A group of men work together, gathered at farm, processing calabash (gourd; chrԑ in Nafaanra) for market sale. The calabash is split, its pulpy interior removed, and the gourd's interior surface scraped clean before drying. Shavings from this thinning process are scattered about on the ground. Several children are gathered nearby as the men work. A basket sits next to a pile of prepared calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra). Farm near Ahenkro, August, 1982.
View towards the east from the Banda hills north of Ahenkro. In the foreground (right) are farm fields that have been clearcut and plowed for tobacco farming.The houses of Ahenkro are visible beyond the farm fields. The mountain ranges in the distance are those near Fawoman (left) and Boase (right). Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
The Banda hills viewed from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking northward. Center photo are tobacco fields that have been clear-cut and tractor-plowed. Tobacco began to be grown as a cash crop in the area during the mid 1980s. Banda hills, May, 1995
An aerial view of Banda area settlements and roads, looking southwards from the north side of Banda-Ahenkro, district administrative center since 2012 of the Banda District in Ghana's Bono (formerly Brong-Ahafo) Region. The linear range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right, top) with the compact core of Banda-Ahenkro center photo. To the west (right), Ahenkro's houses are more dispersed than in its compact and older core. The left-hand fork of a Y-shaped road (center photo) is the main road that leads south towards Sabiye and Bofie to Menji. The right-hand fork is the now-bypassed old main road between Ahenkro and Kabruno. The road that extends horizontally across the left side of the photo is the paved road that extends from the Banda junction to the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12). The clustered villages visible south of Ahenkro include Kanka, Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Dompofie and Makala. To the east of Ahenkro (photo's far left) the angular straight edges and lighter green color of a cashew plantation stand out from the surrounding vegetation. Cashew has become an increasingly important cash crop grown in the area since the early 2000s. Ahenkro, 25 June, 2019.
A tractor-plowed field close to the Banda hills on the outskirts of Ahenkro has been planted with tobacco. Tobacco farming began in the Banda area in the 1980s and was common by the 1990s as many farmers took up commercial tobacco production. After tobacco farming was banned by the Traditional Council, some open fields like these were planted in cashew, the cash crop in which many Banda farmers invested from the early 2000s. Others have been used for mono-cropping (fields used for a single crop type) cash crops that are annuals. Northwest of Ahenkro, May, 1995.
A plowed field at the base of the Banda hills near Ahenkro remains unplanted. Other previously plowed but now fallow fields are visible as light green areas against a background of savanna woodland. These clear-cut, tractor-plowed fields were first opened up in the 1980s and 1990s when many farmers took up commercial tobacco production, later banned by the Traditional Council. Looking eastward, the hills near Fawoman are visible in the background. Two photos. Northwest of Ahenkro, June, 2009.
A field planted with tobacco near the Banda hills northwest of Ahenkro. Banda area farmers began to go into commercial tobacco farming in the 1980s. In preparation to grow tobacco, fields were clear cut and plowed by tractor. Tobacco seedlings were transplanted into the mono-cropped fields. Farmers used commercial fertilizers supplied by tobacco buyers who advanced money on cured leaves. These large cleared fields rapidly lost soil fertility. After tobacco farming was banned by the Traditional Council in the early 2000s, these open fields were often planted with other cash crops, like cashew. Northwest of Ahenkro, 1994.
View from the mountain gap in the Banda hills west of Ahenkro, looking southeast toward the range of hills near Boase. A clear-cut tractor-plowed field (foreground) awaits planting of tobacco seedlings. Tobacco was grown as a cash crop in Banda from the mid-1980s through the 1990s until its cultivation was banned by the Banda Traditional Council. Beyond the field are houses in Gbao and savanna woodland extending to the Boase range. Outskirts of Ahenkro, 1994.
The Banda hills viewed from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking northward. To the right of the mountains (center photo) are tobacco fields. Tobacco began to be grown in the area as a cash crop in the mid 1980s. Banda hills, May, 1995
View to the west from the Banda hills above Ahenkro. The mountains near Fawoman are visible in the distance. Rooftops of houses on Ahenkro's north side are visible (right). In the foreground a clear-cut tractor-plowed field awaits planting. Fields such as this were first established when Banda farmers began to plant tobacco as a cash crop, incentivized by commercial tobacco companies. After tobacco growing was banned by the Banda Traditional Council (early 2000s), these fields were put to other crops, including cashew. Banda Hills, 28 June, 2009.
Young men prepare calabash (gourd; chrԑ in Nafaanra) ladles for market. The calabash is split, its pulpy interior removed, and the gourd's interior surface scraped clean before drying. Banda, July, 1982.
Joshua Tandor uses a metal blade and a mallet to split a calabash (chrԑ in Nafaanra) in half. The pulp and seeds are removed and the calabash walls scraped clean before being set aside to dry. The resulting calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ) are sold at market while the seeds are a prized soup ingredient (fnumu). Farmstead on the outskirts of Banda-Ahenkro, August, 1982.
Family members work together at farm to process calabash (gourd; chrԑ in Nafaanra) grown as both a cash crop and a source of household objects and its seeds as a soup ingredient. The men use large knives to split the calabash, after which they will remove its pulpy center and scrape its interior walls. Pictured here are (left to right) Maa Afia (girl), Ama Bosin (woman), O. K. Kwabena Krah, Nduo Wulo Kwadwo and Joshua Tandor. Farm on the outskirts of Banda-Ahenkro, August, 1982.
Nduo Wulo Kwadwo at farm, preparing calabash (gourd) bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) for market. After removing the pulp and seeds, he scrapes the gourd's interior surface with a metal blade to clean and thin its walls before drying. Farm on the outskirts of Banda-Ahenkro, August, 1982.
A clear-cut, tractor-plowed field at the base of the Banda hills, northwest of Ahenkro. Production of commercial tobacco in the 1980s and 1990s introduced clear cutting and tractor plowing to the area. Once opened up, these fields are not well suited for growing yams or intercropping. They are typically put to production of other cash crops. Northwest of Ahenkro, June, 2009.
An aerial view of Banda area settlements and roads, looking southeastward from the north side of Banda-Ahenkro, district administrative center since 2012 of the Banda District in Ghana's Bono (formerly Brong-Ahafo) Region. The linear range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right, top) with the compact core of Banda-Ahenkro center photo. To the west (right) and north (bottom), Ahenkro's houses are more dispersed than in its compact and older core. The left-hand fork of a Y-shaped road (center photo) is the main road that leads south towards Sabiye and Bofie to Menji. The right-hand fork is the now-bypassed old main road between Ahenkro and Kabruno. The road that extends horizontally across the left side of the photo is the paved road that extends from the Banda junction to the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12). The clustered villages visible south of Ahenkro include Kanka, Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Dompofie and Makala. To the west (photo's far right) of the Y-Junction, toward the base of the Banda hills, are light-green rectangular areas devoid of trees. These are fields once cleared for tobacco cultivation and now put to other forms of mono-cropping (single crop farming). To the east of Ahenkro (photo's far left) the angular straight edges and lighter green color of a cashew plantation stand out from the surrounding vegetation. Cashew has become an increasingly important cash crop grown in the area since the early 2000s. Two photos. Ahenkro, 25 June, 2019.
This short video made from still images and video footage shows calabash processing and use in the Banda area, Ghana. Original images and footage are available in the Banda Through Time Repository. Banda, 1982-2019. Length: 5:02 minutes.
A cashew tree (Anacardium sp.) grows in an agricultural field planted (foreground) with calabash (Lagenaria siceraria). Sampson Attah stands near the tree. Calabash has long been grown as a cash crop for local and regional sale in the Banda area. When cashew trees were first planted in the area from the mid-1990s, they were grown singly or in small numbers. A growing shift to cashew farming in the area during the early 2000s was accompanied by the planting of large stands of cashew trees referred to locally as "plantations." Banda area, June, 1995.