Street Shots

I took these pics this aftn then went to Le Palm Rest where they were having a convention of African International Schools. Had a beer with several attendees, mostly young guys in their 30's who had come from Capetown and were flying back in a couple hours. One from St. Louis whose wife was back in Capetown, another from NY and bleeding for the Yankees, a third from Canada? Met an older teaching couple from the B.C. of Canada. All were teaching in Africa. Talked about Mandela and what a singular force he is for a unified country in S. Africa. Mandela is in his 80's and quite fragile, and the worry is what will happen when he passes. They call it the time of bitten nails. The hope is that Archbp Desmond Tutu will fill the gap. Else, there could be a seriously deteriorating situation develop....Enjoy the pics.

Apt. View Outside

The picture below gives you an idea of what the apt looks like from the outside. I reported to the ISLP re status yesterday afternoon, and we are ahead of schedule. Next week I meet with the top civil rights lawyer in Ghana at his office, and we will start to set priorities on the cases that I will help structure. I am anxious to get this part of the project underway.

By the way, I woke up this morning and was pleased to see our one time next Pres. receive, as a co-winner, the highly honored Nobel Peace Prize. Good for all of them. The African and European Press have all praised this giving of the award; although I am sure that there are a few curmudgeons left in the States that will ignore the message and damn the messenger. This time tough, they go against an international tidal wave. There can be no higher honor.

My cook came today and fixed a nice meal of chicken and rice, with a sauce made of green beans with strong spices. It was poured over the rice and tasted something like a curry only stronger. I had two helpings, of course.

It is a quiet night in Accra with the temp around 80. Today the temp rose to the 90's which is more typical than what I have seen to this date. With the humidity very high it is pretty oppressive if you are in a cab and stuck in big city traffic. Any trip to the office usually means getting caught in traffic which is not fun, but endured. The cabs do not have a/c as it adds to the gas bill and cannot be afforded. Also, the cabbies have adjusted to the heat. Even they will buy these small bags of ice water to drink along the way. Since that water is not safe, I do not indulge.

Another interesting tning is that most people walk; they do not have cars, nor do they have bikes. The bike is absolutely disdained here. I have seen thousands of walkers but only two bicyclists. Walking for an hour or so seems normal here. No one wears shorts, and most women wear colorful dresses no matter there position in life. Men wear long black pants with white linen shirts.

By the way, I went on the internet and found the Sony Camera office close by, acquired a charger there and my camera is working again. So look for pics of people in the streets tomorrow. Hope to send more pics tomorrow. Good night all.

Ramping Up

Busy day today as we hired our Legal Director who will take my place after I leave. In the meantime, I will have him shadow me to learn the job. He is a law grad of American Univ of DC and brings lots of enthusiasm to the work. He is from Guinea and is also the Chair of the Research Institute on Democracy and Rule of Law for Guinea.

Also, we hired my cook and she starts tomorrow cooking me a chicken and rice dinner. She will also do the laundry. On the apt, the hot water is still a problem but will smoothe out I believe.

My camera has malfunctioned so I will hopefully get this problem worked out on Sat. Stay tuned.

New Apt.

I am now ensconced in my new apt and awaiting a trip to the supermarket to get the basics. My cook comes in Thurs. I have not yet met her. I am going to try to post two photos of the inside of the apt so you will have some idea of the lay-out. Later I will shoot a photo of the outside.

Apt. Leased

This aftn we toured the area and leased an apt for two months. It is nicely furnished with a living room, kitchen, dining area, bedrooms. bath etc. Moving day is tomorrow. Kwame' is now looking for a cook. The apt is air/c so it will be comfortable. Had fish for lunch and a coconut for dessert so food is fine. the cost of getting on the internet is more than we imagined but it will all work out. Till next time...

Reading Day

Today I am reading documents and preparing for Monday conference. Also, I hope to get an apartment and a cook tommorrow. Above are a couple more photos of ISLP persons and Media Foundation staff.