2007.08.31: August 31, 2007: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Return to our Country of Service - Ghana: Journalism: The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: Frank Delano returns to Ghana after 40 years

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Ghana: Peace Corps Ghana : Peace Corps Ghana: Newest Stories: 2007.08.31: August 31, 2007: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Return to our Country of Service - Ghana: Journalism: The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: Frank Delano returns to Ghana after 40 years

By Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-135-11-10.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 70.135.11.10) on Monday, September 03, 2007 - 12:26 am: Edit Post

Frank Delano returns to Ghana after 40 years

Frank Delano returns to Ghana after 40 years

"I was 22 when I arrived at St. Paul's Secondary School. Bobbo was a year older. He was in his last year at the boarding school for boys. In one respect, he was different from a lot of his classmates. Many of them had dreams of going on to American or European universities and becoming doctors, scientists or engineers. Bobbo's plan for his life was simpler. He wanted to be a kente (KEN-te) weaver as his family had been for generations. Kente is the beautiful, traditional cloth of Ghana. It is woven by hand in long, narrow strips on small looms built of sticks set in the ground. The weavers then cut the strips and sew them together. The cloth is Ghana's time-honored formalwear for ceremonial occasions. Women wear two pieces, a wrap-around skirt and a top. Men wear a large cloth draped over one shoulder like a regal Roman toga. By any measure, Bobbo's career has turned out successfully. He has traveled often to America, Canada and Europe to demonstrate his craft and sell his colorful cloth. He has even been the subject of a book written by an American friend. Because of his travels, he knows the United States better than most Ghanaians. "Everybody in Ghana thinks America is a great place. They can't imagine all the hassles about living in America. You tell people in Ghana that there are homeless people in America and they think you are telling lies," he said. We figured we had last met in 1980. He was between weaving gigs in the United States and stayed a few weeks at my house in the Northern Neck. He set up a loom under a maple tree in the backyard and wove kente every day."

Frank Delano returns to Ghana after 40 years

hello, old friend

REUNION IS BITTERSWEET

Peace Corps stint forges lasting bond

Forty years later, return to Ghana is bittersweet

Date published: 8/31/2007

BY FRANK DELANO

Caption: Today, Ahiagble employs 16 weavers at his American Village Weaving Institute. He sews kente pieces they hand-weave.

DENU, Ghana--"Frank Delano! Kojo! Forty years! It's a miracle!" my old friend yelled over and over in my ear as we embraced in July.

The jubilant welcome came from Gilbert "Bobbo" Ahiagble (ah-hee-AHG-blay).

Seeing Bobbo again came at the bittersweet end of my three-week assignment to Ghana's beautiful and historic coast, from Prince's Town near Ivory Coast to Denu near Togo.

It was my first trip back to Denu, where I served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1967 to '69. I soon learned that 40 years have brought many changes to Ghana, Bobbo and me.

I was 22 when I arrived at St. Paul's Secondary School. Bobbo was a year older. He was in his last year at the boarding school for boys.

In one respect, he was different from a lot of his classmates. Many of them had dreams of going on to American or European universities and becoming doctors, scientists or engineers.

Bobbo's plan for his life was simpler. He wanted to be a kente (KEN-te) weaver as his family had been for generations.

Kente is the beautiful, traditional cloth of Ghana. It is woven by hand in long, narrow strips on small looms built of sticks set in the ground. The weavers then cut the strips and sew them together.

The cloth is Ghana's time-honored formalwear for ceremonial occasions. Women wear two pieces, a wrap-around skirt and a top. Men wear a large cloth draped over one shoulder like a regal Roman toga.

By any measure, Bobbo's career has turned out successfully. He has traveled often to America, Canada and Europe to demonstrate his craft and sell his colorful cloth. He has even been the subject of a book written by an American friend.

Because of his travels, he knows the United States better than most Ghanaians.

"Everybody in Ghana thinks America is a great place. They can't imagine all the hassles about living in America. You tell people in Ghana that there are homeless people in America and they think you are telling lies," he said.

We figured we had last met in 1980. He was between weaving gigs in the United States and stayed a few weeks at my house in the Northern Neck. He set up a loom under a maple tree in the backyard and wove kente every day.

While he was there, I taught him to drive. My method was the same way I had learned:

First on a riding lawn mower, which he crashed into a tree. Then on a John Deere tractor. Then in a car in the pasture. Finally in the car on the highway.

In July, at his home near our old school, we laughed about those odd driving lessons. But they seemed to work. He now drives--quite well, I'm glad to say--a Toyota sedan that had 392,836 kilometers on its odometer.
fashioning a future

Most of Bobbo's 1-acre, walled compound is the campus of his American Village Weaving Institute. It can house, feed and teach weaving to as many as 12 students at a time, many of them from America.

The compound is also where he keeps his Massey Ferguson tractor and other farm machinery. Such equipment is rare in Ghana. He owns about 100 acres and farms about half of it himself. "I love it so much on my farm," he said.

He also owns two or three other houses that he rents out.

He weaves little himself these days. Instead, he employs 16 other weavers to make kente to his specifications. He sews it together on a 45-year-old treadle sewing machine in his house.

Another wall separates the campus compound from his house. It has beds and mattresses, but he prefers to sleep on a mat on the floor beside the sewing machine.

Once a week, his driver takes him 100 miles to Ghana's capital, Accra, where Bobbo sells women's and men's clothes, tablecloths, wall hangings, place mats, runners and other pieces.

"I know everybody at all the embassies," he said.

Bobbo makes friends quickly and easily. Everyone who meets him is soon smiling and in good buying spirits. His affable nature, it seems to me, is a main ingredient of his success.

During my visit, I was surprised to hear him credit me for helping launch his career. He said that I was the first person to suggest making trousers from the bright striped fabric with its woven emblems.

Those were the days of hippie fashion.

"That was what made me known to the whole world," he said. "After I made the trousers for you, I made many more. I went all around the country selling them to Peace Corps."

In the process, he filled his address book with contacts that would later serve him well on his trips to the United States.
back to school

Bobbo took me to our old school. There were many new buildings among the scruffy old ones. I saw the bungalow where I lived with other volunteers. Trees that were newly planted then are large and shady now.

Forty years ago, the headmaster was Father Apietu (ah-PEE-eh-tu), a Catholic priest who wore a long, white cassock.

He's dead now. His bust stands on a pedestal in front of the building where I once taught. I suggested painting the pedestal white like his cassock. Bobbo laughed. Only old boys like us would get the joke.

Forty years ago, the school was surrounded by farms and baobob trees. It was on a dirt road with only a few houses nearby. Now, the road is paved and lined with houses and shops. More are under construction.

Bobbo led the headmaster, a dozen teachers and me to a bar on the other side of the school's athletic field. Bobbo bought cold beer for everyone. Forty years ago, the thought of a bar with cold beer next door to the school would have been a hallucination.

I looked at the teachers and wondered if I was ever as young as most of them. I told a few stories about some long-ago high jinks at the school. The young teachers laughed heartily. The headmaster barely smiled.

He said the enrollment of the school was now about 1,000. In my day, it wasn't half of that. He invited me to return next year for the school's 50th anniversary and to give the school an endowment.

I thanked him for his invitations, but told him I was not sure I would be able to do either one.
an estimable fellow

Later, Bobbo and I drove into the town of Denu. The only things I recognized from long ago were the post office and the sea.

In the late 1960s, the streets of Denu and the shelves of its few shops were mostly empty. Now there are many more shops, with shelves filled with goods all the way to the ceilings.

The town today is crowded with taxis, cars and people.

Vehicles now drive on the right. They drove on the left when I lived there.

Houses have replaced the coconut groves by the sea where I once photographed fishermen. I was happy, however, to see the big fishing canoes still on the beach, gleaming with fresh paint and gaudier than ever.

Bobbo has 11 sons and six daughters by four wives. Several of his children and one of his brothers work for him. "It's a big family, but a very happy family," he said.

I was astounded and proud to learn that my name is part of it. Bobbo's nephew in Accra, a 30-year-old welder, is named Frank Delano Ahiagble in my honor. I've never met him, but with a name like that he must be an estimable fellow.

Early on the morning of my last day in Ghana, Bobbo drove me to a nearby village. Along the way, he picked up a couple of his friends.

We all ended up at a bar about 7 a.m. Bobbo and his friends ordered big bottles of beer. It was probably impolite under the circumstances, but I drank a Coke.

After this breakfast, Bobbo led me through the town where his youngest children, 14-month-old twins, live with their mother. Bobbo wanted me to take his picture with the babies.

Their mother handed them to Bobbo without a word or a smile. Bobbo smiled only at the children.

"I have so many problems with my marriages, I should have remained a bachelor," he said. I told him that I have occasionally thought the same thing myself.
A final farewell

Compared with his whoops of welcome the day before, our goodbye later that day was short on words.

He said he hoped to travel again to America, but he wasn't sure when. I told him I looked forward to seeing him in the States.

I didn't want or even need to say that I'd probably never return to Ghana. He knew.

The car was packed. The driver was ready to leave for the three-hour drive to the airport in Accra.

Bobbo and I hugged goodbye.

"Mijo," he said, for "see you later."

Something was going on in my throat.

"Mijo" was all I could reply.
Frank Delano: 804/333-3834
Email: fpdelano@gmail.com




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2007; Peace Corps Ghana; Directory of Ghana RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ghana RPCVs; Return to our Country of Service - Ghana; Journalism





When this story was posted in September 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Date: July 25 2007 No: 1178 Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings
Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation.

Peace Corps News Peace Corps Library Peace corps History RPCV Directory Sign Up

Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Date: August 15 2007 No: 1185 Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer
Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV).

August 4, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: August 5 2007 No: 1182 August 4, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Peace Corps reopens Guinea Program 19 Jul
China beating US in public diplomacy 4 Aug
Shalala continues fight for wounded soldiers 4 Aug
Sue Hilderbrand's goal is stopping funding for Iraq war 3 Aug
Matthew Barison went from Uzbekistan to Romania 2 Aug
Peter Chilson writes "Disturbance-Loving Species" 31 Jul
An RPCV remembers Texas Tower Tragedy 29 Jul
Daniel Balluff films documentaries on Niger 28 Jul
Renewing the Bond of Trust with PCVs 27 Jul
Carol Bellamy to chair Fair Labor Foundation 25 Jul
Delay in Julia Campbell trial 24 Jul
PCV Brian writes: Secondary Projects - First Priority 23 Jul
Dodd says no easy election for Democrats in 2008 22 Jul
John Smart writes: Bush's palace in Iraq 20 Jul
Bill Moyers eulogizes Lady Bird Johnson 15 Jul
Social Justice ranks high on Dan Weinberg’s agenda 15 Jul
PCV Tait writes: Good-bye to my village 14 Jul
Amy Smith organizes Development Design Summit 13 Jul
Cameron Quinn to head PC Third Goal Office 11 Jul
Josh Yardley brought Red Sox to Burkina Faso 11 Jul
James Rupert writes: Islamabad's Red Mosque 11 Jul
Sarah Chayes writes: NATO didn't lose Afghanistan 10 Jul

Dodd issues call for National Service Date: June 26 2007 No: 1164 Dodd issues call for National Service
Standing on the steps of the Nashua City Hall where JFK kicked off his campaign in 1960, Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd issued a call for National Service. "Like thousands of others, I heard President Kennedy's words and a short time later joined the Peace Corps." Dodd said his goal is to see 40 million people volunteering in some form or another by 2020. "We have an appetite for service. We like to be asked to roll up our sleeves and make a contribution," he said. "We haven't been asked in a long time."

July 9, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: July 10 2007 No: 1172 July 9, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
O'Hanlon says "soft partition" occurring in Iraq 9 Jul
Eric R. Green writes on coming oil crisis 8 Jul
Why Dodd joined the Peace Corps 5 Jul
Jim Doyle positioned for third term 5 Jul
Michael Adlerstein to direct UN Master Plan 3 Jul
Shalala says Veterans report will be solution driven 1 Jul
Blackwill says: No process will make up for stupidity 30 Jun
Allan Reed creates a Diaspora Skills Transfer Program 29 Jun
State Dept apology ends hold on Green nomination 28 Jun
Call for stories to celebrate PC 50th Anniversary 25 Jun
Michael Shereikis is singer and guitarist for Chopteeth 25 Jun
Christopher R. Hill Visits North Korea 22 Jun
Tschetter at JFK Bust Unveiling Ceremony 21 Jun
Kiribati too risky for PCVs 17 Jun
James Rupert writes: US calls for free Pakistani elections 17 Jun
Colin Cowherd says PCVs are losers 7 Jun
Tony Hall Warns of Food Shortages in North Korea 7 Jun
Youth Theatre performs Spencer Smith's "Voices from Chernobyl" 7 Jun
Ifugao names forest park after Julia Campbell 6 Jun
Anissa Paulsen assembles "The Many Colors of Islam" 5 Jun
Obituary for Nepal RPCV Loret Miller Ruppe 2 Jun
Forty PCVS to arrive in Ethiopia 2 Jun

Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy Date: June 10 2007 No: 1153 Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy
When President Kennedy spoke of "a long twilight struggle," and challenged the country to "ask not," he signaled that the Cold War was the challenge and framework defining US foreign policy. The current challenge is not a struggle against a totalitarian foe. It is not a battle against an enemy called "Islamofascism." From these false assumptions flow false choices, including the false choice between law enforcement and war. Instead, law enforcement and military force both must be essential instruments, along with diplomacy, including public diplomacy. But public diplomacy rests on policy, and to begin with, the policy must be sound. Read more.

Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director Date: June 27 2007 No: 1166 Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director
A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania.

June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: June 1 2007 No: 1141 June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Returned Volunteers and Staff honor Warren Wiggins 15 May
Tom Seligman curates "Art of Being Tuareg" 26 May
PCV Marilyn Foss dies in China 25 May
Poet Susan Rich writes: The Women of Kismayo 22 May
Christopher Hill considers visit to North Korea 18 May
Peter Hessler talks about time in Fuling as PCV 18 May
Murder charges filed in death of PCV Julia Campbell 17 May
David Pitts claims JFK offered PC to Lem Billings 16 May
Niki Tsongas announces candidacy for Congress 16 May
James Rupert writes: Pakistanis talk of Musharraf's departure 16 May
Chris Matthews writes: Jerry Falwell's Political Legacy 15 May
Ron Tschetter visits volunteers in Botswana 14 May
Which assignment to take? Africa, Europe, or Central Asia 14 May
Willy Volk writes: New way to keep mosquitoes at bay 14 May
Jim Walsh takes special interest in Nepal 13 May
NPCA offers podcasts of social entrepreneurs 10 May
Gaddi Vasquez showcases food aid work in Central America 10 May
Donna Tabor dreamed up Cafe Chavalos 8 May
Tom Bissell writing book about Jesus' 13 Apostles 8 May
Jody Olsen praises PCV blogging 7 May
PC responds to missing volunteers in 2001 and 2007 2 May


Peace Corps Funnies Date: May 25 2007 No: 1135 Peace Corps Funnies
A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions.

PCOL serves half million Date: May 1 2007 No: 1120 PCOL serves half million
PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more.

Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Date: April 27 2007 No: 1109 Suspect confesses in murder of PCV
Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps Date: April 15 2007 No: 1095 Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps
Warren Wiggins, who died at 84 on April 13, became one of the architects of the Peace Corps in 1961 when his paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of Sargent Shriver, just as Shriver was trying to figure out how to turn the Peace Corps into a working federal department. Shriver was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. Read Mr. Wiggins' obituary and biography, take an opportunity to read the original document that shaped the Peace Corps' mission, and read John Coyne's special issue commemorating "A Towering Task."

The Peace Corps Library Date: July 11 2006 No: 923 The Peace Corps Library
The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

He served with honor Date: September 12 2006 No: 983 He served with honor
One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ghana; Return to our Country of Service - Ghana; Journalism

PCOL38860
28


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: