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November 30 2005
Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary
Ghana, Africa |
Dear Supportors;
I am back in the land of dirt and dust, hand-washed clothes, and instant coffee. No matter how many times I make this return journey to West Africa, I never fail to suffer at least a tiny jolt as I adjust to my rough-and-tumble reality once again. It is surprising that, while in Canada, I am able to quickly forget about the daily coating of dirt and sweat which forms a tacky paste over all of my exposed skin. In fact, it is amazing how many of the daily hardships can be quickly forgotten with a change of scenery; it gives me insight into the ways in which the world cannot relate to the difficulties of life in Africa. I can’t relate to it after being away for just 6 weeks!
November was a month spent entirely in Southern Ghana. For the remainder of this year, and into 2006, I will be heading back to the Hippo Sanctuary for shorter work stints only. Though village life offers many once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the day-to-day pace of living is incredibly slow. If I am to remain productive and challenged, then I need the opportunity to work at a faster pace. However, if we force people to speed up their understood working pace, we risk losing comprehension levels among the resident population. So what is the solution?
Experience has proven that sensitivity to the need for local control and ownership over project activities is tantamount to their success. And ownership for a new scheme only comes through the understanding of the goals, objectives and benefits of the introduced initiatives. As an advisor to the Hippo Sanctuary, I can actually be more successful and more productive by doing less!
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Accra, Ghana |
And so, by shifting base to Accra, our nation’s capitol, I can continue to give my best to Wechiau’s hippos and people, and also apply myself to other interesting and challenging work. To handle the little things that come up from week to week, I have organized a standing phone call with one of the Hippo Sanctuary staff. Every Monday evening, he will climb to the top of the hill opposite the Wechiau health clinic and stand on a particular rock – our phone rock. By not moving off of this rock, we will have a mobile phone signal and we can communicate! So far it has worked well, and we have enjoyed several weekly planning meetings.
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| Plans to replicate the Wechiau community conservation model with other Ghanaian wildlife species will occupy much of my time now. Funding has already been secured for one such project: the feasibility survey of a possible community reserve for sitatunga. The sitatunga is a rare antelope, similar in shape and look to a bushbuck, only shaggier. Amazingly, these creatures are aquatic! A population was recently re-discovered to be surviving in a freshwater lagoon system in southern Ghana. Using splayed hooves, they walk on marshy vegetation and, when startled, completed submerge themselves. Cultural beliefs and hunting taboos among local fishing communities have ensured the animal’s survival to the present day.
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This more permanent move to Accra has meant that housing has needed to be acquired. The rental housing market in Ghana is utterly different from the Canadian experience. Let me explain. Land is owned by tribal groups, and, wisely enough, they are not ready to part with it. A bi-product of this land tenure system however is that the landlords seem to have all the power. When people decide to build, they take construction to an affordable point and then invite interested parties to supply rent money to complete the dwelling. Typically, potential renters must provide 2 or 3 years payment up front! No ‘first and last’ here folks!
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My new home with Jemima, the landlady's daughter
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| Once the landlord has your money, construction resumes. Things being what they are, delays are the standard fare. My living arrangement for Accra has been in the works since the end of June, and I celebrated a moving-in date of November 24th, five months since we first entered rental negotiations. I am still eagerly awaiting completion of my kitchen so that I will be able to cook for myself at last! Meanwhile, I have just experienced new house celebrations that are both familiar and unfamiliar. I toasted the new place in typical fashion with a bottle of cheap wine, but also put the house under a local blessing ceremony as per custom here.
Accra is a congested, confusing city on the Atlantic Ocean. Four million souls - roughly 1/5th of Ghana’s human population - call it home, and due to urban migration, Accra was recently labeled as the fastest growing metropolis on the continent of Africa (United Nations Habitat). Though the city gives you an immediate feeling of chaos and contamination, it does have its charms. Advantages over Wechiau include electricity (no guarantee though), running water (no guarantee there either), nightlife, freshly squeezed orange juice, swimming pools, science colleagues, and high speed internet.
Still, it is surprising what little there is to do in a city as big as this. Theatre and film are virtually absent and it is tough to even find a good book store; I bring all of my books from Canada or order them from the fabulous University of Calgary Bookstore’s special order desk and have them shipped here. You can take in a live football match (soccer) but the risk of being trampled is ever present, and so I have avoided this adventure so far. The overbearing sun zaps much enthusiasm for vigorous exercise, however there are a couple of beaches for sun lovers.
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So now I have my latest challenge – to build a life for myself once again in a new environment! I am certain to figure out many ways to enjoy my existence from this new vantage point, and I will be looking forward to reporting these details to you in the months to come.
Until we talk again at the end of December, I hope you are enjoying the crisp winter weather…from my vantage point of sweltering and sticky humidity, I can hardly imagine!
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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 |
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