Global Mamas

 

One of the first places I went to when I got back to Accra for my first weekend in Ghana was a shop called Global Mamas.

They say they are "a Fairtrade project supported by Women in Progress that empowers women in Africa". I say they rock.

The shop itself is tucked in a little back street, not far from Oxford Street in the centre of town. It's worth mentioning, if only for a chuckle, that Oxford Street isn't actually Oxford Street at all, but that's what all the locals call it.

The shop is full of Ghanaian charm, tie-died, upcycled, gorgeous crafty bits and bobs. Probably my favourite thing about all the products though is that they share part of their amazing story, each item had the handwritten name of the person who made it written on the tag. Beautiful.

Canada, New Zealand and Australia are going Fairtrade!

Wow, it feels like only yesterday we announced that Cadbury Dairy Milk was going Fairtrade in the UK.

And now, a few months later we're over the moon for Cadbury Dairy Milk in Canada, New Zealand and Australia who are also about to gain Fairtrade certification. The Fairtrade partnership with Cadbury Australia and New Zealand will also result in Fairtrade certified bars being available in Japan.
Woohoo.

So what does all that mean?

It means that about a quarter of Cadbury Dairy Milk global sales will be Fairtrade certified in 2010. And combined with existing Fairtrade market in Britain and Ireland, the five markets will quadruple Fairtrade cocoa sales from Ghana.

Todd Stitzer, Cadbury’s Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted that, having announced our significant global ambition for Cadbury Fairtrade in March this year, we can now make this promise a reality in five of our key global chocolate markets by early 2010.  I’ve been touched by the response from consumers since our Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk bars came on shelf in Britain and Ireland over the last month.  I look forward to next year when we’ll bring Fairtrade chocolate to millions more Cadbury Dairy Milk fans globally, all at the same price and with the same taste."

This is an awesome commitment from Cadbury Dairy Milk that continues to build on the heritage with farmers in Ghana for over 100 years and the ongoing work of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. Through grass roots partnerships with Care, VSO and World Vision, the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership is now active in 100 Ghanaian communities.

This is amazing news for cocoa farmers, Cadbury and fans of Dairy Milk. What do you think?

Cocoa alchemy

There are a number of stages that turn cocoa beans into chocolate. It kind of makes you wonder who ever imagined doing any of those things for the first time, in that order and what they thought they were going to achieve- what on earthpossessed them.

Tasting a cocoa bean early on in the process (the remnants of which can be seen in the pic above) left me marveling at the alchemy that took the bitter (and boy do I mean bitter) crumbly seed and turned it into the luscious chocolaty goodness we all know and love.

When the cocoa pod is cracked open, a tightly-packed, fleshy white inside is revealed. Each cocoa bean is surrounded in this fruity white stuff with the consistency oflychee. When you suck the flesh off the cocoa bean it's a bit like mango, fragrant and juicy. In fact it's so tasty, I'm really impressed that people paid attention to the bean at all. 

The beans are removed from the pod and separated before the fermentation process begins. At CRIG I got the lowdown on the fermentation process. For cocoa to ferment, it basically just needs to be contained and aired properly.

Method One - The Heap

Beans are heaped on the ground and covered with banana leaves. The beans have to be turned regularly.

Method Two - The Basket

This time beans are put into a basket and then covered in banana leaves. This method is used when yield is low. 

Method Three - The Boxes

These stepped boxes are very clever, the cocoa beans are first put in the top one and then shunted down to get air. When they move down a new pile of cocoa beans is popped in the top and so on and so forth.

Method Four - The Trays

The trays are the smartest of all. Because the layer of cocoa beans is so thin and the trays are all gauze-bottomed, the beans don't need to be moved.

Fives things you need to know for attending meetings in Ghana

I took the picture above at the start of a meeting scheduled for 9am at MOFA (The Ministry of Agriculture) in Suhum. Take a little look at the time shown on the clock hanging at the top of the shot - yup, we only got started at 10:10am. And that was the first of the five things I learned about having meetings in Ghana.

Here they are in chronological order:

1. The meeting will start late. This isn't just because everyone's always running late (and the shoddy roads are a convenient excuse for what I reckon is really just a very laid back approach to timekeeping), but also because once they make it to their destination, proper greetings need to be made all round. That means everybody that comes in has to say hello to everyone who's already there and have a natter and catch up.
2. The meeting will start with a prayer. Someone is nominated to say the prayer for the meeting. This usually involves asking God to help guide the course of discussions and help the group to work together to reach the best solutions for (in this case) the farmers.
3. There will be lots of joking. Before business kicks off in earnest there will be lots of jokes and laughter. The atmosphere throughout is fun and friendly.
4. Phones will ring and they will be answered. No matter what someone is doing in Ghana when their mobile phone rings, they will answer it. During my stay I saw people answer their phones while out for dinner, in meetings, giving lectures and farming.
5. The meeting will close with a prayer. This prayer will thank God for being present and for guiding the meeting and helping it work so well.

What's your name?

On my first day in Suhum the day of my birth was immediately researched and I was known from then onwards as Abena. Traditional names in Ghana are based on the day of the week that you're born. The names differ according to area, but in Suhum, names went a little something like this:

Females

Monday: Adwoa
Tuesday: Abena
Wednesday: Akua
Thursday: Yaa
Friday: Efua
Saturday: Ama
Sunday: Akosua

Males

Monday: Kojo
Tuesday: Kwabena
Wednesday: Kweku
Thursday: Yao
Friday: Kofi
Saturday: Kwame
Sunday: Kwesi

Meet Theophilus Nkansah

On the day I met Theo we were at CRIG. When people at the institute saw Theo, their faces lit up like Christmas trees before greeting him with big, slapping hand shakes, finger clicks and cuddles.

Theo heads up the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in Ghana. He has spent his entire life surrounded by cocoa and grew up at CRIG.

I can't imagine what it must be like to live in such an incredible environment. Theo regaled us with stories of his childhood, thankful for his wonderful education, beautiful surroundings and talented peers. But make no mistake, he was still a typical little boy who'd sneak over fences with his friends to steal a mango or two to munch in the glorious Ghanaian sunshine. Phew, we're pleased to hear he's not perfect.

We asked him a few questions:

What attracted you to your line of work?

I've always been really passionate about transforming communities. And growing up at CRIG made me especially passionate about cocoa growing communities.

What's your Ghanaian name?

Kofi, I'm Friday born.

Talk us through your career story

After high school I went on to study French and Spanish and spent the third year of my degree in Cuba, which was incredible. I came back to Ghana and went straight into my National Service, teaching French and English. 

Then I went to work for World Vision and stayed with them for 12 years. After that I worked at Compassion International. Working for these NGOs taught me so how important the process is in change management. In the corporate work it's easy to get caught up in achieving objectives, but it's hugely important to remember that the journey to those destinations is just as important.

What do you wish people knew about Ghana?

Two things, I'd love people to know that Ghana is a very welcoming country. And that he cocoa farmers here work very, very hard. 

What's your favourite way to spend the weekend?

Well, because I live in Accra and my family is in Kumasi a weekend with my wife and kids is always the best.

What do you enjoy reading?

Detectives stories and  books about sustainable development - I like to stay on top of what I do.

What's your favourite Ghanaian food?

My mother always used to say that if you haven't eaten fufu, you haven't eaten. So fufu is definitely my favourite.

CRIG

 

It feels a bit of an injustice to simply refer to CRIG as an institute, although fundamentally that's what it is: The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana.

CRIG is really more like its own little village, a perfect village that is with a whiff if distinction and academia about it. The main buildings sit within beautiful landscaped gardens full of exotic-looking,individually labeled flowers and trees.

But that's just the start. There's also and internet cafe, golf course and school for the researchers' children. This is, really speaking, an entire community built around research and studies into cocoa.

CRIG was first set up in 1938 to investigate pests and disease which had been reducing cocoa production in the Eastern Region. At the time, Ghana, or rather The Gold Coast as it was known at the time was still a British colony, so much has changed in its 70 odd years ofexistence.

Today, CRIG has four main objectives:

• Provide a package of practices and technology that will give farmers optimal yield and economic returns - under environmentally sustainable conditions.
  
• Research and develop techniques for processing cocoa, coffee, sheanut and kola for the market.
• Research and develop new products made from cocoa, coffee kola and sheanut and products made from the by-products of the traditional production process.
  
• Create and maintain relationships that will ensure farmers share in the work being done.

It was lovely to be in such a vibrant, green space. Driving around CRIG feels like an adventure through an outdoor museum, which in a lot of ways is exactly what it is. Every stage of cocoa production is right here, each one cherished and nurtured until the very best species of cocoa, with the best taste, yield and health is possible. CRIG is a remarkably special place and its work transforms the lives and businesses of cocoa farmers and the entire cocoa industry.

 

The Art of the Bucket Shower

There is no running water in Suhum, the village I spent most of my time in Ghana. Well, that’s not strictly true, there is running water, but only once a week. This reality makes you have to re-think everything you do simply as a matter of course. How do you brush your teeth, shower and flush the toilet when there’s no running water? And then later, once you’ve gotten to grips with these new ways of doing things, you can't help but wonder who ever thought it was sensible to flush a toilet with fresh drinking water, as we do in the UK.

If ever you find yourself in Suhum or somewhere similar, here’s a quick guide to the art of the bucket shower.

First, establish which bucket has the clean water and then use a small bowl or jug type thing to pour the cold water all over your body. Oh yes, you should remove your clothes first and have a towel nearby. Then soap yourself all over and use the jug thing to pour water all over yourself until all soapy suds are removed. Repeat until clean.

Also, I personally reckon that if ever you choose to live in a place where only bucket showers are the only way of getting clean, taking a scalpel to your head is probably best. Hair is a massive inconvenience.

Aburi Botanic Gardens - lunchtime

A trip to Aburi Botanic Gardens is wasted if you don't have lunch. The lovely people running the restaurant were kind enough to let me go into their kitchen and take loads of photographs of my lunch being prepared. It's so impressive to see what these amazing chefs are capable of in kitchens with no running water or electricity.

My lunch, the fruits of their labour, prepared in a hot and relatively ill-equipped kitchen was boiled yams, fried fish and palava - a spicy, spinachy sauce that was seriously scrummy. But even better than the food was the plate it came on. The best crockery moment of my life, if such a thing exists. Check out the  snowmen I had lunch with. Absolutely awesome.

Aburi Botanic Gardens

We turned off a dustry road and entered an oasis of cool, green calm.  The Aburi Botanic Gardens is an island of tranquility in rural Ghana.

The gardens were first opened in 1890 and the whole place has a certain ancient charm. The trees are massive, with trunks the size of a rather large living room.

My highlight was The Strangler Ficcus Tree. This massive, sinewy creature with lengths of vein-like stems stretching up along its hollowed-out truck. Stepping into the cavity is an experience too extraordinary to capture with a camera (though as you can see in the picture below, I tried). Standing at the base of the tree and looking towards the heavens is pinch-yourself spectacular. The sheer height of the tree, the light pouring in from gaping parts along its sides and the way the sound of the park changes and seems somehow airier, is humbling in its beauty.

What the tree looks like on the outisde


The view from inside the tree, looking up