Return to Accra

After four years, I have returned to Accra to visit Osu Children's Library Fund libraries, interview some of the librarians, and speak with Ghana library officials and educators. My goal is to update my information in order to complete an article for publication, a case study of OCLF. I arrived last Thursday and have spent the past few days scheduling interviews and walking the streets of Accra.

Final posting, one month after return

During my month-long stay with the Osu Children's Library Fund, I visited five of the OCLF libraries. At these libraries I worked as a volunteer; reading to children, organizing activities, and teaching adult literacy classes. My visit also provided a first-hand experience of working with an international library development program, the topic of my forthcoming dissertation research.

While working at the Osu Children's Library Fund libraries, I found that Kathy has developed many innovative initiatives that are sensitive to the cultural, social, and economic needs of the individual communities. OCLF has avoided the practice of sending worn, outdated, and uninteresting books to libraries in economically challenged countries. The libraries contain quality, colorful, and popular publications, including well-loved children's classics, books by African authors/illustrators, and current non-fiction resources. Among the most popular books are those published by OCLF. These books are wonderfully illustrated and culturally appropriate as they feature people, community, and situations familiar to the reader. The OCLF publications also provide much needed support to the local publishing industry as they are printed in Ghana. Additional cultural considerations include selecting staff and library advisory board members from the local communities-- people that understand and respect the community's needs. To meet these needs, OCLF has created a wide variety of programming; adult literacy classes, cultural activities, scholarships, football clubs, and meal programs.

But on a personal level, it is the OCLF staff that made my visit so memorable. These people have formed libraries specific to the needs of their patrons, each library possessing its own distinctive personality. To name just a few, there is Joana, the original Osu librarian and my hostess for much of my stay. Joanna plays a major role in the lives of Osu neighborhood children. Due to her generous and loving nature, a core group of children attend the Kathy Knowles Community Library in Osu five to six days a week. There is Vivien, head of the Kathy Knowles Community Library in Goi, with her infectious love of reading. The library at Goi reminds me of the libraries where I spent my summers as a child, places where children fall in love with reading, books, and discovery. Vivien is also very successful in her partnership with the local schools, incorporating the library into their daily class schedules. And lastly, I will mention Taufik, head of the Nima Maamobi Community Learning Center-- the cultural, educational, and social hub of the Nima neighborhood. Nima is an energetic community with a high percentage of Muslims and recent immigrants (migrating from Northern Ghana or other African countries). Taufik's knowledge of social issues helps him to address the diverse needs of such a community. Many of the most innovative of the OCLF programs find their home here including the theatrical troupe, dance group, and a series of public service programs addressing health and educational issues.

I signed up as a volunteer for the OCLF libraries but in reality, I was the one who reaped the majority of benefits from my visit. I am writing this blog entry one month after my return and my memories are still evolving. What stands out in my mind is the kindheartedness of the people (my smile returned by a smile), the sharp contrast between my lifestyle and that of the majority of Ghanaians (increasing my capacity for gratitude), and my resolve to continue working for the OCLF and other library development programs by spreading the word and raising funds. In summary, it was a wonderful experience with a highly effective and humane international library development program.

Bike riding with Enoch

This morning Enoch and I headed out early for a bike ride to the salt mines near Goi. I had taken a short bike ride by myself on Tuesday morning, heading to the left of the library. It was very pleasant but I felt as if I would enjoy the journey much more with a guide and companion. Enoch told me that the bike at the library was donated by a young Peace Corps volunteer who had lived in a nearby village for two years. I often think of these young people, so far away from home. They must be much more mature than I was at that age.



Salting is a non-rainy season activity. As the water in the coastal shallows dries, it leaves behind an accumulation of salt on the earth. This salt is collected and transported in what looks like small rowboats on the land and gathered into white piles that resemble snow cones. Some of the piles are covered by straw mats, protecting them from the rains.









Having grown up in Kansas, I appreciated the vast flatness of the area. I even enjoyed the thick mud in which we found ourselves--dirt looks good on a girl.

Cooking with Rose

Rose has shown me how to cook two kinds of soup, ground nut soup and palm nut soup. "Ground nut" is another term for peanut and the soup is made from peanut butter, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, and water. Most people would also add fish or meat but due to my vegetarian diet, we added eggplant and carrot. We purchased all the ingredients from a small local store nestled in the various family compounds of Goi.

We also cooked some palm nut soup, a process that takes some serious arm muscle strength. Rose brought along a small pestle and mortar and ground the palm nuts from looking like this....

to looking like this....

After pounding the nuts, Rose added water to the nut pulp, strained it and repeat. She put onion, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and tomato to the pestle and pounded it into a puree. She added it

to the pot and after boiling, it turned into....

palm nut soup.

Arrival in Goi

I arrived in Goi Sunday evening, riding in from Accra with Joanna, Jennifer, and our driver Kwame. We were welcomed by Vivien, the head librarian, and her two children, Rose and Enoch (who also work at the library). Vivien began working with Osu Children's Library Fund in 2001 when Kathy delivered a box of books to her school library. Through the years she has seen the OCLF library move from an abandonned building on the beach to a storeroom in the school to its present location-- a beautiful and functional building built with OCLF funds, completed in 2008.

The building is beautiful, as are all the OCLF libraries, but what really gives life to the Kathy Knowles Community in Goi are the people. Vivien is a natural librarian. Her love of books and reading is obvious in the wonderful book collection (comic books, African writers' series, textbooks, and international picture books), her ability to mesmerize the kids with her story time, and the asssortment of activities available. Rose and Enoch are also involved with the library, tutoring students, supervising activities, managing the library football team, or teaching the evening adult literacy classes.

My living accomodations for the week are the guest quarters in the rear of the library. I feel priveleged to have a fan, indoor toilet, and my own kitchen with hotplate and sink. My second evening we had no electricity and Rose was kind enough to show me how to use the brazier with charcoal to cook my dinner. As I walk out the door, lizards scurry about ahead of me. Drums and an occasional gunshot is heard, all part of a muslim celebration down the street. People are quick to meet my smile and greeting with their own. Everyone ready to help me find my way through the houses to the water. I have already walked along the coast a couple of times, boats and beach are beautiful.

Today the Du Bois Centre, tomorrow Goi

First thing I want to write, as of tomorrow, my blog will be on hold for a week while I visit the OCLF library in Goi, a small fishing village east of Accra. I will not be taking my laptop with me for several reasons: I'm not sure my modem would work; I want to leave my laptop here for Jennifer (to further corrupt her into joining the cybergeneration) and Joanna (who is writing an acceptance speech for the IBBY award to be presented to OCLF in Spain, September, 2010); and to prove to myself that I can survive a week in Ghana sans computer. I mean, com'on, laptop and modem in fishing village? I'm not THAT connected.

I suspect that Goi will be a photographer's dream and plan on posting many pictures and stories to my blog upon my return.

Now, about today. I did work this morning at the Nima Library. I really enjoyed having a group of kids read to me for two hours. We had various levels of reading ability; from excellent to beginner. Some of the beginner kids do a great job "reading" Kathy's books. And I don't have to correct anyone, the kids correct one another.

After my long work day (I was done by noon), I headed out to find the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre. Du Bois was the first African-American to graduate from Harvard and is considered to be the founder of Pan-Africanism. He was also tried by the House Committee on Un-American Affairs for alleged communist sympathies in the 1950s. This could have served to encourage Du Bois to accept the invitation of President Nkrumah to move to Ghana in 1961.

The Centre includes the home of Du Bois from 1961 until his death in 1963 as well as his tomb. The museum is simple; Du Bois' personal library, a room with photographs and a few artifacts (Du Bois' graduation robes from Harvard, his dinner ware, diplomas...) and the public research library. His personal library is under lock and key but the research library is open to the public. I would guess they have about four hundred books (many recent publications) about Du Bois, Africa, and Pan-Africanism.

Photo to the right; A section of Du Bois' personal library.

The Nima Maamobi Library

Friday and Saturday of this week I was at the Nima Maamobi Library. While the tro-tro ride to Nungua library was one and a half hours by tro-tro, the Nima Library is just across the street from the Guest House. It is the "small library" that sits in front of the Nima Learning Center, right on the edge of the Kanda Highway.

The Nima Library opened in 1998, only two years after the opening of the original library, the Kathy Knowles Library in the Osu neighborhood. While the building was under construction Kathy was introduced to Hannah by mutual friends. Kathy recognized that Hannah was the right person to head the new Nima Library and convinced her to accept the position. Hannah has been here ever since and tells me she loves her job; working with the kids, making changes in their lives, and also helping to strengthen the community. It was at this "little library," as it is now called, that so many of the community programs began-- the drumming group, the theatrical company, the choir, the football club, and even a bathing program.

In addition the above groups, the Nima Library has operated a food program since 1998, distributing lunch to kids from 1:30-2:00 p.m. daily. Someone in the neighborhood cooks the hot meals and delivers it to the Library. On Friday they served rice, eggs, and greens, it looked and smelled delicious. The Nima Library also holds literacy classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and receive an average of 20-25 students broken into three-four groups based on reading level.

One really beautiful thing about this library is the landscaping and gardens created by Samuel, groundskeeper and security person. He has done a wonderful job in creating a green refuge literally inches from the busy and noisy Kanda Highway.

Photos: Upper right, The Nima Maamobi Library and grounds; Upper left, some of the staff and service workers at Nima Library: Emma, Samuel, Mohammad, and Kate; and Right, one of the artists with self-portrait for the "Lets Hold Hands" project.