We started out the day getting breakfast at the usual place but we were fortunate enough to get to sleep in, so we arrived an hour later than usual. After breakfast, 9 students went to the Methodist Church of Tamale. The service started at 9 am but we were uninformed of the time and arrived at 10:30 am. Thankfully, the congregation was very kind and welcomed us despite arriving half way through the service. We really appreciated the opportunity to experience a different church service than any of us had attended before. Half the service was in English, while the other half was Twi. We learned to observe the body language and facial expressions of other people to understand what was going on. We also really enjoyed the church choir which stood on both sides of the chapel while they sang. Like last week, when we were at the Catholic mass, we were invited to stand at the front of the church and introduced ourselves as visitors. We were not the only visitors but we were the only international visitors. Several members of the group attend Methodist churches at home and they particularly enjoyed the opportunity to compare and be welcomed into a new Methodist community.
Following the church service, the class reunited at the Modern City Hotel to go swimming and relax. This allowed for us to relax and take time for ourselves after the busy week we have had.
Today’s Ghanian News:
Former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings has condemned the recent murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale and has supported calls by US Congressman Henry Johnson and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for investigation into the journalist’s death.
In other news, a gun manufacturing base has been discovered at Alavanyo, which is near the Volta basin region. A protracted conflict between the Alavanyo and Nkonya has led to a large number of weapon imports and stockpiling of assault weapons. The police say they are afraid to apprehend the manufacturers, saying the site is heavily guarded.
After breakfast, we gathered outside the hostel to have discussion on Martin Klein’s women and slavery in the western Sudan. Clyde takes issue with the reproduction argument that is usually used to describe women’s role in slavery, and sort to expand on Claude Meillassou argument that role of women in slavery should be examined in terms of their productive and reproductive capacities. In Klein’s support of this view, he argued that women worked more than men, and maintained a versatile skillset. This is due to the fact that they would spend their days working alongside men in the fields and then were also expected to take on additional domestic chores like spinning indigo, cooling and cleaning, fetching of fuel wood as well as taking care of children among others things.
Others factors made women preferred to men, for they were less Lilley to escape, and did more work than most men. women also provided a sense of family cohesion, which was manipulated by their masters to keep slaves from escaping. Women slaves were less likely to escape due to the fact that they were removed from any familial ties and had no home or community to escape to. Women also had less social mobility and economic freedom because female slaves made little to no money for their work compared to men who were able to make an income and potentially move upward within the household. Additionally, sexual exploitation was more prevalent for female slaves. Despite their marital status, female slaves bodies would be offered up to male guests, children of the masters, and even the masters themselves without consent. Additionally, when raiders would enter villages, males would tend to fight back causing a higher rate of injury and/or death among males, where as females typically would not. Because of this, in South Sudan there were a significantly higher amount of female slaves. The class excited for the opportunity to learn about an intersection not usually talked about in the discussion of slavery within Africa.
Later that morning, a local seller named Vida came to our hotel to show us her traditional smock fabrics, that are made by looms. The woman kindly dressed some of us up in the traditional Dagombas clothes, and a few of us made purchases. Others tried on some of the clothes.
We spent the afternoon at the Tamale Cultural Tours Youth Home, where we were entertained by local dancers.
The Youth Home has a mission to use indigenous music as a tool for social change. The first dance they performed was called the Jerah dance, that reenacted a hunting scene.
We were also extremely impressed by their skills and elaborate outfits.
The second dance was called Olenge, which is typically a social dance performed in the Savannah region during special occasions like weddings, funerals, or birthday celebrations. This dance also used as a mechanism to promote social cohesion among societies. Before the third dance, one of the men gave us the opportunity to try out some traditional steps.
They split us into pairs and we got a good laugh out of seeing each other out of our comfort zones.
The third dance was called the Bamaya. Originally this dance was performed by women, as a celebration of the rainfall after a dry season, but it later shifted to a dance done solely by men. Because of this, the men performing the dance were dressed in skirts to depict women.
After the dancing, we took a look around a shop also affiliated with the youth home. There, we learned that all of the items there were handmade by single mothers and kids within the community.
A lot of us ended up making purchases to support the local artists. Also, many of us joined in a pickup game of volleyball where we got the opportunity to interact with some local kids.
After our visit, we had a free evening and got dinner at our usual spot in town.
Today, we got breakfast as usual and then headed to the hotel courtyard for a discussion about the assigned readings by by J. D Fage and Walter Rodney. We split into two groups, and argued for both sides.
One group focused on Fage’s assertion and whether or not slavery and the slave trade was indigenous, widespread and natural to Africa before European encounter. In the end, it comes down to definition, and how slavery is defined. Fage, argues that slavery started within West Africa before the slave trade and that Europeans simply tapped into an already market and that slavery and the slave trade did not adversely affect demographic balance in Africa. This was highly contested especially in regard to his timing and sources, which were mostly Portuguese.
The other group examined Walter Rodney’s argument that the slave trade changed the form of servitude within Africa, in direct contradiction to the assertions of Fage. Rodney, a Guyanese activist, claimed slavery was not indigenous to Africa, and that although they had other forms of servitude, the slave trade transformed and introduced a new form of servitude, after all the term slave did not originate in Africa. For Rodney, European and Arab contact simply transformed a humane and aspects of an African culture into what would be termed slavery and the slave trade. Rodney also had issues of over generalization.
We also discussed historical truth, and the importance of analyzing narratives such as Alhaji Yakubu of Salaga and the main points of his father’s story as someone being captured from a royal house.
The most important issue in the news for the day was about the overlord of the Gonga kingdom, Yagbonwura Sulemana Jakpa Tutumva who expressed his preference for Damongo as the choice for the regional capital of the Savannah region. Establishing of Damango as the regional capital ends a dispute between the youth of Damango and Salaga (where we visited recently) for the choice of location.
Additionally, The Ghanaian government set up a committee to review the development plans for the six new regions from the 27th of 2018 referendum. Gonjalanders are currently creating framework for the new regional capital and development for the people within the region.
After that, we took a highly anticipated trip to the market to purchase traditional African fabrics with more colors and patterns than you could ever imagine. Prof. Abdulai brought us to his favorite tailor, and many students were measured for skirts, pants, headbands, etc. Our group will look fresh in the new attire upon arrival to St. Olaf.
We made our way over to the daily lunch spot, and chowed down on some kelewele (fried plantains), rice, noodles, special sauce, and chicken with a side of hibiscus juice (yum). Post lunch, some relaxed and played cards while others played with a few of the local kids we see everyday.
In the afternoon, students took naps and a few made their way to a grocery store or gas station for a few snacks. We chilled on top of the bus and listened to music after the majority of people woke up from naps. Morgan and Vanessa ran/walked in circles around the courtyard to get a few more steps in while others watched and wished they had joined.
We ended our night with crisp pineapple and tangy mango at the top of our Ghanaian hostel.
Today, as usual, we woke up early for breakfast. Well, most of us did. Two of us overslept and two were sick. Breakfast was at the usual place but afterwards the group stopped by the shop of the man who sold Vanessa a defective bag – attempting to get a refund. After some persuasion from Prof. Abdulai and Jay-Z, they were successful in receiving the refund.
We then picked up those who were left behind and headed to the University for Development Studies, Nyankpala campus, to meet a group of college students. Upon arrival, we were introduced to the dean of students, Dr. Raphael Adu-Gyamfi, who brought us to the library with the group of local students.
After an icebreaker, we had some time to just chat with those who were sitting around us, talking to them about a variety of topics including the silences inherent in discussions of the slave trade, and Slavery and what it is like to live in a communal society, and what different people were studying in school.
After this short conversation, we regrouped, and led by Prof. Iddrisu we talked in a more formalized setting. Right off the bat, we got into a conversation about the lack of acknowledgement of Ghana’s (and in particular, the Northern Region’s) role in the historical slave trade. One student discussed the problematic ways that some Ghanaian students are taught about the history of slavery: it’s collapsed into a social science discipline and taught only as a topic at the Jnr High school (Middle School), and at the University it’s taught through African Studies, a required subject for all students, but where slavery is only one of the topics. Their understanding that slavery began in Northern Ghana after colonization, and as part of debt payment was highly concerning, for our visits to Slave markets (Saakpuli, Pikworo and Salaga) that date as far back to the 17th and 18th centuries made these more complicated.
Some aspects of the conversation, and that also stood out, are captured below:
1. Some of the Ghanaian students talked about how the discussion of slavery is no longer relevant because what happened is in the past and there are more important issues to learn and discuss in today’s society. For some, their education should be focused on what to bring to the dining table, and learning about the history of slavery does not apply to the specialized education that these students receive.
2. We also discussed the fact that there are situations around the world today that constitute modern-day slavery. Examples include sex-trafficking around the world, the exploitation of those with no immigration status, and slavery in Libya.
3. One of the students talked about how one of his professors, not at UDS, had an incredibly negative view of white people, introducing a discussion surrounding the different dynamics in racial relations both in Ghana and in the United States. Prof. Abdulai made a point to discuss the fact that we do not blame a child for the sins of their parents, and that very many segments of society were complicit in the slave trade and one can not just blame Europeans, who definitely had African collaborators, though not all Africans were collaborators. And more so, the world religions of Islam and Christianity used the scripture to justify historical slavery and no one has yet abandoned his religion because of its previous involvement in the slave trade. Pope John Paul II, on a visit to the “Gate of No Return” at Goree Island, apologized for the role of the church in the slave trade. And Mandella also wept on a visit to the same place. A demonstration, according to Prof. Iddrisu, quoting from his chapter on “History of Evil: The African Slave Trade” of the goodness in humanity and that every generation has to deal with the burden of the obnoxious institution of Slavery and the slave trade.
4. Following this discussion, we got into talking about the reality of conditions of the United States and Europe. Before traveling to the United States, Tina (St. Olaf), before trading to America, had heard that there were no homeless people in the streets of the U.S. and that the H.I.V. virus did not exist in the states. Many of the students said that they had heard similar things and both Abdulai and Tina warned the students not to over-idealize America and that they can be happy and successful no matter where they are in the world, just remember to work hard and not be deceived by Hollywood on your screens.
This talk was incredibly valuable in our study of how the people in Ghana see and talk about (or don’t talk about) the issue of slavery. We meet some incredible people and even exchanged email addresses so that we can stay in contact. Our visit was concluded with the usual picture and walked to their cafeteria to buy the students lunch as a “thank you” for taking the time to talk to us.
We drove to Miliki Cool for lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax for the day. While at the hotel, we got to witness some of the most prominent news that has been covered while we have been here in Tamale. Many of the parties that were attending the funeral in Yendi were back on the road, heading home to resume life as usual. Hundreds of people were crammed inside and on-top of huge trucks flying down the freeway, banging on drums and whopping with excitement.
We started our day as usual, with breakfast. While we were there, we learned about the conditions surrounding the death of the King at Yendi. 16 years ago, he was assassinated by political rivals. While there was substantial evidence pointing to the perpetrators and potential involvement by members of the Ghanaian government, they were never prosecuted for their crimes. Thus, the funeral was delayed until now, January 2019, when tensions have subsided enough for the ceremony to take place.
We then began our four-hour drive toward Pikworo Slave Camp, which is located in Nania. On our way there, we took a break so people could use the restroom. Between Navrongo and Paga (two villages we encountered on our way to Pikworo), Prof. Abdulai made sure we noted the high density of gas stations along the 5 mile stretch of highway. A grand total of 20 gas stations was recorded, and they are thought to play a role in the illegal distribution of gasoline between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
We arrived at Pikworo Slave Camp. Temperatures at the time of our arrival were over 100 degrees, and there was little shade at the site. We met our guide, Richard Azumah and began our tour. The camp was established by a slave raider called Bagau in 1704. He kept his place of origin a secret. Later on, the camp was utilized by such slave Raiders as Babatu and Samori. We were first shown the trees where slaves were shackled from dawn until dusk. From there, we clambered onto a rocky plateau, which is speculated to have served as the slaves’ “dining hall.”
A cleft in the stone provided a year-round supply of water. This source would make the site ideal for a slave camp, as water in this region can be scarce. Nearby, there were dimples in the rockface that are believed to have served as bowls for slaves’ meals.
These bowls were carved out by the slaves themselves; larger bowls were used by more slaves. It was also mentioned that slaves at this camp were not bathed prior to their sale to middlemen who would march them to Salaga. From this area, we were led to the “entertainment center” where the slaves allegedly would provide entertainment to their peers in the form of their traditional songs and dances. However, our guide also mentioned that the masters composed songs for the slaves to sing, and that were made to praise those holding them in captivity. To some of us, this seemed odd, to say the least. A rock, which could be struck to provide different pitches, served as a replacement for traditional drums.
The masters believed that the entertainment boosted morale amongst the slaves and kept them from trying to escape, whether by fleeing or by taking their own lives. Following a performance by local villagers on the drumming-rock, we were taken to the area where slaves were likely traded by raiders to slave-runners in exchange for arms and trinkets.
The area was a large, flat rock, overlooked by a ridge where the auctioneer could call prices and buyers could inspect the captives. We moved from this area to what is believed to have been a “lookout point,” which was a naturally-formed stone structure from which the whole of the camp could surveilled.
The main enemies faced by the raiders, according to our guide, were locals from the village who sought to free the slaves—if they were defeated (which apparently, they were at every instance), they were taken as slaves themselves.
We moved down from the position to a clearing that served as a mass gravesite for slaves. Rocks, placed in circles around a central stone, marked the grave of five to six slaves. Multiple grave-markers were scattered about the site. Like at Salaga, the slaves buried here did not receive the proper funeral rites required in the traditional African belief system, and therefore could not commune with their ancestors.
In this area, it is believed that their souls, trapped in our realm, disturb the living, and various traditions must be performed to put them at ease. Lastly, we were shown what is thought to be the “punishment rock,” where slaves were chained down and forced to watch the sun during the daytime, often going blind in the process.
Other slaves would be made to watch them suffer for their offenses against the masters. Upon a slave’s third visit to the rock, they would be executed and added to the mass grave. Many of the students considered Pikworo to be the most moving slave site that we have visited during our time in Ghana.
Much of this site, while moving, requires us to consider the information provided to us not just as tourists, but as students. Paga and Nania are believed by many to be the first stop from the interior to the coast, where slaves would have been brought to various colonies. The Diasporic tourism industry based in Southern Ghana often omits the events and realities faced by the people of the underprivileged Northern regions. Additionally, little to no archaeological research has been performed at Pikworo and other slave monuments, likely due to lack of adequate funding from the government and general sense of shame surrounding the slave industry of antiquity. At times, the stories told at these sites must rely on oral histories, which can be influenced by memories and descriptions of the slave experience in other areas, like the United States, Caribbean Islands and Brazil.
From Pikworo, we moved to the Paga Chief Crocodile pond, where for GHC 15 for a chicken, to be given to the croc and an additional entrance fee, you can take up-close photos with real crocodiles at minimal risk of dying. It took some time to lure a croc out of the water, but once it was out, our group enjoyed taking some photos with our scaly reptilian friend. Afterward, the croc was rewarded with a live chicken for its patience.
Our guide gave us a brief story on the legendary origins of the crocodile ponds and the village’s peaceful coexistence with them. In brief summary, the son of a chief, named Nave, was pursued by his murderous brothers seeking the throne which he was promised by his father, the chief of Kampala. After promising to a wild river crocodile that he and his descendants would never again harm the crocodiles, the creature brought him to safety so he could establish his own village in what is now Paga. According to our guide, the docile crocodiles are free to wander about the town, and never consume the flesh of villagers or their animal companions.
Because Paga is near the border of Burkina Faso, we took a brief stop there to see Ghana’s northern neighbor from up close.
Afterwards, we started on the long road south to Tamale. Good night!
This morning we woke up to a missing Abdulai and spent about 15 minutes looking for him around town with Jazee and Kwbana. Then on our way to Bf he joined us. He left early to greet his late wife’s mother. At BF we had our typical breakfast and Buffloaf, which resembles a huge fried donut balls. They were excellent along with the omelets, coffee, Milo and another fried treat made out of bean flour, koshe.
It was the day of the NGOs, and abreakfast, we started our tour of some of the local NGO’s. On our way to our NGO tours, we got to experience Prof. Iddrisu’s rendition of Happy Birthday, which involves the insertion of “you will live for 100 years and achieve all your goals with happiness” to the tune of the original happy birthday song. It was a good laugh and was an excellent start to Li’s Birthday.
School for Life
The first NGO of the day was “school for life” that provides education to underserved communities in Ghana. Their goals are to give students a head start so they can quickly assimilate into the formal school system. They have had a presence in Tamale for 20 plus years and have been very successful. During our visit, we had a short description of what the organization does and watched a documentary. The documentary talks about the sacrifices many families make in northern Ghana to provide their children access to education. This often comes in the form of picking and choosing which children can go to school and which ones have to stay home and work on the farm or taking care of the elderly family. Labor of the household is a significant issue and a common barrier that prevents children from going to school. This is especially true when it comes to the girl-child because there is an expectation for them to take care of the family and children. Marriage also hinders the education of girls.
“School for life” is a community driven NGO created by the Danish government. Their goal is to reform the education system across all 50 districts in Ghana.The program requires that all classes have at least 13 girls out of 25 students in each class. The classes focus on reading, writing and also professional behavior. “school for life” makes all materials free so socioeconomic status does not prevent any children from learning. Additionally, the classes are taught in the local language so children can understand their education right from the start although English is still shown in the programs. School for life Serves 248,000 children, out of those children 91% have graduated and transitioned to formal school systems or on to higher education.Today there is more collaboration between the government and the school for life organization; however, funding is low. Only 1% of the GDP of Ghana goes to education, and even they’re not sure how much of that could be spent on those who had had no access to formal education. And Alhaji Karimu Mohammed, our speaker expressed that that was indeed not enough to reach their goals. They heavily rely on donations and help from other NGO’s such as Unicef. They’re however hopeful and urging the non formal education sector of the Ghana education service to work closely with School for life in achieving the MDG in providing access to education for all.
After the presentation we had the opportunity to ask questions, and here are a couple of the questions asked and their answers.
1. Where does the money funding these programs come from?
– UNICEF is one of the largest donors, the Danish government still provides aid, and the Ghanian government provides a small number of funds.
2. What are the largest problems you face?
– The most considerable challenges “ School for Life” faces are influencing the families to let their children go to school and the fact that they can only support classes of 25 children in each community which leads to many children still not receiving an education.
3. What’s the extent of involvement of Ghana’s ministry of education?
– In 14 districts there is high involvement of the government especially when it comes to funding, however as said before on 1% of the counties GDP goes to education most of which go tosalary payments and not much might be left for our type of focus. But, we are still hopeful that the diatricts will continue to help us achieve our goal of “no child left behind” to steal of quote from our American system.
4. Are there any problems finding teachers?
– the more significant challenge is finding female teachers
– they must be able to speak the local language of the people and must have completed secondary/Snr High school. Sometimes these requirements are stretched in some areas. School for Life is a very successful program because they provide education at flexible times as well as schooling focused on agriculture and hygiene. School for life plays a significant role in identifying and combating gender inequalities which has increased the education rate of girls substantially.
Here is a link to their website if you want to check out the organization yourself.
http://lise98.wixsite.com/schoolforlife
Oxfarm/IBIS
After “School for Life” we headed down the street to OXFAM. OXFAM is an NGO that Advocates for global issues especially the ones covered in the MDG and SDG’s set by the United Nations. To name a few the organization is working in food security, inequities in society, education and closing the gender gap. OXFAM faces large funding problem because similarly to “School for Life” not a lot of the governments budget goes to the education of fixing inequities.
The discussion was focused on how OXFAM is fixing inequities in the youth community especially when it comes to education. Ghana’s government has the policy to create senior level schools, but many communities, especially in northern Ghana, do not qualify for the schools, OXFAM fulfills the human right of education to these communities.
OXFAM gives children a head start in these communities then move them to primary school much like School for Life, an NGO, they woke closely with. All their programs are taught in the native language and focus on reading and writing as well. There is a large amount of collaboration with school for life resulting in OXFAM being as successful as “school for life.”
Another project is to increase the awareness of the marginalization of young girls and through education. OXFAM works with state partners to identify the problems in the educations system, such as bullies and teachers that are not gender conscious. OXFAM combated these inequalities by creating a junior high school for only girls as a research project to see if girls were more successful if there were no boys present. This program was replicated in many district and was equally successful. When asked by one of us if this is the best solution, Mr. Wumbei Dokrugu, I tinted that OXFAM recognized that in the future this is not the solution, but for now, it’s the best model. The all-girl schools had very high success with of 100% pass rate. This resulted in OXFAM creating more all-girl school in communities. For equality, OXFAM also provides the same amount of boys schools as girls schools.
They are also taking their gender advocacy to the national level, stressing the fact that the inequities in the education world are based on gender inequalities. OXFAM also holds communities responsible for local issues . Especially in the decentralization of education. OXFAM is creating a network within the education community to shape policy, criticize policy and provide input on policy for the government primarily increase community involvement. OXFAM has been successful in making the government review the current textbooks and making them at the correct comprehension level so children can learn properly.
RAINS
Next, we went to RAINS where we met the program manager, Mrs Wedada. RAINS is a local organization formed by Ghanaians in the northern region who started to take on some of the challenges that Ghana was facing. Launched in 1993 it’s nonprofit that responds to developmental difficulties.RAIN’s started with the challenges of providing primary education that gave equal opportunity to boys and girls. RAIN’s has had a fair amount of success in the community, for example, they set up the first all-girl senior high school in Tamale. This is important because especially in the north girls are underrepresented in school and were vulnerable to many challenges such as child marriage.
Additionally, RAIN’s is trying to decrease poverty, give more economic power to women, provide a voice for children and spread awareness about how climate change affects agriculture. RAIN’s is a very successful NGO in the northern region, and it was fascinating because a woman ran it. Wedada is a benefitiary of the program, which helped her finished he university education and now has two masters degrees.
This is significant because it was the only time it was a woman in a position of power talking about fixing gender inequalities. Inequalities she experienced and overcame. She was very inspiring.
Wadadu.
After the NGOs, we had a lovely lunch at our typical place. Today we had Jollof rice and spicy tomato sauce with fried chicken. After lunch, we had a crazy time trying to find some “American snacks,” but this wild goose chase led to the discovery that one of the essential chiefs in western Ghana was coming into Tamale today.
The Kumbungu Naa
This chief, the Kumbugu Naa, Abu Iddrisu, a retired director of the Survey Department, is the traditional war commander of the Yaa Naa, the overlord of Dagbon. So, it was a massive deal that he was coming through town. Prof. Iddrisu said that he was a warrior and one of his weapons was bees and that the bees follow him into war and wherever he goes. This was very interesting, and many of us wondered how that would work, but we noticed the bees are in a container carried by a bearer I front of the chief while he rides on a horse.
Tamale quickly turned into a large mass of people lining the streets and all stores were closed because of the arrival, and possible theft. We found a spot for our bus and waited for the chief to come by. It was a massive parade when the chief came near there were many men carrying machetes, bows & arrows, muskets and lots of dead chickens.
When the chief finally came near, he was riding a white horse dressed in all black with the bees in front of him in a large wood bin.
It was quite the affair, and Abdulai himself had never seen it before, and in his usual ease told us that “it’s not everyday the king of Dagbon dies.” The last time it was carried to Yendi at a Yaa Naa’s funeral was in 1974, but it was also carried to the only other funeral it comes out, in 2000, at the Yoo Naa’s funeral. It was not carried to Na Mohammed’s funeral in December was it’s carried only once in a year. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and many of us were shocked by what we just saw. The chief came into town because the overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II had died 16 year previously and the funeral was being held in Yendy, a city 60 miles outside of Tamaleand the Traditional capital of Dagbon. Chiefs from around northern Ghana have been arriving all week, and the funeral will host thousands of people. We are sadly unable to go because of the possible tension between the clans, but many of us were satisfied with today’s spectacle.
Happy Birthday 🎂 🎁 Li.
We ended the night with dinner and a quick birthday celebration for Li that included cake.
She expressed that she had never had a birthday like this and we all laughed and reflected on all we learned and experienced today.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, our first Sunday of not being on the road. We woke up to dry cool Harmattan weather. To the people of Tamale, January is the coldest time of the year, but not us from the U.S. and particularly from Minnesota, it feels extremely warm. What a contrast! Some people chose to sleep in, while others decided to join the rest of the group for breakfast at our usual spot, which was wonderful as usual. Some new additions to our meal included Buffloaf, koosei. and Millet Porridge.
After breakfast we watched a soccer game with Kwabena, our indefatigable driver, and the locals at the restaurant. Afterwards, Prof. Iddrisu took some people in our group who decided to attend service at the OLA Catholic Cathedral, which was located a couple of blocks from where we are residing.
Waiting for the English service
There were two services. The first was in Twi (native language) and Ewe and the second service was conducted in English. In the service that we attended they used more contemporary music and drums, ostensibly to appeal to the constituents, in the same way new music forms and drumming is now introduced into American churches.
The activities of service were similar religious rituals that are performed in Catholic churches except clapping, drumming, and dancing were incorporated. The drums added in a traditional Ghanian element not seen in catholic churches in the U.S. Interestingly, we were welcome in a special way by being invited to the sacred platform of the alter to introduce ourselves.
Outside the church were many muslims, as people of Ghana don’t mind which religion an individual chooses to practice and there is a strong multi-religious community!
After church, Prof. Iddrisu took many of us, who chose to go to the Modern City Hotel pool downtown, to cool off from the hot day.
We ordered pizza and fries at the pool and had a nice relaxing evening.
We appreciated our off day but are ready to jump right into tomorrow and learn about some NGOs in Tamale!
As per usual, we awoke this morning and made our way to our normal haunt for a breakfast of French toast and omelets. Upon finishing breakfast, we first made a quick stop at our hotel, Hamdallah, before beginning our day trip to Saakpuli, a 17th century slave market, 28 miles from Tamale.
On our drive north, we were able to observe the landscape change from grasslands surrounded by trees to more of a desert-like grassland. As we arrived, we were informed that there was no cell service in the town, and the only electricity was supplied by solar panels and used only to light the streets at night.
We began the visit into the village by meeting the chief and announcing our presence. His palace, like many other buildings in the village, was a thatched grass roof with the structure made from clay. He was very nice and made us feel welcome by emphasizing how much he appreciated visitors who come to see the history there.
After meeting with the chief, we piled on the bus to drive out to the drinking wells.
These wells were different than those we saw in Salaga. These wells were small and meant only for drinking as opposed to the larger wells used for both bathing and drinking we saw in Salaga. The wells are also of varied designs, and no wells are of the same design.
After the wells, we headed back to the village to visit the tree that slaves were chained to during the days of Slavery. Two groves were prominent on both sides, East and west of the tree, which was used as receptacles for cowries, the main currency for the trade.
We were even able to examine artifacts that an archeologist from the University of Ghana, Legon dug out from under the tree that suggest it was really a slave market, and there was a room close to the tree that collapsed burying all the stuff underneath. There were earthenware — pots for foods, weighing cowries and smoking pipes.
We all were taking pictures but Abdulai was very concerned about the bee hive on the tree and we ended by running away to avoid angry bees that weren’t there.
The entire time we were in the village, we were surrounded by curious children and we made friends with some of them.
We ended the visit by once again visiting the chief who had kindly put on his traditional garb so we could take a picture.
Above is a picture with James holding the staff of the chief, who had installed him as his Naazo, the chefs friend. The title invests James with the friendship with the chief and the only person who can criticize, riducule and make fun of the chief. We also see Emma taking the position of the chief’s wife, for the chief had pointed to her as his wife and asked her to stay. Of course, that was a joke.
As we got on the bus, we handed out all of our water to the children who then played with and drank the water.
We traveled back to Tamale where we had lunch at our usual spot. At the end of lunch we ran out to buy ice cream from a vender with a cooler connected to his bike as relief from the heat, as today was over 100 degrees. We finally headed back to the hotel to rest for the evening and pass the time as a group.
We dedicate this page to Dr. Lamin Sanneh, a professor at the Yale Divinity School, and a prolific scholar, whose writing on the Jakhanke clerics of Senegambia did so much to redefine scholarship on Islam in West Africa. His recent books include on Beyond Jihad (2016) and Home Coming (2018). He signed the latter copy for me during our last meeting of advisors for the establishment of the Sanneh Institute in Ghana from December 10 to 13. Born into a Muslim family, he however became a Christian, and worked so tirelessly on Christian Muslim dialogue. He passed on Jan 6, 2019. Our condolence to the wife and the children.
Picture taken when he signed my copy of Home Coming.
In Tamale
We all woke up for a morning breakfast, and afterwards set back to the hotel for forgotten items and bathroom breaks. After stopping for some fresh coconut water and pineapple for those who wanted it, we set out for a lecture by our very own Professor Abdulai Iddrisu. On the way to the lecture we witnessed the masses of people heading to the funeral of the overlord in Yendi (the capital of Dagbong).
For many chiefs, this is an important event as it marks the electotion of a new overlord of Dagbong. We witnessed buses filled with primarily men, many even riding on top when there lacked room inside the vehicle, the women sitting comfortably inside the cars. A few individuals were armed with muskets, as it is part of the funeral tradition to fire the musket at the service.
The news papers in Ghana are focusing on this event as the most important event of the day. The funeral marks tensions between chiefdoms towards who will secure the leadership position next and violence is threatening the peace of the funeral. (https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Dagbon-peace-process-threatened-one-dead-three-injured-in-renewed-clashes-714360).
We took a short bus ride to the University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus that specializes in agriculture and natural resources. Dr. Damba led us to Dr. Awuni, the head of department, who welcomed us to the campus. At the lecture, we discussed Islam’s understanding of slavery, and how it impacted the Atlantic slave trade. In preparation and in honor of Prof. Lamin Sanneh, who passed on Jan 6, and as described in the opening paragraphs, we all read, “Slavery, Islam and the Jakhanke People of West Africa.” We discussed the firm legal foundations upon which Islamic scholars in the past have viewed slavery. God created man to enjoy freedom, but to enjoy that freedom two conditions have to be fulfilled. First, is being a Muslim and the second, if not a Muslim is to convert or pay the dhimni tax, for protection by the Muslim community. However, this brings about lots of complications. Prof. Iddrisu added that Ahmad Baba, in response to questions intimated that people born as Muslims must not be enslaved, but quickly questioned how one was able to find out if someone was born a Muslim? Who has the luxury to stop in their procurement of slaves through war to question each one if they were born Muslim?
In any case, we also discussed the Jahanke clerics of Senegambia and their pacifist tradition traced to Sheikh Salim Suweri that stipulated that Muslims must not participate in war because of it’s negative impact on piety. Muslims must not also proselytize, for their own good behavior will serve as a model for others to emulate. But then, the clerics provided amulets and prayers for the likes of Samori and other slave raiders when they go to war, and were compensated with slaves. This allowed the clerics to focus on reading and clerical work, while the slaves did their agricultural work to feed them.
After the lecture, we attempted to pick up headscarves for the women in order to dress appropriately for our anticipated attendance at a mosque for Jumat prayer session but due to lateness the group stood outside and observed.
After the Manhaliyya mosque, at the old Kaladan Barracks, and though we stood ourside, many people who couldn’t pray inside had to pray outside in a shade. We noted that men stood in front and the women at the back. At the mosque, the women stood in the back while the men were in the front. Something many of us had never seen before, it was interesting to see how many people were attending the service- so many that people were pouring out of the mosque itself. There were also many youths and children there, and they knew what to do as much as the adults. We took a picture with the officiating Imam, Afa Iddi.
Afterwards, we hung out at the hotel for a few hours while we waited for a local dance group to perform at our hotel. We watched traditional Simpa dances, capping off the night with group dancing.
Some of us wanted to try out the moves but it appears as though we might need some practice.
We had a picture with the Bilpella Simona group that came to entertain us. We are looking forward to another treat with a Bamaya group from the Youth Home this coming Friday
Even Abdulai got his dance on, so that was the cherry on top of the night.
Today we woke up and went to breakfast as usual. We headed back to our hotel to use the restroom, and then, we were on our way to Salaga, 72 miles from Tamale and a famed west African slave market.
Fun Fact: our driver’s real name is Kwabna, but we have been calling him governor, for Kwabene for some reason sounded to Ty as governor. The journey was longer than we had anticipated, so we had to take a bathroom break on the side of the road. The road was sparsely populated, and Morgan was greeted by a jackrabbit. Salaga was the largest slave market in west Africa up until the late 19th century.
The dusty red dirt road lead us to the town of Salaga. When we arrived we picked up our guide, Mr. Iddi, and our first stop was to visit the drinking wells.
The drinking wells were dug by the slaves, so that they were able to survive during the dry season. Abdulai and our tour guide told us that the wells were often a space to hide, where the slaves could express their self agency. Then, we walked down a long dirt path to the bathing sites, Wankan-bayu, where each slave would bring their own water to bathe in.
The primary reason for bathing was to make the slaves look presentable and healthy, using shea butter, before reaching the market for potential buyers. The Ghana Tourism Authority is in the process of preserving the site, however the work is incomplete and has been for a number of years.
Next, we visited the Priestess Mariama, as she tends to the mass grave site, where deceased slaves were disposed of.
A large tree stood at the site until 2014, and when it fell, a new tree was planted in 2016.
Since the bodies were not given the rightful burial, the priestess pours libation on the tree saying, “even the dead eat.” There is a rock placed near the tree that is the sole marker of what occurred at this site, which is now littered with trash and feces. Our class was inspired to try to use St. Olaf resources to better preserve and commemorate this site.
Afterwards we went to meet, Alhaji Yakubu Albashar, who met with the St. Olaf students last year. This man’s ancestry is directly related to the slave trade, in fact, he spoke Dagbani, Prof. Iddrisu’s native language which he translated for the group. But then, Hausa used to be the lingua franca of the Salaga slave market. His father was a former slave, who was captured sometime in his late teens in the village Ulu, in the Uppwr Weet region of Ghana, and worked as a domestic slave (farming and trading operations) in Salaga until being freed. The father never spoke of his past until many years of persistance. When we asked about the discussion of the slave trade in Ghana, he explained that many are afraid to ask or visit and wish to distance themselves from any slavery ancestry. This man, however feels no burdens, because as he states, “whether we are slave or free, we are all human”. The man’s father never returned to his birthplace, just as those who wish to be done with their ancestry, but Alhqji Yakubu makes it a priority to visit the birthplace of his father. Upon discovering the location in 1991 from a friendly pastor, Father Eugene, he has visited every other year, and he is planning another visit as we speak. The class yet to unpack our interview with Alhaji Yakubu as we examine issues of historical truth and the context and context of the retelling. Throughout the interview, more and more members of the community were joining our group, and several of us got the chance to play with local children before left.
Following the interview with Alhaji Yakubu, we ventured to the site of the actual Salaga Slave Market, which is now an everyday market. There is dilapidated sign that marks the site of where slaves were sold.
After this we traveled to an unfinished, sparse museum of artifacts used in the slave trade.
This was the final experience that we had of unfinished attempts to commemorate the devastating past of slavery and the slave trade. We think that the history we are learning about is very significant, and we really hope that in the future these sites will be completed so that a wide range of audiences can learn about this as well. It’s surprising that people in the area are less interested in these important past material remains of the slave trade and Slavery. According to Alhaji Yakubu, the Tourist Board is not even aware he exists.
We then realized that in our eagerness to see the sites, we had not introduced ourselves properly to the Chief of Salaga. Word of our arrival traveled quickly, but we did go finally to his palace to pay our respects. After going through the traditional greeting, the chief, who sees himself as the embodiment of Salaga, talked to us about the importance of their history, but also, was not too pleased we failed to visit him first.
We also had time to make friends with some children at the Salaga chief’s palace.
After a long day in Salaga, we made our way back to Tamale. Once we returned to our hotel, our group segued into a discussion regarding Ghanaian news published on the website, GhanaWeb. One developing story details the ongoing criminal investigation of Nana Appiah Mensah, a CEO of a Ghanaian gold distributor, who has been involved in some shady dealings and has been noticed as being in suspiciously close proximity to the Ghanaian executive leadership. The authorities have requested for a Red Notice from INTERPOL to be placed on him. In religiously-oriented news, the renowned Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah has apologized to the Chief Imam for prophecying his death in the near future, as well as the deaths of former President John Mahama and current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. Finally, the licenses of two major Ghanaian banks have been revoked by the central bank on account of irresponsible transactions and unprofessional management practices. Many Dagombas are also moving towards Yendi to perform the funeral of the late overload of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II.
We finished our day with dinner in the market — chicken and rice! Now we are signing off for the day. Goodnight!
Waiting for the English service
