16-27 March 2006
At the end of the Spring Term 31 students and several members of staff all set off on the long and tiring trip to Ghana where they were going to experience the most amazing musical and cultural exchange of their lives. Below is a daily diary, extracted from reports sent back from Ghana by parent, Mrs Deborah Eleazar, who played a pivotal role in setting up and organising the tour:
Thursday 16 March
Everyone arrived safely but extremely tired. The coach from SOS College Tema was escorted from the airport by two police outriders, much to the amusement of the children, which set the tone of the tour. At the College the boys and girls were given a quick update on the rules and regulations and a bite to eat before dispersing to their beds throughout the campus.
Friday 17 March
After an early start and a short lecture on Africa the Gordonstoun students and their hosts from SOS College piled into two coaches and were driven, complete with police escort, to Aklamador where they were to carry out some project work at the local school.
They were greeted by the village elders and the entire assembled village and jobs were divvied out - some were painting, others in classrooms, others in construction. The village children were very excited by the new arrivals and in a very short time the Gordonstoun students found themselves with a small army of followers.
Saturday 18 March
Today signaled the first of the tour's concerts, so it was up early for rehearsals with the hosts from SOS College at the Concert Hall before heading back to the college campus for some R&R, swimming and an early dinner. The concert was a great success and afterwards the students were presented with another colourful sash and a Ghanaian basket.
Sunday 19 March
The children were sad to be saying farewell to their hosts but would see them again later in the tour for a thank-you and farewell party.
Then it was off to a rehearsal with the Winneba Youth Choir before heading back to the hotel in time to change for the concert at the University of Ghana. The concert hall was full (about 700 people) and the Gordonstoun students performed alongside their good friends Alabaster Box and the Winneba Youth Choir. The audience was extremely appreciative and the evening ended well with the children on a high, being cheered off the University campus at almost midnight.
Monday 20 March
Today the children went to the local art and souvenir centre with two Ghanaians as escorts and assistants after being given guidelines on how to haggle. Not everyone got on well with the local haggling system but it was instructive and fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. Then it was back to the hotel for a quick swim before getting ready for the concert for the President, Mr John Kufuor. This was a very special occasion for important local residents and diplomatic guests and everyone felt the pressure of performing for such a prestigious audience.
Tuesday 21 March
Today saw a quick rehearsal at the British High Commissioner's residence and then a swim at the hotel before returning to the Residence for a Reception and Concert in front of the High Commissioner, Mr Gordon Wetherell, the Ambassadors of America and Burkina Faso, the former Swiss Ambassador, the Ghanaian High Commissioner to the UK and his wife, the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah and many, many others.
There were also various members of Caledonian Society in the audience who really appreciated the Scottish theme to the Barbershop medley. Mr Wetherell was so enjoyed the evening that he stood at the gates of the Residence to say goodbye to the Gordonstoun party and wave off their coaches. Another excellent evening.
Wednesday 22 March
An early morning departure from Accra saw the group arriving at Mankoadze at 0900 where they were met by Mr Roger Gilman of the charity Teacup. They walked through the town to the beach, accompanied by the pipers, with children and villagers on either side, waving and playing drums, to be presented with necklaces of flowers and local beads. After that they met the local chiefs, discovered a connection between the village and Scotland (fishing boat engines!) and then were treated to a performance of local songs and dances. They also learned that a long-standing land dispute, which had divided the village for years, had been settled in honour of their visit. Charlie Bradford then presented the school's teacher with a cheque for money collected by himself and Freddie Rider during a fund-raising event, three junior members of the group presented the Chiefs with bottles of Schnapps (a local custom) and toys were distributed to the over-excited and eager village children.
It was an extremely hot morning and some time spent on the beach was most welcome. After a brief meal and some more interaction with the local children, the group left with the buses setting off in a downpour, which was particularly hard on the police outriders!
After settling in at the Elmina Beach Resort hotel, it was time for dinner and a live band - a 12-strong band were Jamaicans from the Bronx who had decided to go back to their roots - so they had street dancing and some really up to the minute music. With no concert that night, the boys and girls decided to make a night of it which made the roundsman's job all the more difficult later on!
Thursday 23 March
Everyone was up early for a three-hour trek over the rope walkways in the canopy of the tropical forest at Kakuum Park, then on to Elmina Castle, a former slave castle with a lot of history which was a very moving experience.
Afterwards it was back to the hotel for some bargaining over paintings, lunch and rest before heading to Cape Coast Castle - a truly magnificent World Heritage site - for the concert with the Winneba Youth Choir.
As if by magic, pupils from the leading boarding schools of the area slowly arrived, the local chiefs were also there and, as dusk fell, the Gordonstoun pipers walked the ramparts and then came down among the audience - a truly special sight - to signal the start of the concert. It was such a success and the local school children were enjoying themselves so much that they didn't want to leave but evenually they were persuaded to dance their way out of the venue to a song from the Winneba Youth Choir.
Afterwards it was quickly back to the hotel to host a dinner for the Winneba choir, then dancing until midnight.
Friday 24 March
After getting an early start the group eventualy arrived at Keta at around 1600, following a stop for lunch at Tema. The streets were lined with banners of welcome and they were taken straight away to visit a salt mining site where they were given a lecture on this important local industry by the District Commissioner. Then they were taken to the hotel which was rustic and welcoming and right on the beach.
After a quick change (everyone was becoming expert at this by now!), it was time to meet up with their host, Roz's father, Major Quashigah, in the gardens of the hotel. After an introductory talk by Major Quashigah, the evening got underway with the children receiving lessons on egbi dance before Ms Rombout and some of the girls were invited up to be dressed as Ghanaian princesses. The dancing and singing continued until nearly midnight and the children were each presented with a bamboo flute before heading back to their rooms and some much-needed sleep.
Saturday 25 March
The morning was spent in playing beach games - pulling in fishing nets, tug o' war, volleyball etc - it was a good relaxing time for the students, some of whom accidentally (on purpose) fell into the sea!! Hugo's father arrived late on Friday night after a hair-raising trip from the airport and took part in all the games on the beach, thoroughly enjoying his brief stay in the village.
After lunch, it was loading up time again and off to visit the farms and fields of Keta - a better organised and wealthier village than others we had visited - and it was explained that the people originally came from Iraq, having migrated down through various countries and centuries to arrive in Keta. They were extremely proud of their heritage.
Then it was time to head back to Accra for a dinner with our first hosts of the tour, SOS College Tema. With everyone ready for the guests and a lovely area in the garden terrace made available, it promised to be a first class party, but some unexpected guests started to arrive.
Due to a misunderstanding 80 members of Akosombo International School had arrived for a show that was actually a party to say thank you to our first hosts SOS College Tema, their choir and teachers and some other people who had been helpful. However, we were joined by Alabaster Box and sang some songs for them, they sang some for us and they stayed and had a drink and chat for about an hour before heading home. We felt quite sad and a bit guilty because they had travelled so far for a show that wasn't a show!
By now, our SOS guests had arrived and we sat down to dinner with everyone mingling like old friends. To our surprise the Chief from Aklamador arrived with the College Principal Mrs Nkrumah in evening dress, bringing with him photos and a big box. It was another great musical evening which ended with the Ceilidh group playing Scottish music and the students teaching the SOS students how to dance Scottish reels! There was also a DJ who played more modern songs and everyone was in great spirits. Mr Yaka of Aklamador then presented Mr Gaston with two wonderful wood carvings and a letter of thanks for the work carried out at the start of the tour.
Sunday 26 March
This was the first time the group were able to get up when they liked for breakfast. Most of the day was spent swimming and a group went out to get some farewell presents.
The end-of-tour party in the garden of the guest house in Tema with music supplied by the High Life Group Takashi. Everyone danced, an award-winning hip-hop group arrived, some young Ghanaian children children sang a number of songs and Major Quashigah arrived, bearing chocolate gifts - each student was presented with a bag of chocolates, pebbles, cocoa and leaflets extolling the virtue of Ghanaian cocoa! Then the children were presented with another sash, shells and a small painting before Mr Gaston stood up to make yet another speech and the (tongue-in-cheek) Tour Awards were given out.
Mrs Eleazar was thanked and presented with a book and two paintings, a gift from the students and teachers for everything she had done to make the tour such a success. The students who had been on the Greece tour two years ago then sang Kato Sto Yialo for their Greek guests and Mr Gazza Gaka Gaston was presented with a painting of Elmina Castle signed by the children - in all, a fitting last evening to a wonderful tour.
Monday 27 March
The coach picked up the students and took them to the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas which is being built by the sea in Tema New Town. The choir sang Panis Angelicus and the Irish Blessing was sung; Father Samuel gave a rather sombre reading and this was a proud moment for Captain Kappas who has been instrumental in the construction of the church. Gordonstoun gave the church a donation as well as a St Nicholas icon, the first to be donated to the church.
Half the students went back to the hotel and the other half left for another shopping trip and finally, around 1830, the coaches were packed for the last time and they headed off to the airport with their police escort at the height of rush hour - and the Red Sea parted for the last time to allow them to sail through!