Kumasi -- Week 1

Sorry for the delay! The wifi in Kibi was limited to non-existent and I am using a Chromebook, needing wifi to type! I am writing about our first week, here at the end of our second week. On Sunday the 7th we headed to the Asanti Region for our first week at the GNAT (Ghana National Association of Teachers) headquarters and site of the new Institute. The Institute will offer graduate courses, teacher training courses and conduct research that will inform government policy. The Institute is brand new so we were here for a very exciting part of GNAT's history.

Our days have been long. Two hour sessions four times a day means eight hours of teaching--see how I did the math there? I must be a teacher.

The cycle begins with an opening ceremony. Dignitaries are introduced and speeches are made (they are quite long,I fell asleep once), with twenty items on the agenda. The Teacher's Song, the two national anthems and the solidarity song is sung at each opening and closing ceremony with enthusiasm. The pride of the union could teach our Canadian teacher's unions a thing or two about solidarity and gratitude. 

The speeches are very formal using phrases such as "Mr. Chairman, allow me to stand on existing protocols" or "we have in our midst the honourable... " etc. We had each cohort twice, rotating between our four subjects, eight classes. In Kumasi we were responsible for facilitating 250 of the 500 participants. Lord and I divided our roles and encouraged or contributed debate within the sessions which I considered valuable. The whole world is working on Inclusive Education and some things are universal. We tried to divide focus between global applications and Ghanaian realities. It was very invigorating and inspiring. I have become quite attached to Lord. He goes deep and has answered my many questions about Ghana in a thoughtful way. I think Ghana is lucky to have him working in education. He is working on his PhD at the moment with a focus on assessment (in the context of differentiated learning). You are one of the readers of this blog. Therefore, you know me--I could talk about this for days! 

The "Prof"--head of the Institute

I have forgotten to take photos of food for my reader Donna! In fact, the first photograph is the basics of what we have had each day. Sometimes the fish is chicken instead, sometimes the rice is fried. The best rice is jollof--yummy.

On our first afternoon off, we went to a restaurant at the Ashanti Cultural Centre, and I ordered jollof with seafood which was presented in the shape of a heart. I have come to love jollof. Unfortunately after this meal I got the "traveler's stomach issue" which lasted about 5 days. So I don't know what I ate or which water I ingested.....

We eat lots of fried plantain too.

Because we are guests, they treat us frequently to fruit

While we were at the Cultural Centre, we visited the museum. It was very interesting to learn the history of the Ghanaian monarchy. Tribal chiefs are also called Kings and there is a Queen Mother who chooses the next king. Most tribes have a matrilineal line of inheritance. When choosing the next king, the elders choose from amongst the men of the royal family in that area. The same is done with the Queen mother. There are kings and queens representing each village or region who are descended from that royal family. There is a "paramount" king and queen mother which rules over the smaller areas. This Asanti paramount family was the topic of the little museum where pictures were not allowed. We learned the reason for this: Queen Yaa Asantewaa (1840-1921) was captured in 1901, while defending her people and country against the British, and sent to Seychelles island where she died. The photograph is taken by soldiers and doesn't cover her breasts, a shameful treatment of Asanti royalty and a brave and beloved queen. Unfortunately, I found this photograph online just now as I write.

Yaa Asantewaa

There was a Queen Mother in our 2nd cohort in Kumasi. She is a working teacher on school days, attending to her Queen Mother duties (royal family of her region) on the weekends. In the closing ceremony, she was with the dignitaries in her regalia.

We were thrilled when her "people" told us that she would like a picture with us.

In the middle of the week we received our dresses. All GNAT members wear clothing made of cloth designed for the union. My dress is called a "Kaba and slit" which caused great uproar when we arrived on site the first morning. I was dubbed Queen Mother and a member of the union tied my headdress. I remained "Mamaga"(title for a Queen Mother or a woman of wisdom or a female kingmaker) for the rest of the trip. "

 

Queen Mother for real with all of us and our hosts Moses (left) and Ernest