‘The War Zone’

Ghana does have one.  Bawku Municipal District; placed within the Upper East Region, right up in the top right hand corner of the country and juts up against Burkina Faso and Togo on two of its borders.  It’s had tribal conflict for a number of years, not helped by the major political parties intervening for their own gain and causing more problems... so they say.  At one point the conflict was so bad that men were banned from riding moto’s in this area (due to the fact it was proving very easy to shoot someone dead and flea on the bike) and that law still stands. Women however are allowed to go about their business as they please.  As a result the once booming District capital, Bawku has diminished in to a shadow of its former self.  Many families, particularly men have moved their businesses to places like Zebilla and Bolga in order to make a living. The consequences are a very young population, (even at GES officer level – unusual for Ghana where they respect the elderly by giving them promotions whether deserved or not) but unavoidable due to the changed demographic. 

With the Regional STMIE coordinator now retired and the Girl Child Officer having to do two jobs I suggested I organise a meeting with all the STMIE (Science Technology Maths and Innovation Education) coordinators for each of the District. This was a bid to plan for the year rather than flail uncontrollably into a meeting seven months into the year and expect the coordinators to do all their work in three months (as happened last year).  When I suggested at the meeting those who needed help and support from me just needed to ask for it, the Bawku STMIE co ordinator, Memuna, a 32 year old woman with a young family and keen to do her job, took me up on the offer. Marvellous!  Work at last.  Out of the 10 Districts I was to serve in my role as Regional Science TSO Bawku was the one region I was told not to visit. 

The thing is when you live somewhere like this and people are moving from one area to your area you get to hear a lot.  It’s the way news travels in a country like this.  Bawku, although still termed a War Zone is perfectly safe to visit, not only for a white person but a white woman… women in general in fact. On the two occasions I’ve bumped into the Bawku Municipal Education Director at the Regional Office he has been keen to share his desire for a VSO volunteer or two in his District and how safe it is to go/live there, how the ‘trouble has past’.  It’s a couple of hours drive from Bolga so I took the hour drive to Zebilla on my moto, stayed with Emma a fellow volunteer over night and then the following day drove to Bawku.  Stunning countryside, wonderful people and totally safe. Well worth the visit.  

A lovely picture if you ignore all things health and safety... typical Ghana

White Volta, a major river in Ghana which starts in Burkina Faso and floods destroying crops etc when the BF authorities open the dams up.. it devastates northern Ghana

The Director welcomed me with open arms and organised an impromptu meeting with his frontline assistant directors.  I then met separately with Memuna and the frontline AD for statistics.  I agreed to support some JHS training and went back the next day to meet with a JHS head teacher and SHS teacher to plan further. In all, a very successful few days and has meant me coming back another time to deliver the training.

It was lovely staying with Emma in Zabilla.  Not only is she so friendly and welcoming but her neighbours and friends are too.  She lives in an unusual house, there is no compound wall and there is a very open area which is semi enclosed and connects all rooms.  Effectively the whole house is a very local design and very exposed to the outside world.  As a consequence you get lots of visitors and that word I used to hear from Ali is a regular call ‘Nassara! Nassara!’.  It’s been a great few days, Emma had run out of gas and the nearest places are Bawku or Bolga to get it, it’s not something you can do on the back of a moto so Emma has to enlist the help of friends/NGO’s who have a car or truck.  So the first night I arrives Emma’s friend Fati joined us to show us how to make Red Red on a traditional charcoal fire. Red Red is a very tasty bean stew and fried plantain.   Very tasty!

traditional cooking often done outside... lighting the charcoal fire with plastic I'm pretty sure was not traditional and our cries of buring this is carcinogenic fell on deaf ears... speedy fire lighting took priority over the health aspect.  The amount of heat produced by one fire is incredible!

bean stew (one of the reds of 'red red')

Fried plantain (the other red of 'red red')

I also made use of Emma seamstress while I was there who made me two lovely skirts!