Ghana program field trips
Plan to arrive in Ghana by June 13.
- On the weekend of June 14 and 15 we'll plan an orientation to acquaint you with the campus as well as Accra (including visits to the national museum, the WEB Dubois Center, the beach, the Arts Center, Osu).
Classes start June 16, and run Monday to Thursday for the following four weeks. On each of the three weekends thereafter we'll offer an optional trip:
- June 20-22: To the beach at Kokrobite, a small fishing villagejust outside Accra, for some r&r, combined with study of Ga music, dance, culture with master musicians and dancers of the Kokrobite Dance Ensemble, and (if he's around) with Ghanaian master drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy as well. We may stay at the funky Big Milly's Backyard (http://www.bigmilly.com/) or at Moustapha's compound, depending on preferences and feasibility. The evenings feature wonderful performances by the Kokrobite ensemble, as well as a reggae band.
- June 27-29: Cape Coast and Elmina (historical sites, where we will tour the dreaded slave castles, key nodes in the infamous slave trade) and Kakum forest (one of the few well-protected tropical rainforests of West Africa, featuring a 350 meter canopy walk, the only such tree-bridge in Africa and lots of wildlife). Our base for this trip is Han's Cottage (http://www.hansbotel.com/) with its amazing crocodile pond.
- July 4-6: Kumasi and environs. Kumasi is the center of the Asante nation where the Asantehene (ruler of the Asante people) resides in his palace. We'll tour the palace, as well as the largest outdoor market in West Africa and the Kumasi Arts Center, and try to arrange to study or watch performances of traditional Asante music and palmwine guitar by acclaimed master musician, Koo Nimo. If time allows we may also visit one or more of the famous craft villages on the outskirts of town, including the famed kente weaving center at Bonwire.
It is very hard to predict the exact cost of these optional trips, particularly as inflation is high, but I estimate each at between $100 and $200, all expenses included. We've not included them in your basic fees to make the trip more affordable. However they will really broaden your experience, and I hope you will all choose to participate in all of them. Last year nearly everyone did. It would be helpful to know whether you'd like to go as I can begin to plan now.
On Saturday July 12 we'll leave the University of Ghana campus for the Volta Region village of Dagbamete, for the (non-optional!) field portion of our program during the last two weeks, ending July 27. During this time there may also be opportunities to travel a bit in the Volta Region, and we will certainly visit the big market in Akatsi.
