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cathy


Cape Coast

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Thank you, friends, for continuing to stop by when I have been so neglectful of you. I look forward to December, when life should slow down and I hope to have more time to just be at home. In the meantime, I will continue to be scarce, given some huge deadlines that I have in the coming weeks.
I have so many stories and tales to share from my trip to Ghana. When you come by here for some weeks to come, you will find me being indulgent in telling these tales. I learned so much in such a short period of time. I went there to work on a contract with the Canadian government. More than that I shouldn't really say here.
The photo that you see in this post was taken from Elmina Castle, ground zero for the slave trade. The heat and smells were oppressive, and the history emanating from this place was overwhelming. Ghanaians, and Africans in general, have a different history than our own. A different story to tell. A different context, and one where race has not held such a prominent role. Race is more irrelevant there. The lone white woman in a sea of dark black faces did not warrant a second glance in so many instances. It is only a skin colour, after all. How uncomfortable I could have felt. But how comforted they made me feel. Completely welcome. Obruni they called me: foreigner. But not really that foreign at all.

  1. Blogger Roam2Rome said:

    Ah, but you have such an enchanting blog, we always come back! :)

    Uh, mysterious work! Enjoy you stay :)

  1. Blogger Tee/Tracy said:

    I did not even know you went to Ghana! How cool. I had a pen pal from there many, many years ago.

    I love the photo and the story you told about skin color. How lovely.

  1. Blogger Devil Mood said:

    That's powerful :)
    A lot to be told I'm sure.

  1. Blogger x said:

    I am so glad you are back Cathy. How interesting that Ghanaians do not care about race. Maybe we could all follow their example.
    Looking forward to more tales when the deadlines are dealt with. xxxx

  1. Blogger Foxy said:

    great pics and post! always looking forward to them cath, no worries. :)

  1. Blogger Berlinbound said:

    Of all the places I worked in Africa, Ghana is probably my favorite - because of the people. I look forward to reading more about your adventures there.

  1. Blogger Heidi said:

    Hey Cathy..Just stopping by to say hello..Don't overwork yourself..That just leads to stress..

    Take Care~

  1. Blogger Trundling Grunt said:

    I will be fascinated to read of your trip and observations. Probably a good job I don't have a scratch-and-sniff monitor.

  1. Anonymous Anonymous said:

    well that is reasuring

  1. Blogger holy chaos said:

    how interesting, Cathy.

    "a different story to tell"

    i would love to research that. I live in SC and have been to Charleston and visited the slave market. This state's history makes me very sad and what is worse is that so many people still have pre-civil war views.

  1. Blogger Berlinbound said:

    You've been tagged - Visit my blog for details!

    Hope all is well ...

    R

  1. Blogger Dr. Deb said:

    What a great photo!

    Can't wait to learn more.

  1. Blogger missy said:

    Looking forward to your story. I have a few Ghanaian friends here in London and they love hearing stories about their country :-)

  1. Blogger Skye said:

    Hello! That is a great picture. Thought I'd stop by and say Hello.

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