The diversity of people in Ghana never ceases to amaze and inspire me. There are the proud Ashanti people whose great empire still echoes through today. Then there are the Ga who have shaped the culture around Accra. Up north, you can meet Fulani, a nomadic group of people who range across West Africa. In Western Region near the border with Ivory Coast, there is a small and unique village, Nzulezu, with its own people.
My first visit to an African country was a month-long trip in Cameroon a couple years ago. I had no idea what to expect nor any solid plan for my time. I was visiting a friend, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, and left everything up to her. By a twist of fate, she contracted typhoid while I was there. She went to the hospital and I joined two other volunteers on their trip to Foumban. That experience was a highlight of my trip; Foumban is a place that is just teeming with culture.
I want you to take a minute and think of the sounds that you associate with African music.
I’m willing to bet that it was heavy on the drums with maybe some singing or chanting. That’s not an inaccurate mental image when it comes to Ghana – traditional, folk music centers around drumming and percussion and proverb-based songs.
I can’t think of anything that I love more about living abroad than getting to take part in cultural festivals. I love that Winneba, where I live in Ghana, has some wonderful annual festivals: Aboakyer and Fancy Dress. When I heard about what many people call Fire Festival in the North, I knew I had to go.
I fell in love with hiking when I lived in Portland. Now, when I travel, I almost always search out a way to incorporate hiking into my trip. When I read about the Nam Ha National Protected Area in Northern Laos, I knew I had to go there.
São Tomé and Príncipe are two small islands in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Central Africa. Geologically, the oldest dated rock dates to 31 million years ago. Until the Portuguese landed on the islands around 1470, they were uninhabited. Today, nearly 200,000 people who call themselves Santomean, but where did these people come from?
Africa, probably more so than the other continents, is made up of countries with borders that were created without thought to the people who were living there. Ethnic groups cross these arbitrary lines on maps and some call multiple countries their homeland. These groups have different languages, customs and traditional ways of life. In Ghana, there are a few larger ethnic groups, that are often then further subdivided resulting in an estimated number of upwards of 70 languages.
Things have been quiet here on my blog lately, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on my mind. I arrived in Cameroon late on May 10th, and 3G arrived only about a month before me, so connectivity is a bit sparse and pricey. I’ve also been going “up and down the country,” as they say here, and along the way I’ve seen and experienced a lot of things. And I still have a week left! For now, here is a list of some of my favorite things about Cameroon.
One thing that is interesting about Thailand, especially with the policies that the junta is pushing, is the concept of a “Thai identity.” Yet, there are between 70 and 75 ethnic groups, some of whom do not identify the Thai identity, and many of the hill tribes are legally barred from having an affiliation with Thai-ness, even if they wanted to. Who are some of these ethnic groups and hill tribes and what is their relation to Thailand?
I was born and raised in the United States, a place that is frequently referred to as a “melting pot,” due to the number and variety of immigrants that have moved there over the centuries. The diversity of the people of my home country is definitely something that I miss.
However, saying that belies the diversity of the people of Thailand, which is ignored and passively covered up by the dominant and “official” history of the country. The Thai identity is one that has been cobbled together from various peoples that have had an influence on the Siamese kingdoms, though has certainly been dominated by the Tai peoples (not the same as Thai).