Inner Tube Jewelry

About two weeks ago we decided to take a break from bag production in the Design Center and focus on making jewelry out of recycled materials, namely inner tube, pieces of can, recycled glass beads, cow horn, and copper wire.

After spending some time experimenting on new designs, we chose a few that we would produce more of. There was a Christmas gift bazaar going on at the Australian High Commission in a week's time, and we were going to sell some of the jewelry there. We made each piece unique and asymmetrical, using bright beads to contrast with dark inner tube.

It was a really fun project and we had a lot of fun working on the pieces. Before the bazaar we spent some time finishing the clasps of the necklaces and making sure they had matching earrings. I helped with a simple package design for the pieces.

Lauren and I accompanied Auntie Renee to the bazaar at the Australian High Commission. We set up a table with our jewelry as well as some of the recycled bags and clothing they have made earlier at the institute. We sold several pieces, and I was able to meet some very important people in Ghana's government as well as some international ambassadors wives. With the money that we made we were able to give each of the Design Center workers a 10 cedi bonus, and give 100 cedis to the trainee house to buy food and household supplies. It was a fun day, and a successful one.

Teaching Drawing Lessons

In an earlier post I mentioned that I have been giving drawing lessons to the trainees here in the Design Center. I wanted to go into more detail and put up some photos from our lessons.

The first few lessons were on one point perspective. I introduced to them the concept of perspective as it relates to visual observation. They have already learned about perspective as one's point of view on a topic or situation, and I was able to relate the slightly different meanings of perspective. I also introduced the trainees to the terms "horizon", "vanishing point", and "parallel". It was really interesting to see their reactions to these terms. To explain the idea of the horizon line, I asked them what they saw in nature that looks just like this. I thought that perhaps they would recognize the horizon since Kokrobitey is a village on the sea. They seemed confused, so I had to explain it very clearly to them.

I had an interesting conversation with Auntie Renee afterwards, and we observed how the concepts of straight and parallel lines seem to be so foreign to these young Ghanaians. Auntie was telling me how even adult masons and carpenters struggle to understand the idea of creating straight lines, parallel lines, and right angles in their work. I see this too on a daily basis as the trainees struggle to make sure they sew pockets on handbags nice and straight. The observation Auntie and I came to was this: Ghanaians live their lives immersed in nature. Where in nature do you see straight lines, parallel lines, or right angles? They do exist, but rarely. Nature is known for its organic lines that show curves and movement and texture. The idea of strict geometry is just as foreign to these young Ghanaians as it is to Ghana's wildlife.

Because of their difficulty we stayed on the subject of one point perspective for a few days of lessons. By the end of the unit the trainees had greatly improved their drawing skills. Soon they were able to draw simple houses on a street in perspective.

 Last week we introduced them to two point perspective. The trainees are catching on very quickly, and I am excited to see their improvement. They caught on to two point perspective much faster now that they more fully understand two point perspective. It makes me so proud and excited to see them catch the drawing fever... everywhere I go I see scraps of paper with little horizon lines with cubes and houses on them. I am also very interested in observing if and how these lessons inform the trainees' sewing work. It is my hope that their pocket placement and their skills in sewing straight lines will improve as a result of their drawing lessons. Only time will tell!

Mampam!

So, I have a funny story to tell.

This actually began a few weeks ago, when I was working alone in the office. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and turned to look just in time to see a BIG lizard walking across the patio. From head to the tip of the tail this lizard was maybe three feet long. BIG lizard. It lumbered away before anyone else came to the office, so I didn't end up telling anyone about it. 

Fast forward to the next day. I was working in the office with Larteh, Lauren, and Auntie Renee, when Auntie goes "well, would you look at that!" Lo and behold, it was the same, or another, BIG lizard. We all rushed to the door to watch it as it walked away. Auntie said she had never seen such a lizard on campus before.

Soo, later that afternoon I went to my room to freshen up and use the washroom. I was walking from my room and pushed open the door to the washroom.... when a BIG lizard ran out of the washroom and into the bushes!! I think my heart may have skipped a beat. I ran back to the office and told everyone about it. It was hilarious!

After all of these lizard sightings, Lauren and I asked Larteh and Akrofi if they had ever seen lizards like that before here in Ghana. "of course," they told us, "it is called mampam. In English it would be... alligator." Lauren and I laughed out loud, for even though this was a BIG lizard, it was no alligator. No long head and mouth, and certainly no big teeth. The two Ghanaians looked at us in confusion, and thus began our debate. They insisted that this was an alligator, and we were positive that it wasn't. We went online and googled photos of alligators and showed them the difference. They then argued that still, it wasn't a lizard, since it can swim, and always lives by water. Then we began discussing the meanings of reptile, amphibian, and looked up the kingdom and species of both alligators and lizards. They still insisted that this was not a lizard, so we decided to find out exactly what species this lizard was. We searched for images, and looked up information on wildlife native to the Ghanaian coast. We finally found some answers when we searched under the Ghanaian name for the lizard: mampam. Here we finally found our answers: the lizard is a  Nile monitor lizard. Listen to this:

 "There are few of these lizards less suited to life in captivity than the Nile monitor. Buffrenil (1992) considered that, when fighting for its life, a Nile Monitor was a more dangerous adversary than a crocodile of a similar size. Their care presents particular problems on account of the lizards' enormous size and lively dispositions. Very few of the people who buy brightly-coloured baby Nile Monitors can be aware that, within a couple of years, their purchase will have turned into an enormous, ferocious carnivore, quite capable of breaking the family cat's neck with a single snap and swallowing it whole."

(Bennett, D. 1995. Little Book of Monitor Lizards, Viper Press, Aberdeen, UK)

It sounds like our mampams are a force to be reckoned with! My Ghanaian friends have assured me that they don't attack or bite humans, they will only whip you with their tail if you happen to surprise one of them. Note to self!