With time comes wisdom (hopefully)

I am so glad that Mark and Judy are here. Their age, knowledge, experience, and beliefs contribute so much to our group's perspective both in terms of the changes and continuities within Ghana and beyond and of comparative, analytical insights - modern slavery, the respectability and acceptability of some cultural traditions, the relative value of education, and the list goes on. Their presence truly is a testament to the wisdom of elders and the veneration of them in African cultures. In addition, Mark and Judy have received such respect - as Judy said - due to their race. At least such was the case in our contact with the judge. It is rather surprising, considering Ghana's colonial history and strong nationalist movements spurring and following independence.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drive to and from our excursion. The scenery was so lush and mountainous. Majestic. I could not take enough photos and certainly could not capture the scope and beauty of the scene. It is sights like that one that reaffirm my belief in God and His incomprehensible power and creativity.

Tonight, we finished our discussion of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. I was so pleased at the lively and informed discussion overall - highly participatory. The one major snag in the discussion was a single comment made by a generally controversial person - she declared the culture of Umuofia evil, without merit, etc. Fortunately, everyone seemed to bristle at her remarks, characterized by cultural insensitivity and closed-mindedness.

Central theme of the novel - retelling African history from an African perspective (as opposed to the victory writes history)

Earlier today we visited a monkey sanctuary, an excursion which everyone had been highly anticipating. I thoroughly enjoyed hand-feeding monkeys, but the history of the site somewhat frustrated me. Today there are only aout 400 monkeys in the park. I would have expected far more, as it is after all a monkey sanctuary. Previously, when the locals here widely practiced the traditional religions, the monkeys were associated with such, but with the conversion to Christianity, the locals began killing the monkeys. In the mid-1990s, a Canadian researcher came and persuaded the locals to begin this park as a means of ecotourism. While I understand the pragmatism of economically gainig when possible, I wish the people had a desire to protect the monkeys of their volition. But protection is protection.