be photographed, pulled up the front of her dress, and assumed this regal pose.

Pounding cassava by hand or machine

Baby goes along wherever mother travels

The outhouse:

Ghana is a story in contrasts, from the Stone Age villages to the bustling cities.  When we returned to the city for lunch, we were met by critters and brothers.  We didn't see many wild animals on this trip.  A few peacocks and monkeys, but lizards are as plentiful as squirrels are back home.  Some "better" hotels and restaurants have cats to scare the lizards away.  I prefer the lizards -- they just skitter away, and don't stare back at you.

Accra lies on the coast, on the Atlantic ocean.  Most of the time we were there the sea was quite rough, but beautiful.  You know how I love beaches.  Here's my brother Ronald and his wife Ann, on the veranda of the "Next Door Restaurant" where we had lunch.

We visited the town of Larteh, known for its shrine.  The weather in July is moderate ranging from the 70s at night to high in the 80s.  This particular day it was cool.  Some of the children were dressed in warmer clothes, but always ready to be photographed.

At the shrine, people had brought goats and chickens to be sacrificed, while they petitioned the high priest to cure some ill, fix some problem.  We brought an offering of 2 bottles of Schnaps, which he poured as a libation, for our good health and safe journey.

Drums were played, and a woman came forward, entranced by the beat of the drums, possessed by an evil spirit.  Other dancers came forward to drive out the demons.

On Sunday we attended the Fetteh Methodist Church.  The choir, dressed in black robes, wearing mortar boards on their heads, sang A Capella (4 part harmony) in Twi, a traditional Methodist service -- a John Wesley hymn, and the Te Deum Laudamus chanted in Twi.  But at offering time the congregation danced to the drum to bring their offering, all dressed in their Sunday best, with babies in tow.

I finally got my time on the beach.

We visited 2 slave castles.  They were built as forts by Europeans during the time of gold trade and piracy.  When they discovered that the trade of humans was more lucrative than gold, the forts were used as holding pens for Africans until the ships came to transport them to the New World.  Cape Coast Castle was built by Swedes in 1655.

You cannot enter a site of such suffering without feeling the souls of the departed ancestors calling out to you.

Slavery as an institution dates back to Biblical times, when people were cast into slavery as a result of wars, or debts, or natural disasters.  Slaves might hold important positions in the court of their masters.  Families, language and culture were kept intact.  So when our brothers sold us into slavery, they could never have imagined the fate that awaited us in the "New World."  They mourn with us the loss of the millions in mid-passage, and the loss of that connection that would tell us where on this continent we came from.

Elmina Castle was built by the Portuguese in 1482.

Fishing boats outside the castle are much the same as they were 500 years ago.

We traveled to the Kakum Rain Forest, where the canopy walk allowed us to walk across the treetops.  The animals stay out of sight, but we could hear the monkeys calling out through the trees.

When we went north to Kumasi, young men gathered every day outside our guest house to sell their wares -- wood carvings, jewelry, clothing.  I traded a t-shirt for some bracelets, and the young man showed up the next day wearing it ---  Gaines Chapel AME Church, Efland, NC.

One of the many performance groups that we enjoyed.  This one is a women's group (Nnonkworo), called GYE NYAME -- "Except God."  Notice the symbol woven into the black and white fabric.

We traveled out to the villages famous for their crafts.  Bonwire, where kente cloth is woven by hand.

In Ntonso, pots are made without a wheel.  The woman turns around the clay.

Beautiful Asante eyes:

Front center in shorts is the Program Director Kwame Adyapong, and Professor Asiama in traditional robe.   One of our guides, Kesewaa, to the left of me, decided that she would adopt us as Asante cousins, and gave me the name Akua Asantewaa.  Akua means "Wednesday girl."  I had to check on my PC when I got home, and found that I was born on Sunday, so I had to rename myself, "Sunday girl."