A colorful day; first stop was the village of Bonwire to see the manufacture of Kente Cloth. I found out that most people were expecting a factory but what we encountered were about a dozen looms in a small workshop. The students were able to try their hands (and feet) at the looms and I did some bargaining and picked up a few really nice cotton pieces and one really nice silk one.
Then onto a village which uses dyes and stamps to crate akindra design; we watched the process from start to finish using traditional (and not so traditional) Ashanti symbols. When we first arrived the students ran from school and elsewhere and came to see the people from OBAMALAND; one boy was so excited he tried to get our attention by cartwheeling - constantly - really, he did about 25 cartwheels in a row. The real treat was when Kenya and Ken bought treats (candy, pencils, notebooks - like our "blue" books at school) for the kids and they just swarmed to try to get one.
Then onto a village which makes traditional glass beads for a demonstration; they use recycled glass which they collect and grind down into a powerder and with the use of some clay molds they design and fire the beads right there. They use a kiln which has been in continuous use for over 60 years although it is made of local clay - they've virtually abandoned the gas fire kiln given to them as they can't afford the fuel.
Lunch at the Cultural Center and a nice visit to the Jubilee Museum and a little shopping.
Another late afternoon lecture on the attempts to regulate Forestry use and to assure sustainable forestry. Many students were curious about "legal" aspects and found the discussion very useful.
No comments:
Post a Comment