first day

it has been a busy, productive day already! after dropping paul and jamie off at the airport ridiculously early, bound for camp in new york, michelle took me to see osu which is the main downtown area with street stalls and 'chops' (bars)...and even tried some authentic italian ice cream to ease the intense heat!

afterwards visited the artists alliance gallery where i saw for the first time huge authentic kente cloths lining the walls - as well as wooden drums, coffins (carved out of wood and brightly painted in every shape from fish to coca cola bottles and running shoes!) paintings, brass sculptures and glass beads - all in a huge palace of a building with its back to the (not so clean but oh so blue) sea.

i also met trish 'the bead lady', who sells her jewelery from her amazing house filled with fabrics, beads and stuff shes collected or embroidered from around west africa. i cant wait to go back and talk to her more about her future projects and share all the knowledge she has about the cloth and craft of this region...she also gave me the book of master weaver ahiagble bob dennis, who apparently lives nearby and does weaving workshops!

meanwhile michelle and i are planning our textile adventures to the volta regions to see the ewe kente and also the region north west of here to the great ashante kingdom.

otherwise i had my first ghanaian food tonight - plantain fried in chilli and ginger palm oil and then boiled yams with palava sauce made from cocoyam leaves with fish.

time for bed!