Catching up: Tales from an Obruni

Well, friends, it has been a long time since we last connected digitally. We have come to learn that this happens with more frequency when you are within an infrastructure that is fragile. Remote villages, rain, illness, travel and rain have prevented me from blogging in the past week, but I will do my best to catch up with the details, and there are many:

Monkey Business
Last Saturday found us in the Boaben-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in the Brong Ahafo Region. The sanctuary protects the headwaters of the streamsin the locality.& has a good number of the Black and White Colobus, Mona, spot nosed monkeys and a variety of birds. north of Cape Coast and its residents did not disappoint. They are very used to tourists and expect the treats that come with the visits. I am sure that my biologist friends would tell you that it is not a good idea to feed any sort of native species, but what of a species that has long coexisted with humans? After one bold Colobus monkey snatched a banana from Madeline's hand and ran off with his stolen prize, others came up and demanded their due. We visited their favorite hangouts, their Mona cousins who do not co-mingle as easily and the cemetery where both monkeys as well as fetish priests are buried. It is amazing to spend time in this way with our primate cousins--we set off for the north after a quick visit to a beautiful waterfalls near Kintampo.

This was a long drive to Sirigu, north of Bolgatanga. Here is a link to a good map, so you can see how far we went:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/ghana_pol_2007.jpg

I can't say enough about Musah, who is more than a driver, but also a friend and amazingly adept at negotiating both difficult roads and encounters. Musah speaks many tribal languages, and understands and adjusts to most situations . After our long drive north, past Tamale, past Bolgatanga, we discovered there was more than one Sirigu--and the one that we wanted was farther north still. The evening ended with us sitting on the roof of one of the beautifully painted clay houses, watching the bats and waiting for Musah, who was driving home a Ghanaian who helped us find SWOPA, Sirigu Women's Organization for Pottery and Art. Incidentally, it is not unusual for a Ghanaian to hop inthe car and ride along to a destination if you are unsure. We met many different friends that way, and were more certain to reach our destination.