The Art Alliance and Jamestown

Saturdays are usually spent doing laundry, cleaning, exercising and shopping for the weeks groceries.  February 8th we scrunched our chores into the morning and pretty much played the rest of the day.  We went with the Stokers, Watsons, Bullocks and Walls to the Art Alliance.  After the museum, we went swimming and ended the day with a movie night at the Walls.  We watched Second Hand Lions.  The Art Alliance is a museum and an art gallery.  We found it very interesting and enjoyable.

Sister Stoker and Robert on the main floor of the museum

The large fish and tennis shoe are coffins.  For the Ga tribe in costal Ghana, funerals are a time of mourning but also of celebration.  They make sure their loved ones move on to the next life in style.  The honor their dead with brightly colored coffins that celebrate the way they lived.  I believe this is less common than it used to be, although funerals are still elaborate.

Elder and Sister Watson and Sister Bullock

They had jewelery and beads for sale and much of the art work was also available for purchase.

Staircase to the upper floors

There were three floors to the museum and the windows in the back opened up to ocean views.  The breeze from these windows was a life saver.  It was quite warm.

Kumasi Market

This is a large painting that we liked because it is so typical of areas that we see.  Small dwellings, close together with little walkways between them and the occasional larger space for shops, cooking areas or places for getting water.

Painting of people working in the field

This painting reminded me of "The Gleaners".  People bend very low like this.  They are hinged differently than I am.

Masks and Wood Carvings

There are lots of masks for sale here in Ghana.  Some are large and intricate and others are small and simple.  Historically, carving was a communal affair and deviation from the accepted standard was tabooed.  Now many Ghanians carve for the tourists or for export.  Drums, masks, fertility dolls and stools are commonly carved items.

Sand Paintings, Pots and Hats

Some of the pictures were abstract and others very natural.

This painting is depicting traditional dress and activities.

Many paintings were very colorful.

Front Door of the Art Alliance

Some of the collages used all kinds of materials.

Kente Cloth Loom

Kente cloth is probably the most well known fabric in West Africa.  It is colorful and has intricate designs.  It is woven in narrow strips and sewn together if a bigger piece is needed.  Some fabrics are printed in a Kente cloth design.









On Saturday the 15th of February we went with the Watsons down to the Jamestown area.  This is one of the oldest and poorest areas of Accra, the original harbor town.  It is a bit rundown now but still very vibrant and alive with a strong sense of community.  The Portuguese were here first, but in 1877 the English took control and built the Jamestown Lighthouse and the James Fort which was used as a prison.

Jamestown Lighthouse

The lighthouse was built in 1871 but replaced in 1930 by this current Accra Lighthouse.  I think most people still call it the Jamestown Lighthouse.  It is not a tourist site in the usual sense, no ticket booth or gift shop, but a "guide" appeared shortly after we arrived and took us up for about 10 Cedis each.

Cute 14 year-old Joshua stuck with us the entire time.

This picture of Joshua does not do him justice.  He was so cute, dimples and all.  He spoke excellent English and went with us to the top even though he was obviously afraid of heights.

The Staircase

 The light house is 93 feet tall and offered some nice views once we got to the top.

Robert on the ladder

At the top it became a rickety wooden ladder that was not overly safe.  We got up and down without mishap.

View of the Fishing Village

View of the Funeral

We took a walk through the fishing village with Joshua and his school teacher.










View of a funeral going on in the square in front of the large white building.  We were told that the head of the tribe lives in the light blue building with the red roof, an old colonial building.Funerals are huge productions here.  We could hear the drums easily from the top.  Many people are invited, and they have food, music and dancing.

Ocean View

We stayed on the top quite a while, looking over the ocean and the community of Jamestown.
Jamestown is a mixture of commercial and residential structures.

James Fort

We were unable to go inside James Fort.  The Fort and the Lighthouse are reminders of Accra's Colonial past.

Colorful Soccer "Field"

On the way to the fort we saw this makeshift soccer field.  You see kids playing soccer everywhere.  Any open space, whether dirt, cement or grass will have some children in a game of "football".

Unfinished boat

We walked through the fishing villiage.

Joshua's school

This is Joshua in front of his school.  He is holding up the Book of Mormon that the Watsons gave him.  Joshua has an identical twin brother but we didn't meet him.

In the Village

People didn't mind us taking their photos.  They just kept on with their work.  Some were working on nets, others cooking and some just visiting in the shade.

Fishing Boats

Men still pull in the nets by hand.  Fishing boats are often quite colorful and can be very picturesque.

Sister Smith and cute Joshua

A row of homes in the fishing village

Very small fish--lots of them

Ovens for Smoking Fish   

       
 Some of the ovens were being used as we passed by these ovens.  It was a warm day but it was nice to get a better look at this part of Accra and learn more about it's history.