Early in my Peace Corps service in Sandema, Upper East Region, Ghana at Sandema Senior High Technical school, I decided to take a walk to a nearby pond. My landlord's son, Thomas, said he would come with me and be my guide.
Upon arriving at the pond the first thing I saw was this cow. I knew some "cow" boys would be nearby. In Ghana if a family has cows the boys of the family usually take them out to the savannah to graze.
Next I saw these lily pads.
Then I found the boys. They were all in the water with dried sticks. I asked Thomas what the boys were doing. He said they were using the sticks to fish. They would push the sticks along the shallow edges of the pond hoping to push something on to the shore.
The catch fit into this boy's hands. It was a frog. Thomas said they would roast it and have some meat to eat that day.
These boys are from the Bulsa tribe. The northern regions of Ghana are very poor. Since colonial time all the commerce has taken place along the coast. A chubby frog would be a welcome addition to their diet.
For a map of
Sandema Upper East Region, Ghana, West Africa
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