Guniea Worm Photos

TIME MAGAZINE ONLINE
www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1707059,00.html
by my talented (closest in distance) Peace Corps Buddy

25

Appropriate Old Picture from Ceremony Day

Tomorrow Is My Birthday - I will be A Quarter

Now is the time to write me that letter or email you always wanted or send me that Gatorade powder, mac & cheese powder (you can skip the noodles), duct tape, tea, fun, good paint/ brushes, dv tapes, 16mm short ends, 35mm film, or if you are feeling adventurous pizza and ice cream.

I am actually attempting to make ice cream right now, condensed & powdered milk, sugar & cocoa. We'll see...

Tomorrow My plans are dressing like a present, a Wedding, African Cup of Nations game & much much more.

Fire Fire Everywhere

Like a parade, like a dance, like setting everything on fire. It is a holiday to remember the dead and an old story of a chief's small son who got lost so the village went to search for him with torches. They found him by a big tree so in the reenactment the torches are flown through the air onto the live (therefore indestructible) tree. It can be quite dangerous but I had a boom mic bodyguard and I got to witness 5 villages of them over two nights and taped them all from different angles. I somehow do not have my battery charger with me so editing later.

The Sea Ride

The Lorry (trotro) I take between Tamale and my village goes on a road that looks as I would imagine the ground of the sea. It is wavy, bumpy, carpeted with red dirt, holey, and I get sea sick. There are holes in the bottom and to start it they pinch wires. I took a picture got it developed and hung it up.

Swing!

Me and my new partner in crime built it. We chopped three tall trees, stuck two deep in the ground and the other across - some rope and a broken desk chair later a glorious swing! It is the beginning, the beginning of an acrobatic playground. I have high hopes, a trapeze? Parallel bars? Balance beams? I think so.

The Famous Village

When I tell people in Tamale where I live many exclaim - oh! Something happened there once. I have heard different stories, the government came with a tank to break up some kind of civil dispute but the people attacked them and the troops fled and left the tank, the government gave them a bus that they didn't want so they set it on fire, and a horse ran up a baobab tree and left hoof prints that are still there.

I asked a trusted fellow from my village to explain, he did and it was long and complicated involving chiefs and tribes, and indeed some kind of civil war where more than 40 important people got shot about 10 years ago. Mr. Superstar Alidu, the guy I work with often and is a superstar cause he is awesome had one of his eyes shot out in the war and will give me a detailed account at a later time. And that tree fell down a couple years ago.

The Dancing Horse

This week was full of treats like this. I had seen the white horse in a village tour of the chiefs palace before and was told he could dance. I had forgotten about him until I looked up at the turn of the crowd toward the big white flash. The horse wore a sort of mask, almost medieval looking, but completely made of leather tassels that resembled hair over his face. His rider wore short stirrups and kicked to the music but the horse would jerk his head and lift his feet in such a way that proved this horse could dance.

Dancing Dances

(In order of appearance)

At the conclusion of a funeral - or just cause, it is called the Tora and is for only women, though men beat the drums for it. The woman stand in a line and two at a time run/ dance toward the other with a sort of skip, hop and jump and bang butts together! I did try...

A dance for the men - this involves a big swingy woven shirt that comes in plenty of different pretty color combinations. They also wear a little slightly floppy hat that is often a velvet material. They swing around in this dance and people put coins on their foreheads. Kind of a free for all including dancing drummers - and the best part - a screeching woman.

There was a "dance party" thrown by the Guinea Worm Eradication Team who provided a generator, music and sporadic educational commentary. As I approached the dance I thought it would be just people dancing, but no, it was a big huge circle of everyone and then some would go into the middle to dance to a song I think they picked. I did not. I had some Fear. But if forced I was planning on pretending to be an acrobatic ballerina, as if that is how americans dance... My favorite dancing couple was an old old man and young young girl, basically just shuffling about.

Here's a good one I finally got to see - The men dress up like women with wigs, snug clothes, skirts and tutu like things. Then they shake their booties.

Shooting Guinea Worm Concert

Promised to be and lived up to being quite an event - Live instruments, musicians, lights, a stage, acrobatic dancers, and Miss Ghana. The stage was set up as you would imagine so I was picturing quite a mad scene what with weaving my way through a crowd of people to shoot, but it wasn't to be.

The area in front of the stage was off limits to everyone but us photographers so I got front and center - it appeared, as I was shooting, that the whole concert was in fact for me - if I panned the camera you would see a sea of people starting from the ground and going all the way to the sky as people were standing on the tops and sides of buildings. A couple of times all the power went out and people ran around getting the backup backup generators going.

The Deaf School

I went to visit a new friend Peace Corps Volunteer who teaches art there. The place is probably 40 km/ 2 hours traveling public transport or riding a bike and less than an hour if I somehow went direct. I certainly want to visit more. It is like out of a Herzog film.

There is an angular playground that no one plays on, crowded bunk rooms (though more are being built), and a mess hall. There are announcements at dinner - a big kid stands on top of a table. One big kid is particularly noticeable- everyone is scared of him and he walks around like a real tough guy, like a clown charachter.

The art stuff is hard for me to look at without feeling some pain but it is really great. They have done abstract self-portraits and kente weaving.

Baobab Trees

I had a feeling that is what they were. The fat dwarfy old stumps that stand tall and I-almost-fall-of-my-bike-from-looking-at-too-long. There is one I can see from my home that is about 80 years old. I need to make a map and count them. Someone please send me The Little Prince. It needs a Dagbani translation.

BATS

There are many. The wake me in the middle of the night. What are they doing up there? Thumping, squeaking, falling? Having parties I assume - but on this particular night the party was so loud (celebrating the departure of the bees?) that I was certain there was one in my room. Mostly because I heard a story of that happening (to Cheri) and then people tried to shoot them, while indoors... I never heard the full story. Should I?

Killer Bees

My second night back we sprayed the killer bees that were hanging out in my roof with out permission. They are usually not out at night, that is, unless they are sprayed. I noticed some buzzing and all of a sudden I realized that they might be a bit angry about the spray. I ran inside and two got in, but I got them with my shoe. The people on the ladder exclaimed and ran away too. They left me alone with the Buzzing. I quickly accessed that I better turn my lantern off and get inside that net of mine.

I actually started out calm as any evening, recording audio of myself telling about the day, but then the buzzing got louder and louder and louder. I realized the little red light on my recorder should be turned off and that, as I could not see anything, there could be bees all around me. Since they smell fear too they must be attracted to me. So I wrapped myself and pretended to be a cocoon in my sleeping bag, which I actually do use in the currently cold mornings. I played music for myself to drown out any buzzing noise but the loud beating of my heart did not cease.

I actually thought I might die, and if not then, mostly of fright, in the morning when the bees would be waiting for me. I lay in fear for about 4 hours, and finally let myself out of the bag for air and passed out. The next night -- BATS.

Maps

Right now that seems to be a big focus of mine. Villages close by and this one. I don't know my way around yet though I love riding around, the weather right now is real nice, the winds, cold mornings, dry heat...

It Is The Best Bike

I got one in the New York City of Ghana - Kumasi. There are actually old buildings there, and seas of people. My first impression of the town was poor because of bad traffic but then upon walking around it was amazing. I like it a lot.

The bike is a small black Raleigh with dual suspension shock absorbers. I didn't realize what that meant until my reluctant test drive. I thought I wanted a cruiser bike - one of the old fashioned ones with the curved handlebars and big comfy seats. But then I rode, rather, gli-ded on the dirt road through potholes and all. I was blown away and had to get it.

Now I spend my days thinking about it and what I can do to make it happy. Today I bought it a nice black wire basket, a small silver bell, and a back rack for carrying water. I almost bought a big beautiful black and yellow seat but I wasn't sure it was the perfect one so I held back. I have been promised a polka dotted one from a friend so I am going to see how that fits. I also though about getting a shiny nifty red visor helmut, but again, I already have a helmut so I am going to wait until I have more money, since I suppose a stove might be more important (is it?).

Leaving The Land of Point

Today is the last day in Training and with my family. I am moving. I also forgot to mention that the The Point play was a smash! It happened some weeks ago.

I thought we had an experimental play about the kids attempting to put on a play- like most of our practices had gone (of which there were 7) but the day of we took the kids out for a final practice before the supposed show and were pleasantly surprised. (At the practice before this half of the kids half rebelled against us because they wanted to play soccer. Then we said ok - go play soccer and they wouldn't.)

While we practiced the finishing touches on the set design were made including sharp points for all heads and a beautiful sign somehow tied in place by a ceiling beam and a bench welcoming the crowds in the front of the un-finished church.

Oh yes, the crowds- I felt like I was working on a film shoot again as I ran around the whole town before the play telling everyone and their mother to come because the school class that we had intended to invite had been let out earlier than we thought they would be. The audience wasn't as old as we were seeking but the benches were full.

The play was presented in the local language (except the songs) so that all the kids would get the point... translated by almost all the Ghanaian training staff so I am now known as the Volunteer of Point.

Yesterday I was in the Training Office checking to make sure I passed my language test (I did) as Little John told me I should (it was an unexpectedly difficult test) and we had to send someone away because he walked into the room and did not have A Point.

Puumaaya

is my new Dagbani name.

The elders thought about it for several days.
Definitions in the nice order I received them -

Happy stomach.
Happiness all around. A Happy feeling.
Another way for happiness.
A name that can be given if the first child dies.

Puumaaya
(poomaia)

bIG aFRICAN yELLOW bAT CAVE

November 10th-14th

babyC

(In this Peace Corps world of acronyms I created one for myself, as I told myself I would never do. I had to... )

My new home is alive and well. I cleaned it up but the bats are too smelly to be allowed to live with me. Don't worry, they are in the roof. I only notice it when I return home and after the first night I slept fine amidst their loud banter.

It is in the middle of a cornfield where the 'cowboys' roam with the cows. I have heard they play flutes. I have tasted their sweet milk and it is Fine. Fried cheese curds too (a gift from Tamale). Heavenly...

The elders greeted me with their sandals off and their smocks on. (that's for the jokers).

The moment I arrived to the community I was faced with a somewhat big decision - they were afraid that I would be attacked by bees if I lived in babyC. That's right, there are some bees too, though I have only seen three. At least it was an odd number- Barnes would be happy. I chose to be with the supposed bees, after all- the more yellow the better.

The other reason they didn't think I could live there is because there was no bathing room (A room with a hole for the water to go as you pour it over yourself.) We agreed that one could be made and it turned out better than I could have imagined. Within hours they had constructed a small hut from a few wooden branches and a thick straw that they arranged in a spiral- allowing entry and coverage. It's super cause I don't live in a round mud hut with straw roofing like everyone else so I get my babyC and hut too. Oh - but no roof - so free surround star viewing.

I have a lot of windows - front and back - east and west - so the round sun goes up and down in view. The sun down is different - it is misty because the harmaton winds are coming. That is what I bought that big purple sweater for (at the last moment) - we will see just how cold the mornings are. And everything should be covered with dust until Feb or March.