Sat 31st Oct, Printing, hitching, chickening, singing

Saturday 31st Oct. A quiet morning. We collect more water from neighbour George’s well, because the water had been completely off since Wednesday. Fati visits with her little girl Samira, who is getting gradually less afraid of our white faces. Charlotte introduces Fati and Samira to blowing bubbles – a big hit. Fati wants to learn how to play cards so Charlotte teaches her “Beggar my neighbour”. I adapt “American Pie” to make it a Ghana volunteer song while this is happening. Then down to Mandina’s ten minutes away where you can print and photocopy materials for the Organisational Development (OD) workshop on Monday. Actually this is one place in Walewale which is something like a shop premises as we know it – there is a glass window / sliding-door, and the premises are air-conditioned! I want to print materials for everyone attending the workshop on Monday. A tense and lengthy negotiation follows. I cite what printing would be charged at in UK. I try “We are volunteers and we have come to help your country but we need your co-operation”…….. “ Toby and Mandina I value your friendship and it may be that on this occasion I will have to say to you ‘Thank you for talking to me but I cannot afford the price you are quoting and I must go elsewhere’”. I’ve only just met Toby. Eventually a deal is done. Various technical things don’t work, but in the end I’m heading home with 200 sheets of printing and copying.
We’re a little late heading to Bolga – we’re going there today for a party at Jason & Jillian’s – Jillian is the volunteer and Jason is writing up his PhD http://www.jjinghana.blogspot.com/ . We’re staying over till the OD workshop. Info from Fati says we’ve missed the Metro Mass transit bus. Charlotte flags down a 4x4 from the Volta River Authority, and we’re offered a lift to Bolga. I say to Mohammed “I’d like to buy you some credit for your phone” and give him a 5-cedi Vodafone scratch card which is appreciated.
We’re staying with Anthony (education volunteer) and Laura (a vet). http://www.coolacoustic.com/ .
By arrangement we meet in the “Hotline Spot”. (“Spot” = drinking place) and buy a few drinks for A&L’s fridge and for the party. Technically it’s Hallowe’en fancy dress – Charlotte and I plan to wear halos she has plaited from the rope we’ve used to fence our plot. (Halloween =All hallow’s eve = All saints eve, so we’re going as saints). But first we need to deal with their new chicken which has made a bid for freedom – their chicken-house is being built but isn’t done yet.
The chicken escapes through a hole in the garden wall. (“Garden wall! Luxury!”). Laura and I dash for the “road” (dirt-track), in my case with a couple of long sticks to lengthen my arms as herding devices. We find the chicken nonchalantly strutting up the street, and corner it in an alley-way. The locals find the sight of two Obronis (white people) chasing a chicken highly amusing. (If you thought "Sulaminga" was "white man", that's speaking Mampruli, as in Walewale - we're in a different Ghanaian region here, differnt language).
We corner the chicken in an alley-way and Laura grabs its legs. For you, chicken, your freedom is over.
Anthony becomes that famous Halloween character “London Man” by attaching London tea-towels, underground maps etc to his person. Laura transforms herself into Spider-woman with bin bags. Anthony & Laura have a car (their own purchase), which Laura needs for vetting as far south as the vet college in Tamale, and are very popular lift-givers in Bolga. Anyway all reach the party in time. VSO and US Peace Corps volunteers from Bolga and Navrongo. The festivities are not affected by a lack of electricity.

Later in the evening Anthony plays the “Development Pie” song and many others, including a brilliant Ghana-evocative song he wrote - which is on his blog www.coolacoustic.com . See also Rachel's blog
http://www.rachelghana.blogspot.com/