This year, handling business as usual saw some delays. Traffic causes some serious delays of goods and materials here in Ghana. The section in Malam junction still under construction, passes slowly under the direction of the Ghana traffic police. Many times I travel to my property from Accra and knew to expect an hour and half more of a trip. Finally meeting up with my worker in Apam, he greets me to show me what he has done well. I visited the place once this year to see the progress of the clearing of the land. I helped initially in the clearing and found myself stuck with my own cactus! What i though was a small needle embedded in my skin, it was really about a half inch or so. Nana Apaa assisting me in extracting the needle and disinfecting it with his home made Gin. I was feeling much better afterward and celebrated with some drink and laughs with the chief.
Kabu showed me the process in how he would clear the land. I like his idea and so he proceeded. Before we get to the property we have to cross with a small canoe when the tide is high. The beach site is in the Gulf of Guinea in the Central Region of Accra. It sits right across from the famous slave castle, "Fort Patience" where many slaves were transported to the Americas. Once developed, the site will educate the people on the slave trade and African Americans. Being born in one of the original slave states in America drives me to tell the story from a different perspective. In addition to the history lesson, there will be a sports and science complex to encourage the youth to pursue careers in athletics and in the STEM fields.
First we have to tame the land. Get everything cleared then begin the planning for the building's first locations. I have to think about water, and power to sustain and maintain the property. Where will it come from? Should i dig for a natural well? Well it seems that toward the back of the property there is a natural well there that was dug by the locals in the area. What a blessing! As for power, i wish to implement natural use of power through wind and bio energy. Using natural solutions to power the site will save the site in these costs. Im working on securing a windmill to put on the site. Before that though, i just wanted to secure my pillar that marks the post of the first corner in the front on the property. As heavy as it was, Kabu helped me secure it in the dirt. Then finally, i painted it. This was a major accomplishment for me because i was now making a presence in Ghana as a local property owner in the town. All in all, hanging out at the site even though there is no building, is blissful. Especially drinking coconut milk from my own trees...This summer in 2010 made a real difference for me here in Ghana and for my organization, Follow the Leader Foundation!!
