Summer program

The WORLD CUP is still going on, but Ghana isn't. They did well until they didn't. We should still be proud of them. Electricity outages are the norm in Ghana, but during the matches there weren't any. Interesting how that works.

And now we are ready to start our summer program. For the first time we'll be working with expressive art therapists from around the world. A 2 week workshop. Our aim is to bring creative people together. This should do it!

What's next? In  September we'll start planning. If you'd like to get information about upcoming workshops you can sign our mailing list at http://www.culturalcollaborative.org. We send out a newsletter every month or so.

We wish you all a creative summer.

summer visitor 2013

Ann-Bridgit Gary visited us in July to study the traditional and contemporary pottery scene in Ghana.
This is her first diary entry:

Recycle,recycle, my spirit is a recycled carnival of oddities, eggs on head,the market spirit,the 27 cedis for 6 yards of exquisite batiked fabric,beautiful fish and crabs and pigs innards and so much....plastics!

I find constant care here at Aba House with Aba,Talk True and Ben. Even the boys join in to welcome me in an attempt (failed) to set me up with a modem. Oh well - all things on Ghana time, now or later or even never. Aba takes me to a goldsmith because I liked her charming watch - a long very convoluted route to travel. Down this out of the way place and soda from the rest is as refreshing as the conversation I am having with a Ghanaian man who once lived in Toronto and has returned to be with his family. The stoutly goldsmith gives me designs to pick from and promises to bring them the next day on my Indian bracelet-now I have both India and Africa. Aba tells me what each piece means.

I touch down wondering what lies ahead-will I be picked up? Can I trust anyone? I find my name card - what a relief. But while my luggage is whisked off, I find myself giving a street peddler 2 bucks.

The rumbling car - the world at 11 p.m. I don't know where I am going. I must accept this dark, dreamy place and I can't believe I'm here. I find a soft room, an oh so welcomed bed and breakfast at 8 a.m. A bucket with a shower and in one week, I have come to love the spirit of Africa.

Charlie and his students at Aba House

Charlie Michaels and some of his students from the University of Michigan came to Aba House for 3 weeks as part of a service learning program.
This market scene and other photos in the story are by Charlie. If you'd like to read about their trip and see some nice visuals : playgallery.org/stories/ghana
Are you a professor- a student? We can arrange a program for you too.

aba@culturalcollaborative.org

summer in Ghana

We'll be there from July 6 - August 29. We always have several projects and this summer I plan to concentrate on "Books by Girls", a creative writing program with the Aba House girls. Our goal is to encourage creative thinking and by self publishing the stories our girls will also learn computer skills.
Our plans include donating the books to schools in Ghana so that students can read culturally relevant
stories.

                      Here is an excerpt from my book "HARDSHIPS and GOODSHIPS in GHANA"
       There is a rythm to life in Ghana, both literally and metaphorically, and once you get into step, you
        fit right in. It's difficult to explain, but it's something you can feel. The people, the traffic, even the
        fishermen who are sometimes accompanied by drums as they pull in their nets. Weavers hum as  
        they work to keep the rythm ....... it's a slow dance. "No hurry in life". No straight lines. To follow
        the beat it's best to circle around, do a few back steps and slide right in. Then visitors start to
        dance...........

 Like to dance? Think about joining us in Ghana.  aba@culturalcollaborative.org
       

CREATIVE WRITING

The Aba House kids are awesome. They have been making paper and journals and now, next summer, will write original, culturally relevant stories ( and of course, illustrate them) and we will self publish.
Schools in Ghana don't have story books.
Some of our books will be donated to schools.

We are looking for someone to facilitate this workshop. Can you teach CREATIVE WRITING? Want to come to Ghana this summer?

Let's talk. contact aba@culturalcollaborative.org

potters in Ghana

At Aba House we encourage creative interaction. Each summer we bring people from around the world to work with Ghanaian artisans. Many disciplines are explored. This summer one group will focus on African pottery.
For a visiting potter being in Ghana is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. There is so much to sample. Ghana has 10 regions and each has it's own pottery traditions.
Michael Cardew, a well know British potter, worked in Ghana from 1943-1948 establishing a workshop at Vume. Vume is still a thriving pottery center and on our list of places to visit.

Here is a link to a story I wrote years ago when I went to study with Mami Akua. This traditional village is still on our itinerary. http://www.studiopotter.org/articles/?art=art0011

It is encouraging to see the pottery tradition continued, although on occasion one encounters plastic shopping bags where pots once sat.

Are you a potter or interested in traditional African pottery? You can sign up for our (infrequent) mailing list at http://www.culturalcollaborative.org and we'll keep you informed about our workshops.

summer at Aba House

The world didn't come to an end (as predicted) on May 21, so we are going ahead with our summer plans.

Summer programs at Aba House are in session from July 11 -Sept. 21.

This is the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps which started in Ghana. There is a big party planned in Accra at the end of August and we are hosting some RPCV's. If you're looking for someplace to stay, consider our guest house across the street from the ocean.

We are no longer with EARHTLINK , so don't use any of our emails that end in earthlink.net.

aba@culturalcollaborative.org will reach us.

Recently we participated in a book launch party with BOOKS OF HOPE. A wonderful organization in Boston that works with children who have come from Haiti. The children write and publish books of poetry and prose... very empowering. Our long term goal is to have them collaborate with our kids in Ghana. www.booksofhope-ma.org

When different cultures connect, it's a win win situation for everyone.

If you're interested in hearing about our other collaborations, workshops and programs you can sign up for our mailing list at http://www.culturalcollaborative.org

I found a new toy

Google Earth is addictive. You can download it for free.

Go to FLY TO: and type in Nungua,Ghana and the map takes you right there.

Then in the list click on ABA HOUSE.

sokope

Sokope was a resident at Aba House. Everyone loved him more than I did.

He was dirty, flea ridden and a major thief. I was playing scrabble in the yard and he ate my E. He also ate the usual like bananas. One day I gave him some brown bread. He looked at it and then threw it away. Guess it was too healthy for him.

Tourists would hold him and he'd play cute and then pounce...trying to rip their jewelry off.

He was usually tied to a tree in the yard and would wrap himself around and around until he had no space to move or he would jump into the branches and end up hanging himself. I felt sorry for him and was not unhappy when he escaped once in awhile. But he was always captured and brought back.

Eventually he wasn't living with us any more and when I asked, I was told that "he went back to his village". That could mean what it says or it could mean that he died. Ghanaians have a way with words.

And that's the story of our monkey, Sokope.

summer in Ghana

Cross Cultural Collaborative offers many exciting opportunities for people who want to spend their summers in Ghana.

You can volunteer to work with children in a fishing village, take workshops to learn indigenous skills, go on a tour or just relax at our cultural center across the street from the ocean.

Because we are a small, self funded non-profit we ask people to pay for room and board and lessons,etc. The cost is low and the rewards are memorable.

There is a wonderful site where you might find funding. This is a comprehensive, pretty amazing source for funding opportunities and also residencies...in case you don't want one in Ghana!

Volunteering

Why would someone want to volunteer to work in a developing country? It's not for the money. To volunteer usually means to work for free and often involves paying for the opportunity.

Perhaps it would be to experience another culture, not as a tourist, but as an accepted member of the community. The volunteer is able to intereact with locals on a very personal level.

Your reason for volunteering is very important because it can mean the difference between a good experience and an unhappy one.

Some of our volunteers at Aba House are fantastic and with some I am reminded of the saying, "You get what you pay for."

One might think that there is a correlation between age, experience and maturity in the making of a good volunteer, but that's not necessarily true. Some young people blossom when given the chance to help and some older people can't handle the adjustment to new curcumstances.

Above all, a sense of humor helps. There are times when I think that the only reason that Ghanaians let visitors in is to have someone to laugh at. An outsider is fair game, especially with children. We've had volunteers eager to practice their new vocabularies...only to find that the children didn't teach them to say what they thought they were saying!

I would also suggest that you have a serious conversation with yourself about your comfort level. Can you live without hot water for a few weeks, and how about electricity? Can you, heavens forbid, wash your clothes by hand? Does it really matter if the humidity curls your hair? If you want a foreign country to be just like home, then maybe you should have stayed at home.

As a volunteer you probably expect to be a teacher. If you approach the experience the right way, you will also be taught. It's a very liberating feeling to meet new people and to see things through their eyes. There's something about working in another enviroment that makes people introspective. This is a good time to evaluate what you want to do with the rest of your life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "No man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

And if you're a good volunteer, this will be true.