And the blogging returns....

So this past month and a half has been just plain busy! My apologies for my blogging absence. But alas, we are now sailing up the African coast and I have a little more time to blog once again. I believe today we are passing Guinea. More to come on the sail later. Let's stay in chronological order here....and start back in early November. Let the blogging begin! =)

The Ghanaian Life

Eleven of us headed to Ghana for a long weekend last month. We became tourists and saw a few sights such as the Kakum National Park Canopy Walk where we walked 30 meters above the ground and got a bird’s eye perspective of the forest.

Only one of four canopy walks in the world, we learned that some of the chemo drugs used back at home called Vincristine and Vinblastine come from the rosy periwinkle found here in the rainforest. How educational!

We also visited the Portuguese slave castle in Elmina, which is just one of many slave castles along the Ghanaian coast.  We learned that hundreds of thousands of slaves were captured in the African interior by slave-catchers and then sold to Portuguese traders in exchange for goods such as textiles and horses.

The slaves were subjected to all sorts of torture and indignities. They spent their days in dark dungeons, shackled, without room to live humanely. They were piled in so tight they couldn't lift their arms up and were made to eat and relieve themselves all in the same dungeon floor.  After their captivity, they were sent through the castle’s infamous “Door of No Return” to be transported and resold in the "new America." 

Next to the Door of No Return was this plaque: 

Also very educational, but very sad history. 

Next we went to Umbrella rock to get some good hiking in.

After our hike we had a chance to visit the waterfalls

The hike was long and the humidity was high.  Despite the signs we couldn't resist a quick dip.  Hopefully none of us encounter any parasitic friends in the months to come...we will see! =)

We also drove hours and hours on end to get to our daily destinations. But eleven people and a minivan can make for some interesting situations! Other than a few minor mishaps such as a breakdown in rural Benin...

...or the trunk flying open in Togo as we drove down the highway, we were good to go.

I came away from my Ghanaian experience with a new perspective on Africa. Ghana is one of the most developed West African nations. There are no zimi's (the ridiculous fatality-causing motorcycles and main mode of transit for many in Benin). Driving in Ghana without zimi's going every which way felt much more safe, not to mention more peaceful. The roads are regulated with guarded check points to ensure that there are no extra passengers in your car. Real in-the-ground gas stations are prevalent (and not just the imported Nigerian gas stands you see so often in Benin). And they speak English which is always nice. There were moments sitting in Ghana with my Mercy Ship friends that I thought I could be back at Kierland Commons after a day of shopping and eating appetizers in the sunshine. Snippets of my time in this African city of Accra were so similar to home.

However, not long after that thought, I was taken right back into my previous African mindset as I know in Benin. We went to get after-dinner drinks at a bar down the street and watched in awe as the amazingly limber African street performers did their acrobatic routines. While we were enjoying the street performers some girls of about ten or twelve came over and started talking to us. The first thing that came to mind was the fact that they were light-skinned. This caught me off guard as most everyone in Ghana is as dark as can be. While visiting the slave castle the previous day we learned that many light skinned Ghanaians were the product of rape, when the white government officials would rape the African slaves in the holding rooms of the slave castle. In chatting with these young girls we realized they weren't just looking to get to know a group of Americans. Rather they were working as child prostitutes and out to make a few bucks. Ugghhh. I was reminded that night on the streets of Ghana, that centuies later, slavery is still prevalent; perhaps not in the form we think of most, but it's there. Whether it be human trafficking or child labor exploitation or something else, there is a world of injustice right outside our door step if we care to look. So many of us are born into a life of privilege, while others will do just about anything to survive.  Unfortunately, sometimes that "anything" can be a bit harrowing.

As I'd hate to end my blog on such a negative note, I thought I'd leave you with this.  Gandhi once said we must be the change we wish to see in the world.  I have a friend in Phoenix who is doing just that in regard to this human injustice.  He works diligently to combat child prositituion in Phoenix.  You can check out some amazing work of his organization here. 

For the rest of my pictures of my weekend in Ghana (and definitely more uplifting!) check out this link here.