Desibah!

Desibah! When someone greets you with desibah (Good morning) or anteray (Good afternoon) or anaula (Good evening) you are supposed to say, “Naaaah!” in response. It’s a way of greeting back.


Our impromptu cook

 When we left Moonlite we went back across the street and found the woman who had made our dinner. I was surprised that she had given us the food with the promise that we would pay her for it the following day! She didn’t know us, but that’s the way things work here. Dinner cost 7 Ghana Credits – about 3.5 dollars.

I don’t know the woman’s name, but Justice, who had met her the night before, is very friendly with her and calls her, “Mahmie, Mahmie!” (as in mother.) There are another group of young women nearby with a huge (and I mean HUGE) metal bowl of beans. It took two of the women to put the bowl on top of the head of one of them and off she went. I’m thinking easily more than a hundred pounds.

We decided to stay for breakfast for an additional 5 Ghana Credits. There is a little dining area in front of her “bar” where we sat.

Wachi with beef

I had Wachi which is rice and bean mixture that had beef on top and spaghetti on the side.  (Don’t read this next part, Mother Renee) As we swatted flies from our food, Ernest told me that there are a lot of people who are so accustomed to swatting flies from their meal that it is a habit that they do even when there are no flies.

Hill Top Bar

We got back on the road to another site where I met my first female data entry clerk, Ukasha Goodman. They had been looking forward to my meeting her because we are both named Goodman. Considering how much teasing I have gotten for my name she must get it all the time. Since they told me they had been joking with her that I was her mother, I walked into the room and shouted, “My daughter!” and I gave her a big hug.

My "daughter" Ukasha Goodman and the
Site Manager in West Mamprusi District

Ernest noticed that, on the record she was entering she had listed that a household had not mosquito nets. He questioned her, “None?!” Ukasha informed him that the household members assume they will be told they have to share their nets. Since they don’t want to do that, they lie.

As we were getting ready to go they invited us to a witch’s camp. A few people from the office went with us as we just drove to the village across the street. We stopped at the chief’s house first to ask his permission, but when he wasn’t in we were told we can go anyway. So we drove through these very narrow passages between the compounds until we got to this school. Almost immediately women began to gather in the school. They were very prepared to have their picture taken. The leader of the group of women started telling us their story. There were a few translations going on as Samed would translate into the language that others knew and they would translate that into English.



The witch's camp

Then it became clear why they were so glad to tell their story. They survive by making beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings, soaps, and insect repellant balm. They wanted to sell it to me. I knew I couldn’t carry the soaps, and didn’t care for the balm, but I bought a lot of necklaces and bracelets for about $16. They want me to carry the message about their plight to others for more support. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/93961/GHANA-Reintegrating-the-nation-s-witches  



Sitting with accused witches

These women were accused of witchcraft when something bad happened in their communities. They would be given a trial which, if I understood correctly was decided by the way a guinea fowl would face after it was slaughtered. If it died face up, the woman was innocent. If it died face down or sideways, the woman was guilty. The normal punishment for witchcraft is death, but several years ago when a woman was being brought to her death the chief of this village asked what was happening. When he found out, he told her she could stay with him. Since then this area has become a refuge for accused witches. The children there are all children that were born after they arrived to this place. It is said that this chief is so powerful that after staying here for some time, the witches powers are reduced and some of them are able to go back home.  I don’t think they interact much with the rest of the community and there are electrical power lines that run around the whole village, but not in their area, so they have the first solar panel I’ve seen.



NOT for Mother Renee's eyes!
The washroom in West Mampusi



After all of that, we went back to the office where I washed up, we went back on the road back to the office. By the time we got there it was about three in the afternoon. We met briefly with the chief of party and worked for a few more hours. By then it had started to pour with the first rain that I've seen this whole trip. Obviously, my umbrella was back in my room in the (now clearly luxurious) Mariam Hotel.

When the power went out for the second time in the office we finally decided to call it a day and I was very glad for the comforts of the Mariam. It wasn't long before the power went out there too, but eventually power and internet was restored.