Blogs from Tamale, Northern, Ghana, Africa - page 5

A Christmas Poem for Family and Friends By Nichole Huck Twas the night before Christmas And all throughout Ghana… Not a creature was stirring except for the goats, sheep, roosters, donkeys, Iman who announces on the mosque’s loudspeaker outside our bedroom window and the horn blasting taxi drivers. Nichole and Shawn were curled up under their mosquitoe net covered bed. With hopes that malaria would not strike them dead. It has been only three months since they left the city that rhymes with fun. In that time - the Saskies took power and the roughriders won! Nichole spends her days at Radio Justice FM - Where the first week she was told women are inferior to men. A “human rights media trainer” - is what she was told. But she’s much more of a student - ... read more

Paga, Northern Ghana Eco-tourism or community centred tourism projects are popping up all over Ghana. The North of Ghana has a long dry season - which scorches the earth and makes growing almost anything impossible. The Savannah grasses start to dry up in November and they won’t see rain again until April. The harsh growing conditions coupled with difficulties securing land has driven many young people to turn away from farming. Those who don’t go south in search of education have started looking right in their own backyard for opportunities. Many have started community based tourism projects - everything from crocodile petting zoos to slave camp tours. They are digging into their culture to turn sacred rituals into modern day photo opportunities. Others are turning a tarnished past into a profitable future. The village of Pagga ... read more

My collegue at Radio Justice Adams Abdul Sammed and I went to visit the Yilonaayili Anglican Primary School earlier this month. Sammed first became interested in this school when he met one of the teachers Madame Judith. She told him about some of the challenges at the school (such as overcrowding) and how she has been trying to help some of the students who come from very poor families. We spent the morning at the school talking to the teachers and meeting the students. Here is a photo essay on what we found. Yilonaayili Anglican Primary School is is the only school in the area and it supports over 20 villages. At first the school had trouble with enrollment - but that has all changed since the school introduced a school feeding program. Catholic Relief Services ... read more

Photos and stories by Adams Abdul Sammed Editor’s Note: This is the second photo essay by my co-worker Sammed. These photographs were taken during our first photo essay workshop. All the women live in his neighbourhood. ... read more

Photos and Stories by Adams Abdul Sammed Photo Essay: Child’s Play Note from Nichole: After our first photo journalism workshop Sammed and I hit the streets near our radio station to capture the images and stories of people in the neighbourhood. Sammed lives in the area - so he familiar with all the people featured in the photos. This photo essay is entitled “Child’s Play” - It introduces you to a world where children need to work to help their familes survive. This is his first photo essay - but as you can see he had a natural eye for photography. This will hopefully be the first in a series by him. ... read more