Category: Blog 12
Greater Accra marks a week of Mills' demise
By Kayla Albrecht and Schuyler Durham Originally published in Public Agenda on August 3, 2012 Tuesday, July 31, marked the one-week anniversary of the demise of former president, Prof John Evans Atta Mills. The residents of Accra observed this event at the Efua Sutherland’s Children’s Park during a regional celebration. Thousands of mourning Ghanaians gathered Read More …
First Impressions – Ghana and God
Published in Public Agenda on August 3, 2012 It was my second or third day here in Ghana when my fellow University of Oregon students and I took a trip to the W. E. B. Dubois Center. We toured the luxurious home, filled with artifacts of his incredible life. Finishing the tour in a gazebo Read More …
Tro Poem
Lauren and I were taking the tro home from work today and we saw this beautiful golden sun setting behind the Flagstaff House, Ghana’s parliament building. It was quite gorgeous, with gold and pink rays of light scattering all over the glassy building, and I went to lean over and snap a picture but quickly Read More …
The Canopy Walk and Cape Coast Castle
One Month in Africa – My Reflection
Mosquito bites or zero water pressure no longer annoy me. They become a part of life that I have comfortably lived with during the past month. I no longer complain about how slow my work day is because I start losing the concept of time. It does not really matter what time it is. Everything Read More …
Kumasi drive-by
I took this little video several weeks ago while we were in the bus, driving through the heart of Kumasi’s central market. Enjoy the commentary by Kayla and Lana (discussing scandals associated with Barclays), as well as the bus’s music, courtesy of Robert, eerily synched to the pace of the events unfolding out of the Read More …
Ghana unveils new brand
Published in the “Daily Guide” on July 26, 2012 By Ryan Schoeck The vice-president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, second from left, sits in at the Brand Ghana Programme launch. Photo Credit: Ryan Schoeck With the official launch of the Brand Ghana programme Tuesday morning, then Vice President John Dramani Mahama discussed the importance Read More …
El Mina Castle
Some days are better than others
I like trotros. I like the feel of the city grit right out your window, humanity packed in like sardines hurtling through cars packed in like sardines. I like that the rich and the poor use them and that these things look like they are going to fall apart. This unique form of public/private transportation Read More …
How Kofi lost his wallet, fell in love with a casino manager named Sasha and built an allegiance to an unknown cab driver.
As a precursor to the story I’m about to tell I feel as though it’s necessary to say a few things first. (For those of who know me well feel free to skip down to the next paragraph). I, Joseph Russell Faltyn, am a bit of spaz. I know some stuff, sure. And for the Read More …
Cape Coast Castle
The emotional intensity of Cape Coast Castle is nearly impossible to encapsulate with words. I could tell you that standing on layers of hardened human waste in a dark dungeon feels so much worse than the stone gutters running alongside, though hundreds of years of decay have caused the two to resemble each other in Read More …
Surreal
Pack light. That’s the modern traveler’s mantra. I bought into the ‘pack light’ hype after lugging 200 pounds of luggage around Europe in 2008. So, packing for Ghana, I decided my laptop would be superfluous with my thinner, lighter, capable iPad. Boy was I wrong. In Ghana, this is basically all the iPad is good Read More …
Church: the three-hour ride
From the second we walked in we knew we were out of place. The harmonizing choir group, the amount of obibinis wearing traditional Kente cloth and beautifully wrapped headbands, and the massive cross that hung center stage—not to mention we were sitting in the children’s seating area. A woman asked for us to sit with Read More …
Gators in Ghana
Didn’t do much editing, but I figured with our limited internet access, it was more important to finally post this video. Also, I just realized that maybe they are crocs, not gators? I don’t know, but if that’s the case then just pretend the title is “Crocs in Chana” instead of “Gators in Ghana.” My Read More …