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!
