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4/25/2008 - Day 4!!!! Here We GO
Day 4 – Day 3 in the Field Tamale
Today was possibly the longest day of my life but also one of the most empowering. I felt warped in time all day and I couldn’t believe that one could fit so much into a 24 hour block. I love being busy and a multi-tasker but this was a whole new level for me. We left our hotel in Accra at 5:00am to head to the airport in order to catch a flight up to the northern city of Tamale. It was just over an hour flight directly north of Accra. Unfortunately, I succumbed to my sleepy eyelids and slept the whole flight, missing the scenery below. In general, the northern regions of Ghana are a lot more arid, impoverished and rural. There is a high Muslim population compared to the prominent Christian population of the south.
We were wholeheartedly embraced and welcomed by the gang up in Tamale. Right to Play has united so many people around the world and it constantly blows my mind how one vision can have the power to bring such diverse people and cultures together. The RTP team in Tamale were just as energetic, passionate and lovely as their southern counterparts.
Upon arrival in Tamale we headed directly to our hotel to drop off our bags, grab a quick bite to eat and then hit the road. My first impression of Tamale was that it was more laid back and less hectic; instead of millions of cars on the road, most people just rode their bikes. It definitely had more of a “rural” feeling to it than Accra. Our first stop was at a school in Tamale itself where we were welcomed by the most beautiful voices! They sang us all a welcome song totally tailored to our visit and Right to Play. There I was, standing on this dirt field at their school, surrounded by these young children singing with such rich and meaningful voices; I was so touched and moved that it brought tears to my eyes. The passion and life in these people is contagious. We started into the games right away and started to bond with the youth of Tamale. In was incredible because, once again, only few kids can participate in the games yet surrounding the field all the other kids sat, watched and cheered their classmates on. They cheered and laughed with the kids playing but you could see the look in their eyes that they wanted to play to. I found that hard, seeing some of the kids excluded from the activities but in reality there just aren’t enough leaders to teach these children. It is a long process to teach the leaders and implant the games and lessons into the schools and communities. They are constantly teaching new leaders which, are the key to the future of Right to Play and embracing more and more children. The way that Right to Play chooses who is going to be a part of the RTP programs is dependant on the leaders. In general, the teachers at the schools become the leaders and then in turn they teach their own classes. There are also situations where individuals from the community come forward to learn and then bring the lessons and games back to their towns. The thing that is holding Right to Play back from being even more influential is the time and resources that it takes to train the leaders. All the work that the leaders do is through volunteerism which makes it hard to find quality, passionate and dedicated people who have the time to volunteer outside their jobs and lives.
Another good thing about these visits is that we get a chance to interact with the school principals, other teachers (potential leaders), politicians and the leaders. Through my support for Right to Play hopefully it encourages them to continue working with Right to Play and it shows them that we are committed to find the funds to help support these programs! It was sometimes hard because I felt like what I do back in Canada is so trivial but I also realized that through sport I can raise a lot of awareness which in turn will help these kids.
It was so incredibly hot in Tamale, I couldn’t believe it. I think that it was close to 40 degrees and to me that is more difficult to live in than -20! It was so funny because you could totally tell who came from Canada. We were the ones who were sweating from head to toe and looked like we needed a water IV!
After the first school it was back in the van and off to Bolga, a town 2 hours away and I honestly think that for the whole 2 hours there was not one turn in the road. Driving is a great way to see a country. I was constantly amazed at the “houses” (or should I say mud huts) that the people lived in along the way. The rivers were brown and stagnant, there were cattle sparsely habiting the landscapes, and the communities were just little blips on the radar. It is so arid in the Tamale compared to the humidity of Accra that it took some time to adjust to; just when I thought that I couldn’t sweat anymore……. Upon our arrival in Bolga, we stopped for lunch at the little restaurant that sat amidst a grove of mango trees. I think that I spent most of lunch eyeing the trees and hoping that the fruit was ripe and edible. I asked one of the leaders about the mangos and we ended up on a mango hunt. I think that I was a little like how the Chinese are when they see elk in Banff! There is nothing quite like eating fresh mangos directly from the tree. After lunch it was off to the next stop, which wasn’t a school like the previous visits have been like but instead it was more of a community program. When we first arrived at the town, there were maybe 20 kids out on the mud field but within the next 10 minutes it had at least doubled, and it was so neat to see the girls and boys just appear from all directions. You have to realize though, these people don’t have phones and don’t have the convenience of communications like we do, yet every time it is Right to Play hour the kids of this community manage to come together to play and learn. I was wearing this straw hat that I had picked up at the restaurant where we had eaten lunch, which would have been fine normally, but I decided to take it a level further and there I was playing with the kids with a turf of blonde hair coming out the top of it! Not only was I a blonde giant but one with a strange growth on her head! I had a bit of a breakthrough with my “sport demonstrations” here and wish that I had figured it out sooner. As with any kid, it is hard to capture their attention sometimes and especially with only words, so in Bolga I came up with the genius I idea of using the kids as gates for human slalom; they loved it!
After another van ride back to the hotel it was a quick shower, a little bevy and then on to another Ghanaian dinner with the supporters, leaders and advocates of Right to Play in Tamale. I even managed to get in a little dancing but realized that I should never dance where people walk with more rhythm than I can dance with. I love how each meals is like a celebration. There is a lot of food, followed by many speeches (usually tear jerkers!), and then a nice social cool down.
Sometimes, it is easy to just go to the convenient places but this was a perfect example of how important it is to see all. Our trip up to Tamale and Bolga was a crucial part to the whole experience; it wouldn’t have been a full Ghanaian experience without it. Like the leaders in the south, the northern Right to Play leaders were amazing teachers and advocates for Right to Play. It constantly blew me away the passion that the leaders transmitted to the kids. I thought that I went to Africa to inspire them but it turns out that it was the other way round!
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