April 30th, 2005
Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary
Ghana, Africa
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| Dear Supporters;
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I am writing this month’s update from a different location – Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This year I will be spending at least half of my time away from Wechiau in an attempt to give the community a chance to sort through, at their own speed, all of the many initiatives and developments taking place.
For me, Bolgatanga is a gut churning 6-hour road trip northeast of Wechiau. A small and extremely dry town, ‘Bolga’ has the advantage of electricity. People say the electricity here is reliable, and that blackouts are rare. So far, that has not been my experience.
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It appears that bicycles are the transport of choice in these parts. While riding, I am joined by throngs of travelers on their way to work or market. Apparently nobody likes to be passed by a white girl. After overtaking them, many a young man will huff and puff just to breeze past me again. The next part of this game includes them twisting their heads incessantly to the rear to check if I am gaining on them. Fearing an accident from all this head-turning - cars and trucks pass within centimeters of cyclists - I sometimes speed up and pass them again to put an end to the drama.
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Never mind that my bicycle has gears and brakes, a seat and everything…perhaps it’s a matter of pride. Though the women with the babies strapped to their backs, and the men with long lengths of 2x4 balanced on their heads, are indeed impressive, the most amazing cycling sight so far has been the one-legged man who lives near my house. He can really get that bike going, and I wouldn’t even try to keep up with him! |
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Though Bolgatanga is still dry, during the latter part of April, Wechiau received the first of this year’s rains. We were reminded of the powers of Mother Nature during a terrifying storm the other night. Storms here often come with a great deal of gusting and blowing. Sometimes, the strength of the wind is such that tin roofs are torn off buildings and houses destroyed. It was one of these monsters that we lived through last week. Both of our outdoor sheds have been launched into the skies in the past and we were determined not to let it happen again. We kept them firmly on the ground by hanging on for dear life, and getting thoroughly pelted by rain in the process.
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April has witnessed one more event in our enculturation process as we ‘go native’ in Northern Ghana. We can now boast of our own locally designed chicken coop. Built along the side of our house, we will soon be enjoying the sound of crowing roosters and fresh eggs every morning. Eggs are never guaranteed in Wechiau, so our fowls will be able to make a wonderful contribution to the morning meal.
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Another bird species has also taken up residence in our Wechiau compound in the form of a pair of rose-ringed parakeets. The birds were rescued from a road seller in Accra and trucked north to us. Their wings are clipped and they are in ill health. We have built a home for them and hope to improve their diets over the coming days and weeks. As their wings grow back, and they gain strength, we will be able to release them back into the wild. |
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Wechiau hosted a National Geographic film team for 5 days this month. The crew was doing a documentary about the relationship between hippos and humans. Of the five or six locations in Africa they had selected, our shoot was to be the positive story used as the film’s finale. The crew set a hectic pace and we just managed to stay one step ahead of them. They were both professional and hard working, and so filming was a pleasure. Many budding movie stars have been born in the Wechiau area as people did their best to re-enact legends, folklore, and hunting taboos surrounding the hippo. Our visitors went away with an understanding of the hippo’s cultural significance and how that translates into community support for the goals and objectives of the Hippo Sanctuary.
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| The LED solar powered lighting initiative continues to be an enjoyable focus of work efforts for us. We are distributing the first trial units and have invited the chief or headman from every village to be the first to receive the gift of light. Every few days, there is a knock at our gate and another weathered old man is standing there with his ¢100,000 tariff fee (equivalent to US$10). Of all the receipts I have written thus far, there has only been one signature; all the rest have recorded their presence with a thumbprint. |
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Upon payment, a length of twine is given to the payee. This cord provides the required information, in the form of length and circumference measures, to cut a good ‘light post’. Once the light is installed, libations are often poured to invoke the blessings of the ancestors.
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Amusing stories follow the installations. The chief of Tankara told us (through a translator): “I am enjoying the light, but the entire village is at my house.” We have heard rumours of all-night vigils at the base of some LED lights and it is easy to picture dozens of happy folks sipping millet beer and dancing and drumming into the lighted night. School children have been found asleep beneath the solar lights in the early morning, their papers and notebooks discarded around them.
It will be several months before entire villages are outfitted with individual LED lighting systems, but it is becoming clear that the residents will be more than ready when their turn comes around. It is truly wonderful to be sharing this experience with them.
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Donna Sheppard
Conservation Outreach, Calgary Zoo
In Association with NCRC and the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary
Box 569, Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana, West Africa |
