A dispatch from GaØ...



I'm a firm believer that curiosity should be rewarded.

The streets of Accra are covered in sights and sounds, and it would be easy for small details to become overlooked. I think that anybody who's willing to keep a keen eye on their surroundings should get a gift.

also, people who are looking down are often having bad days

I took it upon myself to have a stamp made. In Accra, this is quite easy, there are men waiting by the side of the road with rubber, razor blades, and steady hands. You just give them a work order, and bam, the next day, a custom rubber stamp with anything you choose is in your possession.

I had a stamp commissioned. The text: TSAA BIƐ, which means "Dig here" in Ga, the native language of Accra. Deliciously, if misread, it could also mean "Don't dig here." It can encourage nascent members of both BartPA (or should we call it TroTroPA) and S.N.I.D.E. Here's my receipt. I picked it up the next day:



Notice that the stamp-maker made good on his promise and looked up the proper spelling for the words. Being that he carved that tiny "Paid" stamp by hand, you can tell he's quite a stickler for the details.

Next, I acquired various items from around Accra. The first stop was the Timber Market, where I heard juju gear could be acquired. I made my way to the market, and was immediately swooped upon by many a merchant. "What do you want to buy? What do you want to buy?"
--"What are you selling?"
--"Well, 2x4s, plywood..."
--"Uhh, I've heard you have some...other things...you...also...sell...here" (juju is not discussed in polite company in Ghana, and I was hoping my innuendo would suffice)
--"Oh, you can buy corrugated steel!"
--"Uh, no. Other...things..."
--"Nails? Tools?"
--"uhhh..." (I began to believe my information was faulty)
--(from the side) "Maybe he wants medicine"
--"YES! Yes, medicine! Show me where I can find the medicine"

I found myself in an alley full of the strangest things I've ever seen for sale (and I've been to both the Marché en Fer in Port au Prince and the Khan al-Khaliilii in Cairo). Bird wings, dried lizards, live lizards, turtle shells, whole hides, rolled up for transport, various woods, barks, nuts, plants, something or other squawking in a cage...

I bought a carved wooden effigy of a man (who I now decide is me), a dessicated chameleon (who I named Johann), and a nut that can burn skin when rubbed against a hard surface. I call it the Burni-nut.



Back in the real world, I went to Makola market (the 'normal' market of Accra) and bought a cheap, but working, mobile phone. And back in the place I've been staying, my gracious hostess offered up some sunglasses.



So with my menagerie of goods at hand, I wrapped each carefully in plastic bags.



Deep in the heart of night in the Banana Inn neighborhood of Accra (a poorer neighborhood) I buried each, and stamped above with indications to dig.


Some curious people will be very happy. Some will be confused. And some will be convinced there's juju afoot.