An in-progress narrow raffia mat used as a teaching/learning aid. The mat is tied to a raffia palm stick that holds the mat in place as weaving proceeds. Loose raffia pieces extending from the middle and top of the mat represent places where raffia strands have been added or ended. These loose ends will be trimmed when the mat is completed. The active row of weaving is seen at the bottom of the picture. Sabiye, 28 July, 2022.
A wooden mallet used in rope making lies on the ground to the right of a coil of rope. This rope was made by beating the surface of a vine to remove its bark and soften its texture. The rope will be used to weave a large bamboo fish trap. Akanyakrom, 23 July, 2022.
View of the old Bongase to Ahenkro road, roughly three km south of Bongase, now inundated by the waters of Bui Lake as it rose behind Bui Dam after 2012. A canoe is visible on the shallow lake waters and the Banda hills rise steeply from the surrounding low rolling landscape. Concrete plinths line a cemented walkway, constructed as part of a foot bridge intended to replace the unpaved road, visible on the other side of the lake. Waters continued to rise, ultimately flooding the walkway. View to the south. Banda-Bongase, 16 July, 2022.
A fleet of motor-powered fishing boats along the shore of Bui Lake, formed by flooding behind Bui Dam as waters rose from 2012. Winds and waves on the lake require use of these larger motor-powered boats compared to the smaller canoes from which people fished on the Black Volta River prior to dam construction. Large fishing nets lay bundled near the boats. Fishing with industrially made nets has largely replaced alternatives like fishing with basket traps that were an effective and sustainable practice used by local Ewe fishermen. Bui Lake, near Bongase, 16 July, 2022.
A young cassava plant (dwa in Nafaanra) growing in an intercropped field. Manihot esculenta was introduced to Africa from the western hemipshere. It can be grown on soils that have been depleted of nutrients by other crops. Its cultivation requires little labor and its tubers, which provide a starchy staple, can be left in the ground for long periods. Other than as a source of calories, the tubers have little nutritional value. Cassava leaves, however, are used as vitamin- and nutrient-rich additions to soups. Lying on the ground around the cassava plant are dried maize stalks (bleju in Nafaanra) left behind from a previous planting cycle. Sabiye, 15 July, 2022.
A ball of fufu in light soup, accompanied by okra and meat, served in a shallow blue-and-white bowl. Fufu is a starchy staple made by pounding cooked yam, cassava and/or plantain to achieve a smooth texture. It is eaten by pulling off small pieces using fingers, which are used to scoop up the soup. Light soup is made from a mixture of onions, garden eggs (small eggplant) and tomato, which are cooked and ground to create a smooth thin soup. Ahenkro, 13 July, 2022.
