THE GHANA CHRONICLES: The Swinging Bridges— 6-17-23

As mentioned last post, I hope to write about the last three weeks retroactively. I considered writing it all as one long piece in the correct chronological order, but it’s simply too much. So instead I’ll post the first days first, maybe three or four days posted each day, in the order they occurred. I’ll include dates to clarify. Hope that makes sense!

 

From San Francisco to Istanbul to Accra is a long distance. “Miawoezo” the Ewe song running through my head, a welcome song that says, “Thank you for the trouble you’ve taken to come here.” All the planning, the money, the paperwork to get a Ghana Visa, the shots, arranging the flights, flying the flights— why go through all that trouble? Having done it for the Orff Afrique courses in 2014/16/18, I knew exactly why all that trouble is more than worth the effort.  

 

So arriving on the evening of Friday, June 16^th, the grand pleasure of hugging Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo, Course Director and one of the most remarkable human beings I know, after a five-year absence, was already enough. Equally nice to reunite with the course participants, over half of whom I’ve worked with before, as well as meeting new people. After dinner, Kofi announced the bus to Cape Coast, a pre-course excursion, would leave at 5am in the morning. Not an appealing invitation for this sleep-deprived body! But when my jet-lagged self awoke naturally at 4:15am, I figured I might was well go. 

 

So after those 18 plus hours of flying, I got on the bus for another 5 hour trip. We arrived at Kakum National Park late morning and set off for the Canopy Walk, a stroll over 7 swinging bridges above the rainforest. Alongside the excitement of braving the walk suspended high above the forest floor was the metaphor of crossing a delicate, but sturdy swinging bridge from the known to the unknown, from one culture to another. A mild kind of initiation ceremony as we made the effort to take the risk of leaving behind what we think and how we are and who we are to consider what new thoughts we might think and what new ways we might be and what new people we might become when we cross with an open mind and heart, alert attention, small sense of daring in company with others willing and able to cross over with us. It made for a fun and promising beginning.