Ghana Journey: GOATS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Monday 10 June 2013

I can't write about Ghana without mentioning the ubiquitous presence of goats. They're everywhere, roaming the streets and fields of every city and village as if they own the Gold Coast. 

Goats dart out into the roads unexpectedly, causing drivers to step on the brakes and shake their fists. They are there to greet you as you step out of a restaurant or church. They parade freely through a neighborhood like a pack of dogs, ignored by Ghanaians in the same way that Americans ignore stray cats. Goats are the domestic animal of Ghana.

One of our drivers was telling me that even though goats roam the hood freely, they do find their way home every night. Goats are an important source of nourishment for every family, supplying milk and, eventually, meat. That thought makes me shudder. I can't imagine owning a goat since it was a kid, watching it grow up as a friend of the family, then enjoying it for dinner as the main course. But every country has its own customs, and I respect Ghana's goat culture.

= = = 

Another thing I haven't mentioned yet is the fact that our Ghana journey is being filmed by a professional documentary company for future promotional use by CRS and spiritandsong. This means we're followed constantly by two cameras and a boom microphone. We all agreed to allow this because of the unique opportunity of several composers of the Church coming together in this great adventure. The footage will assist us in telling the story of our journey when we return home.

(BTW, special thanks to Dr. Sionne Neely and her faithful staff, Salaam and Abbas, for their professionalism and gentleness. It was a pleasure to work with them.)

We've all seen the various TV reality shows, and how having the camera on all the time makes for fascinating entertainment as the principals begin to break down and get testy from being together for so long. I'm happy to report that we have not been at each other's throats (yet) but having that camera literally in your face at all times can be a jarring experience. Speaking for myself, I have sometimes had to catch myself from yawning, or from making a dumb face, or from saying anything that might be considered inappropriate.

For example, on Sunday afternoon the film crew was in our van to get road footage as we traveled from Bolgatanga to Tamale. We started off with friendly, innocuous banter about favorite music or the experiences of the day. Since it was a hot sunny day and we were tired, we all eventually nodded off to sleep as the camera rolled away.

About half an hour later, I was suddenly awakened with a jolt as our driver honked his horn loudly. We were on the other side of the road, trying to pass a slow truck when a motorcycle suddenly zoomed up to pass our van. Up the road, I could see another truck getting bigger and bigger as it headed straight toward us. Without thinking (remember, I had been asleep), I blurted out:

"Holy . . .!" Everybody turned toward me. I paused quickly, realized I was on camera, then continued, ". . . Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

My mates burst out in laughter. Whew! Good catch!

And yes, we passed the slow truck safely and got back on the right side.