Time is really flying and I am having a hard time keeping up with my blogging because of my access to internet has been slow or non existent, so sorry for the slow updates. Matt left on June 22nd, and our day is Accra was full. We went to James Town for the morning and met with a man named Nii who runs a children’s after school program entitled Streetwise and a drumming and dance group entitle Jaynii Cultural Troupe. The center and troupe headquarters is on the beach and he is in the process of building a school and dormitory there. His organization supports low income children by paying for school fees, making school uniforms, teaching drumming and dancing lessons as well as providing a library. He has a small bar and if you purchase drinks there the money goes to the organization. His main form of financing Streetwise is through Jaynii Cultural Troupe performances and lessons. I have decided to send him school supplies when I return home. He is really in need of laptops or computers for the library, but is open to any assistance. If you want to check out his organizations you can go to www.jaynii.com.
We then left and went the original home of the fancy Ghana coffins. The Ghana coffins were something I had read about when I was really young in a magazine. The coffins are designed after an individuals' profession. The original coffins were designed in Teshie, Ghana (about 10 miles outside of Accra) in the 1950s by Seth Kanekwei. Seth designed the first coffin for a chief (chiefs are buried in a snail or tortoise shaped coffins). People saw the coffin and soon others wanted their own specialized coffin. Still in business, Seth's grandson, Eric now runs the business with his father. Coffins are 600-800 Ghana cedis and most of the Gn people (the original tribe that the coffins were designed for) can no longer afford them, but people throughout Africa and the world come to get personalize coffins made. In the shop, Eric had a fish, coke bottle, filming camera, water bottle, and hammer on display. He says it takes about 10 days to make a coffin and he sells about 4 each month. There are a handful of Americans that come over and go through carpentry apprenticeship programs with them. If you want to learn more about the coffins check out Eric's website at www.Ghanacoffins.com. It was exciting to finally see these coffins in person. It used to be the only thing I really knew about Ghana as a kid. They are really quite amazing!
Matt is safely back home now!!!Miss you honey!!
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