July 15, 2008  

Ghana intermittent

I’m in Kumasi on an Internet connection frailer than a house of cards. But hey, better than nothing. Here’s the quick and dirty. We’re settled into Kumasi, our guest house, and our places of work. I’m stationed with two teammates at the Ghana Cultural Center, which houses my partner Aid to Artisans. Looks like an achievable list of tasks for four weeks and the workspace is as good as it gets. No air conditioning, but I did get to shake it with traditional Ashanti dancers during a break today. Can’t beat that.

Yes, there’s video of that, as well as some truly great photos — but the hard truth is that the connection in Kumasi is crap. (I’ve tested three places now.) Download is tolerable; upload horrendous. Can’t even get a single photo up. So, media may have to wait until I can get back to Accra. Shame. But on the other hand I guess I’ll just have to be more descriptive in my posts.

Tomorrow it is off to a few villages outside of Kumasi to meet the makers of three types of traditional arts: brass-, wood-, and textile-based. They are the beginning of the road in the supply chain and the beginning of our analysis, plus seeing them at work will be a great treat. Can’t wait.

So, expect a longish dispatch in the next few days. And sorry for the quick spurt of media then nothing. WAWA: West Africa wins again. (It has a bit of a streak going.)

Update: obviously I have added media where possible.