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Hello!!
Sorry it has been a while since my last blog unfortunately i have been ill but i will save that for later!!
Last weekend 10-12th I spent in Cape coast with some of the other volunteers. Cape coast was bustling with people and preparations for a visit from obama. posters and banners everywhere!! Posters displaying Mills and Obama with the caption 'mills and obama: change catalysts!' is just one amusing one i can remember. Most didn't even make any sense! Despite how busy cape coast was we managed to get into one of the slave forts called elmina- st georges castle/fort. The tour guide was very good talking us through the torment and treatment of the slaves in a very frank Ghanian way- no horror story was left untold. We explored the door of no returns, the dugneons and prison cells even the govenors quarters. We were enclosed in the different cells to gain the impression of their suffering- its indescribable really. Finishing in the governors quarters also gave a real perspective o the whole situation. The guide although frank dealt very sensively to the issues and e were moved by his prayers in the room of no returns.
While on the top of the slave castle we were fortunate enough to see a parade of the chiefs of ashanti, they have a complex hierachy but all were paraded on sofa type beds carried by 4-6 men (depneding on the size of the chief!!) It was a true celebration dancing and music, all the people in cape coast were following the chiefs and dancing as they walked it was fabulous and such a contrast to the tour we were currently having.
During our time in cape coast we also visited kakum nation park and took a canopy walk into the rinforest. This was really beautiful but the traquil nature of the rainforest was somewhat spoilt by the rowdy Nigerian church group that we with us. It was a little uncomfortable as they would get right up into our faces and ask for a photo with us or push their video cameras into our faces asking us wehere we were fom and when they were going to get an invite to england!! The guide expressed the need to creep across the canopy walk like a hunter - i don't think this was something the est of our party understood!! But we were able to tail behind and enjoy the scenery which is truely wonderful from up in the tree tops, but despite this the animals had long been distrubed and were not to be seen.
On our return from the national park we went to a resturante where aligators/crcoidles (not sure which) are in the lake surronding the place. I was so surprised that you were actually able to touch them (for a price of course!!). One aligator was so bold as to walk into the resturante while we were eatting!! he was beaten off with cushions and stick- he didn't seem to impressed by this but we didn't mind!!
As we left the resturante we went back to cape coast and just as we got out the taxi we got out of the taxi helipcopters carrying obama and his party arrived! it was quite a spectle and the ghanian people went crazy, i must admit at times we were worried we were going to be caught up in a riot of some kind. The helicopters dissappared into a stadium and we followed the crowds towards the centre. Here we were pushed into the edges of the roads by the police- although treated much more poltiely than the ghanian people who were beaten and kicked into the gutters, we were very shocked by this contrast of treatment. one police officer even introduced himself to us and apologised for our position in the crowd!! AFter around an hour of waiting we caught a glimpse of obama and mills leaving another of the slave castles. It was a symbolic moment for ghana but the pople seemed to expect more from him than a glimpse of him in his car- again we feared that this irriation might become violent but thankfully not!! We were clearly just over cautious!!
In the evening we ate our dinner at the resort where the boys were staying ehihc was about 10 mins in the taxi from our hotel (which was much nicer!) As is was obama day obviously the evening followed to be obama night which involved traditional music and dancing! The dancing tells a story and is fastinacting to watching, they had two sets of drums that they used all which produced very different sounds when using either- but not together as far as i culd see. each drummer having a role in building up the layer of th music and the voices carrying the tune although not singing more chanting. After this a group of rastas took to the stage a performed their own variation of this traditional ethod. It was really entertaining the sort of break dancing on the floor and flips, a man spinning plates while doing a forward roll. One drummer can over a literally drummed and my friend maueve and I we weren't really sure what our reaction should be, his hands moved incredibly fast over the drum skin!
Despite being alone the coast the beaches near to our hotel were not pleasant or clean and appeared to be reguarly used as the 'bathroom' so no swimmming or sun bathing for us. We took a wakl on the beach dodging the poo!! We also watched the fishermen pulling in their catch from these huge wooden canoe like boats. Some of the boys during the day and even assisted a group in pulling in the catch.
Back home to kumasi sunday evening. Lots of love xxxxxxxx
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