In Ghana

Being in Ghana and being able to work with the project feels amazing. It has gone far better than I've ever expected.
The first person I interviewed was a woman named Victoria Sena, she had worked with storytelling in a school, but how she is retired. We were a bit out-sync while talking, because my questions didn't really work with her way of thinking, and I think she thought I was a bit stupid. Especially when I asked about the message in the stories and she thought it was rather clear already. (I did too, but wanted it recorded.) Also when I asked her how the characters looked, she explained several times that this was fictional stories, which i knew. But I decided to work it her way and it ended with me not getting a lot questions answered. But I do believe I got the material I needed. I guess I just have a lot of liberty in the art now.
Sadly I didn't get a good personal interview with her either, it totally crashed because the questions didn't fit her at all and I could not come up with new ones. So I don't think I will have a huge part with her, only mention her help and so.

I also hastily interviewed a student at the school, though I didn't get her name. But the story she told is now one of my favorites. Thanks to this, I felt that I needed to change my project work a bit. Instead of just drawing a lot of pictures to one story, I will instead draw one picture to 12 different stories. Like a front page to them all. Why I changed it is because all the stories I got were so good and I wanted to include them all. And also, my first thought was to make this book fitting for maybe 4-6 years old children, but after hearing the stories, I feel that they are too brutal for that age, and that it's more fitting for maybe 8-11 years. Thanks to this it's also good if they have more to read than just one story.

The secound day with my projectwork I went to an Orphanage. First I was very comfused because no children were there, and those who worked there just ran around minding their own business, while Mama Comfort were calling different people on the phone who was going to come there. I kind of felt like an idiot, just sitting there and being complete oblivious to everything.
But after a while the kids came back from school and gathered around us on some tree benches. The woman from the hotel also joined us and later on also her sister who owns the orphanage.
The kids started to tell me stories, all in Ewe, which was very interesting to listen to. And I must say that I'm surprised that they dared to tell so many stories. I Only wished I've known their language, then it would have been twice as fun there.

The third day I was at the school again, and I recored Mama's translations from the children stories the day before. Finally I got to know what they were about and I was suprising how many that was about Ananse, who now will be the main character in the book, and the first stories will be about him.
ONe thing about recording the stories, was that sometimes it was very hard to hear what they said. Because it's sound in the background, as people talking or just a simple thing as the wind. So when writing down I have to guess from time to time.

But I already have some stories written down by Victoria Sena, so that's good. And I've also started to write down other stories. It works, and if I can't hear what they say, I'm guessing what makes most sense.

Overall it was an amaxing time being in Ghana, and I miss it so much! I can't believe I had second thoughs of going there, working with stories. It was amazing!

Children and Personal Interview

I will also during my time i Ghana interview children about stories. I'm both nervous and excited about this, and I really hope that it will work out well.
When I've talked with them I will also ask them to draw a picture to the story, does that sound okay? Maybe I should let them do that before so that they can relax more.

Here follows the Children inteview:

Interview children

Hello, my name is Lina, and I come from a country called Sweden. What your name?

I guess you all like stories? Do you have a favourite one?

What happens in this story?

That sounds like a really good story! Do you like the person in this story? Why?

What does it look like there? Do you see trees? Rivers?

Would you like to draw a picture with this story? Maybe how it looks like there.

Thank you!

I hope that is covering the info I need. I don't want to ask them to much since they might not like that. But I will change the questions depending how the child is mentally and in age. If he or she is a bit older I'll ask a little more about details.




I've also written a personal interview, which I will ask a adult person whom I'll interview. I've had a hard time coming up with fitting questions, since I'm not really sure about what I want to know. I'll use this information for a small information part in the book.

Personal interview

In my project I would love to have a informative part of you too. Would you like to be a part of the book?

Can you tell me a little about yourself? What's your full name, your age and where do you live?

What do you work with and what do you do there?

Do you have any particular interests?

Are you interested in stories?

Did you grow up with them?

Do you think stories for children are important? Why/Why not?

Are storytelling common here?

Do you think it's starting to disappear?

Do you tell stories often?

Is there something else you want to tell?

I will add this into the book. Thank you for anwering!

Antyhing I should change or add? Myself I think this is what I need to get a good informative part, but I would love the see that you think!

Children Stories

I've been reading through some African children stories to find insperation and look what I can be expecting for myself to work it.And I must say that this is going to be very interesting!
Because, when I've read thourgh a few, I started to notice a pattern. And that pattern is that they all have a lesson to teach. I guess this is rather typical for children books, but what's suprised me is how they are teaching the children them. It's actually rather brutal themes in these books. They contained blood and death in a way stories for children never would have here in our part of the globe! People got eaten by wild animals piece by piece, or died by falling of cliffs or eating themself to death so that their belly kind of... exploded.
I showed some to my niece who is ten for that matter, and she just looked at them weirdly, kind of shocked she too. And this makes me wonder what kind of story I will be working with and if I will be able to get children interested in these kind of stories.

Art-wise I've almost started to panic. All these books ahve so many, and so detailed pictures! I'm not sure I will be able to pull that off. Maybe I'll do fewer more detailed pictures than I've planned, or that I'll do less detailed pictures, with focus on one or two objects/persons. I don't know yet, and I have to wait until I know what kind of story I'll work with.

The Interview

Hello again!

Today as you might see, I already updated this blog, but I'll do it again, since I've finished the first draft for the adult interview.
Since the interview is gonna be recored the formation of the question isn't really important, more like a guideline for me.
These are the question so far. Do you think I should add others/remove anyone? It should help me get a picture of how the story of their choice is built and what it is about. Please comment if you have any ideas!

The interview:

Hello, my name is Lina and I'm a student from Sweden. What's your name?

I'm here to look into your cultures children stories and maybe myths. Do you know any?

What is this story about?

Do you know why this story were created? Does it have anything with your history to do?

Do you know where it's originated? And when?

What do you know about the character/s? Are they based on real people or created by someone?

What does the character/s look like?

How would you describe then settings? Are there a lot of dessert/forest/water?

Do you like this story?

Anything you would like to add?

Thank you for answering!

The Plan

Hello!
This is my first entry here at the blog, and I want to start of with showing my plan for the coming year and the project. I will try to follow this as much as I can. The only thing about this plan that worries me is the fact that I have not so much do to this term, and most of it comes in the spring. But I can't do much about this, since my work is based on the information I'll get in Ghana. But I think I'll make it, actually, I have to make it! It's gonna be fun, I really do believe!

Projektplanen
36 Finnish the projectplan
37 Write interview questions
38 Write interview questions
39 Find a publisher
40 ----
41 Borrow children's books to find inpiration
42 Practicing on drawing Ghanian settings and people
43 Practicing on drawing Ghanian settings and people
44 ----
45 Look through the interviews, have all the material I need
46 Travel to Ghana! Interview people!
47 Interview people and compile the interviews
48 Start writing the draft for the fairytale
49 Finnish the story
50 Design the characters and decide how the book will look like
51 Start sketching and write info about those I have interviewed
52 Start sketching and write info about those I have interviewed
1 Start on the first picture and write info about those I have interviewed
2 Illustrate (1)
3 Illustrate (2)
4 Illustrate (3)
5 Illustrate (4)
6 Illustrate (5)
7 Illustrate (6)
8 Illustrate (7)
9 Illustrate (8) (
10 All art ready!
11 Finish the book
12 Finish the book
13 Talk to the publisher
14 Publish the book
15 Extra week
16 Extra week
17 Extra week