Greetings, Sojourners....
On January 3rd, I journeyed to Ghana, West Africa with 22 other women and E. Aminata Brown, founder of Ba Ba Blankets www.babablanket.com. We each are matched with a S.I.S.T.A. Scholar attending school in Bolgatanga, Ghana. I had such fun gathering donations and purchasing items for my S.I.S.T.A, Aminatu Mohammed, a first year secondary school student at Bolgatanga Girls School. During our journey, we'll have opportunities to share cross-cultural experiences and observations and gain insight into our commonly shared statuses as females in Africa and America, and tour the country which is the ancestural home of millions of the African Diaspora.
During our Journey we will visit women's collectives throughout the rural and urban areas of the country, visit the Agbogbloshie market where Aminata first meet the Kaya Yo girls, or load carriers, who were the inspiration for the forming of BaBa Blankets. We'll attend a naming ceremony in the village of Torgorme in the Eastern region, Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653, the departing points for millions of Africans sold into slavery. Here we'll visit the slave dungeons, and the final holding cells of those taken forcibly from their African homeland and we will take part in a sacred healing ceremony in the women's dungeon at Cape Coast Castle.
We'll visit Kakum National Park, West Africa’s, most noted tropical rain forest and drive through the forest region of Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Kingdom. I'm hopeful that we will be able to attend the Akwasidae Festival, which is held every 42 days, at the discretion of the Ashantihene (or King) to honor the special relationship between the Ashanti and their ancestors. Other highlights on our itinerary are visits to Ashanti craft villages (lots of shopping is going to get done there!), Kintampo Waterfalls, the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, and spend time at the BaBa Blanket studio to see how the beautifual Baba Blankets and crafts are being produced. Then we'll travel North to Bolgatanga and visit our S.I.S.T.A Scholars, deliver our gifts to each of them and attend classes with them.
There are so many more activities on our itinerary, and I hope to share them here - The Creator and stron internet service willing. That said, my posts may be a day or so delayed, but I'll try my best to keep you up to date on our Women's Journey to Ghana, a Voayage of the Heart.
Abundant Blessings
During our Journey we will visit women's collectives throughout the rural and urban areas of the country, visit the Agbogbloshie market where Aminata first meet the Kaya Yo girls, or load carriers, who were the inspiration for the forming of BaBa Blankets. We'll attend a naming ceremony in the village of Torgorme in the Eastern region, Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653, the departing points for millions of Africans sold into slavery. Here we'll visit the slave dungeons, and the final holding cells of those taken forcibly from their African homeland and we will take part in a sacred healing ceremony in the women's dungeon at Cape Coast Castle.
We'll visit Kakum National Park, West Africa’s, most noted tropical rain forest and drive through the forest region of Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Kingdom. I'm hopeful that we will be able to attend the Akwasidae Festival, which is held every 42 days, at the discretion of the Ashantihene (or King) to honor the special relationship between the Ashanti and their ancestors. Other highlights on our itinerary are visits to Ashanti craft villages (lots of shopping is going to get done there!), Kintampo Waterfalls, the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, and spend time at the BaBa Blanket studio to see how the beautifual Baba Blankets and crafts are being produced. Then we'll travel North to Bolgatanga and visit our S.I.S.T.A Scholars, deliver our gifts to each of them and attend classes with them.
There are so many more activities on our itinerary, and I hope to share them here - The Creator and stron internet service willing. That said, my posts may be a day or so delayed, but I'll try my best to keep you up to date on our Women's Journey to Ghana, a Voayage of the Heart.
Abundant Blessings
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