Afehyia pa

Since I arrived in Kpandai I've tried to navigate the history of the land.  It's proved to be a more difficult task than I anticipated.  Many people in Kpandai, especially the younger ones, appear to know next to nothing about the history of the village.  They may know some scant stories that have been passed down through the tribe, but in an area that is such a melting pot a lasting narrative ceases to exist.  Kpandai is made up of at least 9 tribes- that's 9 different claims to the land, 9 different languages, 9 different cultural traditions, 9 different historical perspectives....   What is an effective way to sort this out and try to draw a somewhat cohesive picture? I think storytelling is a powerful mode of communication, a way to preserve culture and share ideas, and as an art form it is also a way of making history a bit more interesting.  Storytelling is essentially how history is passed down- why not record it?  Patrick and I were chatting recently, and the idea of creating an oral history of each of our villages came up.  There are so many stories to tell, and no one to record them.  Most of the village elders are happy to sit around for hours, if not days, and share their tales.  To draw out the village's history through their stories could create something quite interesting.  I think the end product could turn into something significant and rather beautiful.  I'm also imagining recording the tribal songs, as they are stories in themselves, to add to the narrative.  I'm in the process of developing a music/culture club at the school (well the girls really wanted a music/shake your ass club, so this is a happy medium) and I'm hoping that this will be a tool to learn about the different tribes and customs.  I really want the students, especially the girls, to learn how music can be a powerful means of expression aside from words.  I want the club to be a means to explore local history and culture, as well as sharing American culture.  I'm working on a presentation of the history of African American music in America- how music played such a strong role in the midst of such enormous oppression.

Anyway, audio recordings seem like the appropriate means here.  Not as invasive as video, as interesting as that would be, and cassette players are abundant.  One of the key things will be to take the recordings in the native language.  Language is one of the largest barriers in this area between people.  I think I may have found a translator who is competent in at least 6 of the local languages.  I hope that after taking the recordings we will somehow be able to weave them together into a final piece that can be translated into many languages, thus making it accessible to the majority of the community.  This will certainly be a long term project.  To draw these stories out will take a significant amount of time and patience.  This will be a great way to begin to cultivate stronger relationships with the village elders.  I'm still mulling ideas around in my head, but I think we're on to something and I'm really excited.