The big kids are singing, too...

Big kids make neater lines.

The teacher leads...

Then there was a song

The sound of the voices of several hundred children, giving thanks to the Father.

Assembly

Assembly began with a prayer.

The District Board of Education sent a representative!

Mr. W.O. Sintim is the Public Relations Officer for the District Board of Education who came with a speech of well wishes and thanks from the chairman. It turns out he is related to my bro Ken Asafo Adjei of Montreal and if one looks into the serpentine twists and turns of relationships in Kyebi, we may end up related by marriage.

The Table is Set

We donated plastic chairs for the library and also for the headteacher's office. Since the library space is small, reading will be done in classrooms and also beneath the shade trees....and plastic chairs are light and easy to carry.

The Headteacher is host!

Mr Adu Poku prepared to host the visiting party, the family of the late Professor Twum-Barima with project 'School Library assisted by friends of Adwoa Badoe, the good citizens of Guelph and the Guelph Public Library staff.

Grade six boy!

Dark and handsome and undoubtedly smart. He kept a blue handkerchief in his pocket and said 'Grace' for his class. Something tells me he will amount to much. Blessings on his head.

Cute as a button!

The little boy sat upright and smiled. This was a good day!

The Littlest Ones

These little ones opted to take their food home to share. A treat goes a long way, as do surprises!

What a fuss about food!

Food neatly packed in styrofoam-ware,

Cameramen snapping rapid photos,

While we wait to eat.

Saying Grace

Thank you, Lord, for the food we eat. Amen!

Serving is such a pleasure!

My big sister, Ama Gaisie, serves the nation as the Solicitor-General . Here she is with her daughter Asabea, serving the school children of Kibi Elementary School.

There is no feast without food...

Sitting in pairs behind those wooden desks, the food was set before them. Such manners, such patience! These aren't hungry children, huh!

Sweet and Shy

At last, this little helper managed to look at me long enough and SNAP!

A Cheerful Smile

A smile for the camera...see how she lights up!

Those who work behind the scenes

Quietly cooking and dishing out. Many hands make light work.

A Happy Cook

A happy cook makes the difference between a tasty meal and a bland one. This cook was in good spirits!

The Cooks and Helpers

This is where hundreds of meals that we had ordered, were getting packaged for the children and their teachers. Rice and chicken stew-a sure delicacy!

The Outdoor Kitchen

From this unassuming spot on the school compound, meals are made to feed sudents in a nationwide pilot that has seen many children return to school.

Let's Pose

And the camera went click on them while all their friends watched.

BOYS!

They could almost have been twins but they were just friends. How photogenic!

Enough Already...Not!

"ONLY THE DANCING!"

What a party! My Mom sure knew what would rock!

The DJs Set up on the verandah...

Honestly, I was surprised to see the DJs- that was my Mom's idea. But what a blast. It was before the elections and they were playing Nana Addo's song which all the students could sing quite well.

Felicia was the first to paint.

At last, we leave the painting for the painter!

His job was to finish it off well!

How many people will paint one small room?

The child in me wanted to paint and pose! LOL!

Jaycee paints

Big Sis and Niece a-painting!

Teachers Paint...

Boys paint too!

MY TURN!!!

AND ME!

ME TOO!

"And Draw Long Strokes From Left to Right"

Painting the Library

The painter was very cool. He made the painting an activity for all. The kids and the rest of us were happy for the chance to spread green paint left and right. And of course, the photo-op!

Shelves for Books!

There were some shelves in the old store-room, our library to be, and there were some few books-school texts, mainly, piled in some cubbies for the entire school. But we were happy, here at least was space, a beginning.

Kibi Photos-JSS

Meanwhile on the other side, a stone throw away, the Junior Secondary Students were in exam mode, while we blasted hip-life in celebration. Not fair at all. So we shall have to make amends.

Sneaking into Photos

My nieces Gyasiwa, Kesewa and Kosi sneaking into a photo. They worked so hard to make the day a success.

POSED for a photograph

Sunny smiles as only kids are capable of in my stories of Ghana and Africa.

Stirring up the Dust

Brooms in hand after stirring up the dust, these children are fast and strong!

Hardworking Girls of Kibi Elementary School

Broken chairs, once very comfy and nice are brought out of the store as the children prepare to sweep the age old dust. These are capable children, fun, playful, hardworking and smart. You should have seen them work. In no time at all, they were done, and still in good spirits.

The second Kibi trip: December library.

The second time we went to Kibi, it was to celebrate my late dad, and mark his passing with the birth of a school library in his honour. Those gathering were mymy mother, Felicia, my sister Ama, my brother Kofi, my nieces Kesewa, Gyasiwa, Kosi and Asabea and Felicia and my nephews Duke and Jimmy and a bunch of cousins. On arrival, we noticed the DJs that my mother had hired, in position, blasting highlife songs to create the atmosphere of festivity. The students were agog with excitement. The first thing we did with the headmaster's permission, was to clean out the storehouse which was scheduled to become our library.

Pretty Teacher of Kibi Elementary School

These are the people the children depend on for their future. With little resources and little encouragement, they keep at it from day to day, some with more ability and dedication than others. Let us support these teachers in tangible ways.

Kibi School kids.

Kibi Elementary School:
A group of school kids (in mufti) probably because they had a class of physical education. That's my mother coming up behind them.

Kibi in November

My sister Ama, and I travelled the Accra Kibi road in perhaps two hours, chauffered by Mr. Bernard. We went to speak to the headteacher about the library project. I explained about the idea of celebrating my Dad with the library project to benefit the kids of the school. I told him about the books which were then on the high seas, making their way to the shores of Ghana. I had taken almost two suitcases full of books with me, as my personal luggage, only managing to squeeze in a few clothes. Mr. Adu Poku was enthusiastic. He left the planning to us.
On that first day we went around with my mom to meet and greet the teachers and the students. I was happy to see the students were well dressed, well mannered, healthy, confident and quite well spoken. There were about sixty of them in each class and yet the classes were disciplined and not rowdy. The future generations are coming up and they are looking good!

Mr Adu Poku and Kibi District Authority Elementary School

Mr Adu Poku and Adwoa Badoe at the Kibi Elementary School, Nov 2008

Mr. Adu Poku, headteacher of the Kibi Elementary school wrote to me and called me. I was so thrilled. He said at last he was entering the donated books into a library ledger so he could make the books available to the children. I have to get around to posting the photos of the library clean-up and the eager kids with whom we celebrated the arrival of books, a project we embarked on with the help of the Guelph Library staff in honour of the 10 anniversary of the passing of my father. I have since followed the books up lat Kibi, this past August, only to find school closed for the "summer." I met Mr. Adu Poku who was then on his way to his farm. He was grateful for the books on behalf of the children and has followed up with a phone call and a letter, just this week. This is grand!

I promise to post the photos of the kids and the school soon. This is why have written this blog, to hasten me. I tend to slow down conspicuously around tech matters.

Hogbetsotso 2009

Adwoa at Hogbetsotsosoza 2008., doing agbadza highlife..I can't believe I went there without my bubu or kaba-slit.

Next Saturday, October 10th is the annual Hogbetsotso festival. I must make plans to go to Toronto to see our own Guelphite, Atsu Amegashie , professor of Economics, who will be a chief this year. Atsu is the best dancer of all, lithe, rhythmic and indefatiguable. I always anticipate the mass Atsiagbekor dance performed by the entire troupe and the good food, particularly kenkey, fresh hot pepper and keta school boys that my sistah Evelyn Quist serves. This year I will miss Mr. Fugar a true elder of the Southern Volta Ewes. He was the one who first connected me with Hogbetsotso. Almost every year I danced agbadza with him. May he rest in peace. Hopefully this year, I will set off on time and will catch the dances which so thrill me.

PENGUIN SOUTH AFRICA- PRIZE and SERIES

African Renaissance has been on my mind since my trip to Barcelona a little over a week ago.

Recently Penguin South Africa has launched a new writers prize for African writers for Adult fiction and non fiction. They have gone so far as to launch The (new) African Writers Series which once belonged to Heinneman-bringing new life to the dreams of African writers. Chinua Achebe the Editorial Advisor of the series had this to say:

"Africa is not simple-Often people want to simplify it, generalise it, stereotype its people, but Africa is very complex. The world is just starting to get to know Africa-

This is what I personally want to see-writers from all over Africa contributing to a definition of themselves, writing ourselves and our stories into history."

www. penguin.book.co.za/blog/2009/04/23

The Last Few Days of the Year

Here's wishing all my friends accross continents Happy New Year.
May the coming year bring righteousness, joy and peace to our lives, our homes, our city, our province, our country and the whole wide world.

I will enjoy the singing of Auld Lang Syne ...... May our circles of friendship be unbroken!
Adwoa

GHANA 2008

The first Kibi visit in November, meeting the students and the teachers.

No pictures yet. I arrived Sunday evening and was met at the airport by two of my sisters and two of my nieces. It is great to be met at the airport. Conversely the airport feels a lot more orderly and peaceful than years ago when we first began to travel.

Accra feels a little different this time. Perhaps Canada really is HOME! I have already had my hair done in braids and am looking quite nice I think. I have met family on both sides - my husbands and mine and all are doing fairly well.

Tomorrow we advance to Kibi, Kyebi or what you will to see what is to be done about the library. I will take my camera so you can see through my eyes...eventually.

Best wishes,
Adwoa

(the blogger returned).