Eco-tourism is on the rise in Ghana, and until we went to Mognori eco-village, near Mole National Park, I'm not sure we knew exactly what it was. It is basically an approach to tourism that uses funds raised to directly sustain the communities in which it is based (at least in Ghana). In this instance there are a few key people who oversee guided tours of a working village. This is not one of those Simpsons-like set-ups whereby the locals dress up for tourists, perform, and then go back to the suburbs, this offers a real glimpse of village life in West Africa. It is possible to arrange for home stays in family homes in the village, but we opted for the daytime tour, later returning for the drum and dance demonstration.
Our guide in Mognori was a young man named Moses, who is assisting in the development of the project in the region. He is an enterprising and highly knowledgeable village man who has gone out into the world to get his education and now feels a strong need to give back to his region. His father worked at Mole, so he got a good education at the park school and is now turning his learning into a brighter future for the surrounding communities. He does guided river treks, hikes, and the tour through Mognori. He ended up joining us in Larabanga, where we went to see an ancient mud and stick mosque, because people there can be fairly aggressive in their approach to tourists and he wanted us to be treated fairly. When we departed and mentioned we were going to Wa to see the hippos, he gave us the number of a friend that was a guide in that area, whom he felt we could trust. You get a sense that he takes his work seriously, and he understands the importance of word of mouth, especially amongst "obruni" tourists.
When we arrived, we were greeted by an elderly woman, who was processing gari, a local food that is made from cassava that is grated, dried, then lightly fried. We noted that we recognized her in the promotional posters that we saw around Mole, and then we silently noted that she was wearing the same clothing--the poster was obviously some years old. She was also selling balls of raw shea butter that she had made. Shea butter, commonly used in soaps and lotions, is especially important in this region in the dry season to help prevent and heal dry, cracked skin. Made by crushing and boiling the fruit of the Shea nut tree, it is also a valuable market item for trade and sale.
The average family home in Mognori consists of a mud-walled compound that has a few buildings and an open courtyard. In the open area, the fire will be made, and most of the cooking, cleaning and washing happens. Carmilla and I didn't accept an offer to go inside the bedrooms and I'm not sure if this was because we were shy, or because we didn't want to intrude--or a bit of both. We learned that the intricate etched designs in the mud walls were actually used as calculators and calendars, reminiscent of the Metis sash.
Families are big, even though infant mortality is very high. It is not uncommon for a woman to give birth twice as many times as she has children. Combine this with the fact that there is still a great deal of "traditional" medicine and superstition, along with occasional food shortages and diseases such as malaria, and you begin to appreciate why death is such a significant and regular part of everyday life. Although it is in rapid decline, men can have as many wives and children as they can feed. I am reminded here of
Things Fall Apart as relative wealth is determined by a person's crops and harvest, stored in silos like the one pictured above. (I hope this hasn't lit any light bulbs over the heads of all our male friends from rural Saskatchewan! Of course they would be quick to argue that with the state of agriculture, they can hardly afford what they've got!)
On hot nights, families will literally take to the roof and sleep on top of their homes. At the end of the tour we were invited up via a notched-log ladder. We climbed up and had a good look around, much to the delight of the village children. There was a large group of them that followed at a respectful distance (I think they are instructed to do so), giggling every time we did something. Our children, especially Finn, are something of a novelty in more remote areas and mothers will often bring out their youngest children to show them ours. It is not uncommon for first-timers to break into tears at the sight of us!
Later that night, we came back to the village with another small group (and saw a civet cat run across the road on the way!) to see a drum and dance performance at dusk. It was obvious that the young people participating had just returned from a day's work, especially the men who were all but absent during the day tour. We gathered in front of the chief's house (he is pictured above with Bronte and Materia as he loves having his picture taken) and as the sun went down the music grew stronger, signalling to surrounding communities that a celebration was about to begin. There were a couple of long dances that had very distinct roles and steps for the men and the women. We were all completely mesmerized by the experience, though Carmilla and I admitted to feeling a little uncomfortable about this being staged for our entertainment and our cameras.
It would be somewhat easy to argue that, relatively speaking, Mognori is expensive by comparison with some of the other things we've seen and done in Ghana. But, in terms of sustainable development, you can see every dollar spent at work in small but important improvements made to water, to agricultural production, and to the community school. And while school is "free" in Ghana, most poor families in rural areas cannot afford to send their children and lose the labour and income, so some of the money raised goes to offset this. You could also argue that perspective is priceless and its gift will be enduring in the lives of our own children. Actually, I think we got a pretty deal, all things considered.
One of the highlights of our recent trip up into the heart the Ghana's Volta Region was a quick pit stop in the traditional kente weaving village of Tafi Abuipe. The cloth from this very small village, nestled between two major roads, is shipped worldwide and is definitely the centre of this life in this bustling West African village. When we turned off of the highway, we weren't sure what we were in for, but as usual, we were rewarded with a worthwhile and stimulating learning experience (not to mention a few lengths of beautiful kente) that will be with us for some time to come.
This village runs as an eco-tourism project and when we arrived we were greeted by a young man who was to be our host and tour guide. He is one of the young people who--because of the profits from kente--was able to go to senior secondary school outside of the village, and as a result he has one of the more important jobs in the community. He explained the process as he toured us around and we met several of the young weavers. It was a Saturday morning so all of the looms were humming. Each symbol or pattern has traditional significance and there seemed an infinite number of patterns. Tools and looms were all hand carved and the speed with which the weavers worked, while maintaining intricate, repeating patterns was truly remarkable. They only every weave stretches of kente that are about four inches wide, so larger pieces of cloth are stitched together for clothing and household use.
Basically, each village family has as many looms as it can sustain and the covered workshops are filled with family members. We were obviously surprised to learn (okay, not that surprised) that children start in the family business at just seven years old. At that age they begin doing small supportive tasks like hauling and spooling thread, and watching their older siblings in a sort of an apprenticeship. They do, thankfully, still go to school full time and I expect that most of them flock to class as the weaving looks to be quite tedious. As Bronte is eight, I think she most felt the impact of seeing these children working at her age, instead of spending free time playing or (a-hem) travelling around Ghana with her family. It would be easy for us to be critical or horrified, but it is a family business like any other and I was immediately put in mind of the family farm, where child labour is both necessary and character-building.
I have seen kente cloth in shops around not only Accra, but also in many other places. I'm certain I've seen it in the Forks, or other such markets in Canada. Until now I really never understood its true significance. It is yet another possibility for those who wish to spend their money mindfully, with sustainable intention. As I have often said to students, every dollar counts when it comes to the future and well-being of the planet. To be honest, I have no idea what we will do with the stunning, but impractical lengths of colour we purchased, but I suspect they've already done their most important work whether they end up on a wall or not. This message was brought to you by Tafi Abuipe Kente-Weaving Village. They thank you for your support! 
