FESPACO (film festival time!)

This past week*** when I wrote this... now it was like three weeks ago...*** I went to Burkina Faso, the country directly north of Ghana, to attend FESPACO: Africa’s largest film festival (and one of the largest in the world.) The trip was an optional trip for my film class, so seven NYU students came, as well as one girl from Colorado who is studying abroad at the University of Ghana.

Last Friday we left for our 20 hour drive at 4:00 in the morning (I stayed up all night so I could sleep on the bus.) Eventually we ran into difficulties driving the bus, but we had an amazing time seeing what the rest of Ghana looked like— there are elephants in the north, so we kept our eyes peeled (“elephant watch”). We didn’t see any, but the climate and terrain in the north is incredibly different, they call it the bush (Accra, where we live, is right on the ocean and very tropical.)

The villages alongside the road were few and far between, but the ones that we did see were extremely welcoming. I finally saw some mud huts (again, I want to dispel the notion that all of Africa dwells in huts sans electricity and connection to the modern world, but there are places where people do live in huts… promise not to generalize this to all of Africa!) At one point, some of us girls were looking for a restroom and asked a local woman where we could find them. She took us on a hike through the village and the surrounding forest, and eventually stopped and said “pick any tree you want here.”

We spent the night in Tamale, northern Ghana, because it is dangerous to drive too late into the night (there aren’t street lamps away from the cities, and some of the roads are pretty bad). The next day we were eager to get into Burkina Faso and FESPACO!

As soon as we crossed the border, which went remarkably smoothly, everything changed completely. Ghana is an Anglophone country completely surrounded by Francophone countries, so the first change was the French. I was the only person on the trip who spoke French, so Kingsley (our film TA who was in charge of the trip) had me translate. I was super nervous about it but overall I was happy for the experience— Burkinabe people were eager to help me communicate and learn, and no one was critical of my mistakes.

Another evident change was the climate- it is a much hotter and dryer country, and there was dust everywhere. We also saw tons and tons of motorcycles, which is the primary means of transportation in Burkina Faso (they were outlawed in Ghana for a while to prevent theft, so we don’t see a lot around here). Even mothers with babies will drive motorcycles, which was shocking at first.

Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, was only a couple of hours from the border. We went straight to the FESPACO grounds (which took some time to find…) to see whether the commencement ceremony was still going on. It was over but we found some delicious steak sandwiches, baguettes, and French fries, so no problems.

During the days at the festival, we attended a professional panel that included some of the most influential film makers in Africa. It was quite the honor to hear their dialogue on African cinema. I learned a lot, and there were two film makers in particular who peaked my interest, women who made a film called “The Witches of Gambaga” about women in Northern Ghana who are accused of witchcraft and therefore condemned to a life of isolation. Two of my professors were on the panel (I had no idea that they were such a big deal! I was honestly a bit star struck…) so I had the opportunity to speak with these directors in person. They gave me some great advice about my own documentary, and inspired me to use the arts as a means to promote social justice.

The afternoons and evenings, of course, were reserved for seeing films. There were many to choose from, of all sorts of nationalities. Many were in French or in indigenous languages with French subtitles, but I wanted to see as many nationalities as possible regardless of language. We worked our way through the city to get to the right theatres (trickier than it sounds) and ultimately I saw nine films.

My favorite three (note: I understood French movies, but not as well as English movies. This most definitely impacted my viewing experience.)

High Chicago- Canada

A drama about an African American man who dreams to open a drive-in theatre in Africa. There is a lot of social commentary about what it is to be African- the main character identifies with his African heritage but many other black characters do not.

Bullets Over Brownsville- US (the only American film in the festival, I believe)

A docu-drama about the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville and all of the violence that occurs there. Very heightened style, but I felt it conveyed the message well.

The Witches of Gambaga- Ghana

A documentary that I have already described, very compelling about women’s place in Ghanaian society.

I also heartily enjoyed a series of seven short films (counted as one in my ‘movies viewed’ count) of a variety of nationalities- Mozambique, South Africa, Lebanon… The general theme was ‘children.’ One was about abuse, one was an interpretation of a traditional folk-tale… good stuff.

As I briefly mentioned already, the food in Burkina Faso is out of this world. Definitely influenced by the French culture, the bread and the beef were fabulous. It was a refreshing change- I like Ghanaian food, but I liked Burkinabe food more.

The trip was also a great opportunity for us NYU students to bond. The trip wasn’t without it’s challenges, and the seven of us were able to get to know and love each other a lot in the process. I have come to realize how much the people you travel with shape your experience…

Eventually, we made our way home. We stayed in Bolga Tanga for one night after crossing the border, and then arrived safely in Accra uneventfully.

Because I procrastinated on writing about this trip (right after I got back I had midterms, then spring break), there are some details I am simply too lazy to include. Highlights of my time in Accra since then:

1.) Meeting the Vice President of Ghana and attending a reading of his autobiography.

2.) Meeting a Ghanaian Chief.

3.) Having children at City of Refuge fight over who gets to sit in my lap.

4.) Seeing the progress of the new school that City of Refuge is building.

And, probably the most exciting event to transpire,

5.) Taking part in a feed at City of Refuge: we took 1200 meals to a rural village and gave them to children in need (they partner with a church in the village.) These people clearly care for the children of Ghana in all capacities. It was challenging and exhausting, and I learned a ton.

More to come!

Spring break, otherwise known as "The Lion King" (a misleading title because I actually never saw any lions...)

This past week has been a definite highlight for my semester abroad. Last Saturday, several of us headed out early in the morning on an STC bus (which is similar to greyhound): the destination? Mole National Park. The plan was to spend a few days in Mole, and then head up to Burkina Faso (might as well make use of that visa, eh?) for Nazinga National Park.

Mole is approximately 14 hours north of Accra, and it is the largest wildlife reservations in Ghana. It is one of the only places in Ghana where you can see wild elephants, among other things.

En route we stopped in Tamale, which is directly north of Accra, for the night. Upon arrival we had no hotel, so it took a few tries before we found vacancy. Luckily, the cab drivers were nice, and the hotel had running water and— the ultimate luxury— air conditioning! Unfortunately, however, there were no options for food. After a full day of traveling without meals, some of us were more devastated by this fact than others.

There are two buses that run from Tamale to Mole, one at four am and the other at two pm. We arose early to purchase out tickets for the later bus, and finally got to eat at a nearby restaurant. For the foodies out there, I had fried plantains and fried rice J After eating we headed to the bus station, so as to be prompt for our next departure.

Two pm came and went… then three o’clock… then four, five, six… we began to wonder whether the bus was, in fact, coming, but others were also waiting on the bus and our guidebooks stated that the Mole bus is frequently late. At a quarter to seven, the bus arrived, and we were happily on our five-hour bus ride to the park.

We arrived too late to see anything that night, so we simply retired to the rooms we had (thankfully) reserved. The resort included a pool and a restaurant. It wasn’t super fancy, but it had everything we needed- three beds per room and a shower. (The further north you get, the dustier it is. We were filthy after traveling.) The best times for viewing animals is in the early morning, and then around dusk, due to the heat— those are the times when animals get water etc. Several people in our group decided to go on the six am tour the next day, but, seeing as how we got in around two am, I opted for some much needed rest. I was able to eat (more than one meal per day! How rare.), swim, and take in the nearby sights until around four, when we went on a car safari tour.

Mole is well known for being one of the cheapest safaris out there. The car tour was approximately 15 cedes per person, or $10 US, for three hours— such trips can cost thirty times that. I chose the red four by four and climbed onto the roof for the journey (it could seat several at a time, technically, but on top of the car there were literally just a few boards attached to sit on. Not really any safety precautions or anything… It was perfect.) Our guide was equipped with a gun, which was the sole means of protection for our entire stay in Mole, and off we rode into the deepest parts of the bush to see what there was to see.

There was an abundance of antelope, bushbuck, crocodiles, baboons, some other kind of monkey that I forgot the name of (they have long tails and they are brown on top and white on the bottom…) etc., but elephants had yet to be cited. Finally, our guide’s expert eyes spotted a group of three elephants, so we hopped out of the car to go get a closer look. Allegedly it is necessary to keep a 50-meter distance from the elephants for safety- they are enormous, fast, and extremely dangerous when they want to be, and thanks to poachers they are often terrified of humans. We, however, we able to get quite close (but not too close, the guide would get mad), and the first citing was definitely a spiritual experience. What amazing creatures!!!

The car safari led to many other wonderful discoveries, and overall it was probably my favorite tour of the trip. After it was over, we ate dinner (Gasp! A second meal!) and star gazed until retiring early for the full day to come. Tuesday morning I awoke for the six am tour, where we walked through the bush with our guide. We were lucky, there were elephants out that day, and I got about ten feet from one! We also saw crocodiles, warthogs, etc. It was a great morning hike.

Later in the day we did a canoe tour. First we walked through a village, which was very traditional (mud huts, chief, etc.), and then we canoed the river, which was very relaxing. We saw some cool birds, but no crocodiles, even though there is no doubt in my mind that they live in the murky waters we were on— they probably were scared off by the canoe.

In the early evening, some of us trekked off to do a ‘tree hike’— we walked an hour into the dusk to a large tree house, where we were to spend the night. We had reserved the tree house and the guides the night before, but when we arrived for the beginning of the hike another group was there: they had reserved the hut and guides that morning. Sometimes Ghanaian customer service is seriously lacking- they blamed both groups for the double booking and almost didn’t let us go on the hike. It was frustrating, but because we knew the other group (they are students in another abroad program who we see around Accra sometimes) they allowed us to all go together.

When we got to the tree hut it was completely dark. The stars were unreal. We didn’t see animals (I had been hoping for a lion siting), but we heard plenty. The people in my group awoke at 2am to leave for the 4am bus, so off we went into the darkness again.

Our journey to Burkina Faso was to be long and complicated. First stop: Labaragaga, where we could catch a bus to Wa (then to Hamile and then over the border…) We arrived at around 4:30, and were immediately taken in by a school teacher who let us sleep on mats- the most comfortable mats in the entire world! We awoke around six for a tour of the village, including seeing the oldest mosque in Ghana. Village children followed us everywhere we went, and the whole town was friendly and accommodating. We also saw them making Shea butter and bought some for cheap.

The trip to Wa felt quick, and from there we found a trotro to Hamile. I would not recommend trotros for long distances, it was super crowded and uncomfortable, but it was cheap and we got there. We crossed the border without much difficulty and then…

… realized that we had no idea how to proceed. There weren’t any bus stations or trotros to be found, and the border town was small and without food (we ate very very little this break.) Eventually we negotiated for a car to take us to Leo for the night, and the next morning we would head to Nazinga. The car was incredibly overpriced, but we weren’t in a position to turn it down, so we took it. It was in terrible condition, making for an uncomfortable ride.

MEANWHILE, I was translating for the group (Burkina is ALLLL French), which was good practice, but sometimes out of my league.

We got to a horrible little hotel in Leo, where we secured two beds for the seven of us. The rooms were dirty but cheap, and we were all so tired and dusty that we didn’t care- that was the best and worst shower of my life.

 The next morning we had to hunt for water. It took a while, but we secured some bottles to sustain us. We also secured a car that was once again overpriced. It was one before we left due to technical difficulties, but once on the road our spirits lifted. We were finally within range of the park!!!

We arrived and INSTANTLY spotted elephants. Nazinga was much more remote than Mole, and the journey from the entrance of the park to the dorms was 55 km in and of itself, so there were less people to scare off the wildlife. There weren’t tours like there were in Mole, so most of our time there was spent sitting by the watering hole and observing the elephants swimming and bathing. They would march right by our dorms in the morning! It was incredible. There were also monkeys and baboons and crocs and warthogs and such, but it was the elephants that I really loved.

Nazinga was relaxing, I was able to eat more than once a day and sleep plenty and read and reflect, which at that point was much needed. Additionally, the staff were incredibly nice- the cook joked with us that we could swim in the watering hole, and I said that were afraid of the crocodiles so he offered to mount an elephant and shoot them for us (it was funnier in French.)  Saturday morning we left around ten, hoping to make the journey without stopping at a hotel.

We ended up making it home in 24 hours without stopping, but it was a long and difficult journey. Still, I was ecstatic to save on hotel costs and to sleep in my own bed again.

Overall, break was a huge learning experience. We “roughed” it a bit, which built character, but in spite of the lack of comfort in some aspects of the trip, we had a great time.

Help us to deworm trafficked children in the Volta region!!! NOW.

As I have mentioned, City of Refuge is a ministry that rescues trafficked children from the Volta region of Ghana, and works towards their rehabilitation. Many children are taken from their homes, often through luring parents to ‘sell’ the children with promises of education and adequate food and shelter. Needless to say, these children receive no education and are in poor health. They work in fishing communities, untangling nets (apparently smaller fingers are faster at this sort of work) and other hard labor without hope of freedom or opportunity.

The rescued children from COR are schooled and live together in a house, around 20 children total as of right now (babies included.) Additionally, the Ghanaian government often asks for assistance from City of Refuge in housing and caring for abandoned, abused, and orphaned children. I have NEVER seen a nonprofit that is so well organized, culturally appropriate (the couple that started COR hires and trains Ghanaians to work towards awareness of trafficking and rehabilitation), and loving. The children there are remarkable, and are given the very best of opportunities to lead fulfilling lives and meet their individual needs.

April 1^st-4^th I will have the opportunity to travel to the Volta region to deworm, feed, and register trafficked children. Because COR is currently at capacity, they cannot offer shelter to anymore children, but they take special care to keep track of every child who is a potentially trafficked child, and follow up with the government to try and bring aid to the situation.

$10.00 will deworm a child for one year: the parasites that the children are afflicted with rob their bodies of food, therefore stunting growth, as well as cause significant pain and illness becomes frequent. Treating worms is the first step in helping these children to lead healthier, stronger lives.

PLEASE consider donating to this incredibly worthy cause. 10 dollars is… 2 grande lattes. About 3 gallons of gas. 4 swipes on the subway. This miniscule amount of money can make an enormous impact on a global scale (you can give more, too if you want).

To donate, go to the City of Refuge (Ghana) website at:

www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/

And click the link to donate. You can specify that you want the money to go towards de worming medications. If you have any questions don’t hesitate