December 2022
December 8, 2022
Dear Friends,
Winnipeg’s minus 26 degree temperature took my breath away when I stepped out of the airport last week following my one-month stay in Ghana.
These days Ghanaians are struggling with inflation rates above 40% and the high cost of living. Road traffic is down as many car owners can no longer afford the high fuel prices. Fortunately Covid is no longer a major health concern.
Our libraries remain community hubs with a constant flow of children, activities, and events. Our original library, renamed the Kathy Knowles Community Library in 1993 by local directors, celebrated its 30th anniversary November 13. Children came in their numbers for a party, which included games, a book reading, singing Happy Birthday, and sharing ice cream and cake. Joana Felih, the original dynamic librarian who cut the ribbon at the library’s opening, remains passionate about what she does.
This year’s annual librarians’ meeting theme was Inclusion for All. A physiotherapist spoke about the importance for families with children with disabilities to have their children assessed and treated. Massawudu Zakari, now in his twenties, shared his experience as a child when he could only crawl until receiving surgical and physio treatment .He said, “Handicapped people are made to feel inferior and not useful; however most handicapped people are greatly talented and have a lot of ideas to contribute to the growth of the world.”
In November, the libraries featured the work of Eric Carle, the late American children’s writer and illustrator. Children and their librarians took great delight using Carle’s style of cutting out decorated papers and creating their own works of art.
Literacy learners from one library went on an excursion to Parliament House. Everyone was fascinated with the lively discussions (and heckling!) between political parties as they debated the recently-announced budget.
The Accra College of Education Community Library held their 10th reading competition for neighbourhood schools. Competing students and their supporting teachers and fellow students came together to enjoy the occasion. A teacher generously donated a cake.
Children at this library showed me a modest power-generating windmill that they constructed with their science teacher. For more than a month they used the library as their classroom. This project was inspired by their reading of the Malawi-based true story of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
During my stay I carried around a draft copy of OCLF’s newest book The Land of Plenty to ensure that readers of all ages and backgrounds approve the illustrations and accompanying text for this 750-word book. This included spending three hours with a poet one evening where each word and illustration was pondered and, in many cases, deliberated on. This book will be printed in early 2023.
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Mother’s Day is an honoured tradition in Ghana. OCLF’s library in Korle Gonno hosted a multi-media production of Eté, a poetic eulogy written by Ladé Wosoru, a highly acclaimed Ghanaian poet and retired surgeon, for his late mother. He generously graced the occasion. His powerful words conveyed the depth of his love and admiration for his strong mother. Youthful narrators and a chorus recited his poem against a backdrop of dancers, drummers, and a small musical ensemble of recorders and a violin.
Throughout the month, OLCF was privileged to host Cheryl Schramm, a volunteer from Ottawa. She delighted eager minds with daily science experiments, Wordle puzzles, chess games, and book clubs. Thank you, Cheryl.
David Anakaning, a long-time current literacy learner, provided constant inspiration. He is making plastic recycling bins using discarded plastic bottles and putting them on street corners near his home. Every 
Once again I am writing from my desk in Winnipeg, nice and cosy from Winnipeg’s cold air.
Climate change hit home during my stay when huge waves came crashing down and wiped out hundreds of homes in fishing villages along the coast. Three of our librarians serving at our informal mini-libraries lost their homes. Ruth (pictured at right) was one of them. After relocating, Ruth is still returning to gather and read to children in front of her old home. She also wants to initiate a new library where she now lives – a couple of kilometres inland.
We held a book launch for Maa and Me, an OCLF mother tongue Dangme/English board book, with children at Kablevu’s library. After the brief ceremony we gave out copies to those featured in the book and frozen yogurt – all 300 pieces – to everyone. Sophia was delighted to receive her own copy.
The highlight of the month was hosting a jazz party with all library workers to honour the late Joan Mariacher, a tremendous supporter of OCLF from Vancouver, who passed away last year. It was partially through Joan’s generosity that we were able to build a network of libraries in the Greater Accra region. Joan loved jazz, and although she never wanted any recognition for her donations, I thought this was a fitting tribute. Joana Felih, OCLF’s longest serving librarian, wrote,“ Due to the jazz performance most of us will be jazz lovers.”
I returned to Winnipeg this week, the trip home being a little longer given my mandatory three-day hotel stay in Toronto.
We distributed 60 library-in-a-bag gifts to deserving children living in seven coastal villages. They are among hundreds of children who attend informal library sessions where they sit on mats under trees to listen to their “library madams” read stories aloud. When I asked these children to name their favourite books, a sea of hands went up. Prior to these libraries, children knew only their classroom textbooks.
Our newest library in the coastal village of Kablevu, which opened in November, receives more than 200 children daily. Mabel, their librarian, told me that her job was “a dream come true.” Every day, she and co-worker Sylvanus clean the multiple-louvred windows, sweep the floors, dust the tables, neatly arrange the books, and water the recently planted tree seedlings. Two months ago, we installed a rainwater collection system to harvest water, a precious resource since the community has not received piped water for more than a year. A Ghanaian company generously donated their tank.
At the Korle Gonno Community Library, I enjoyed watching Sosu and the Bukari Boys, a play based on Lawrence Darmani’s short story and a required text for final year junior high school students. I was especially moved when I learned a father of one of the performers custom-made waitress uniforms for this show. Poetry and musical interludes with multiple instruments added to this event. The head teacher told the audience of students and teachers that he was “amazed” to witness such talent.
Before closing, I would like to say our carpenter, now about 86 years (he doesn’t know his exact birthdate), is still eager to take on new jobs. His furniture with attention to detail and quality remains unsurpassed. Like me, he feels he is part of our extended “library family.”
Returning to Winnipeg from Ghana on Dec. 7 was different this year. Normally in early December, following my annual November visit, there is a joyful hum as people in the city exchange holiday greetings and prepare for extended family gatherings. This time, however, the streets are quiet and holiday plans are shut down due to COVID restrictions.
Our libraries started up cautiously in early July with reduced hours and an array of COVID protocols. Initially they were closed to younger children in keeping with government policy of primary school closures until January 2021. Municipal offices donated supplies and OCLF augmented as needed. In August, as case numbers dropped, we allowed children to return. Many libraries have created exciting programs during this time. Vivian Amanor, Goi’s dynamic head librarian, started a reading clinic. During my visit to the fishing village’s library, I could see groups of children eagerly embracing their lessons. Social distancing was no longer possible and mask wearing wasn’t enforced, but everyone washed their hands carefully and the library was thoroughly cleaned each day. Goi has not recorded a single COVID case.
One afternoon I visited the busy Nima Centre, an OCLF facility built in 2006. When I arrived, there were dozens of women and men in full swing making soap, hand sanitizer, beaded items, and leather sandals. It was part of a 10-day workshop sponsored by the local Zongo community. At 3:30 p.m., after the place was immaculately swept with all chairs away, others arrived. This time, it was a group of young classical musicians ready to perform a concert for their peers. For many, this was their first time to perform on stage. By 4:30, members of the theatre group were anxiously awaiting the start of their rehearsal. When I left the Centre at 6, the literacy students were already arriving for their 7:30 classes. What a lively place and with such an array of activities!
In the coastal village of Kablevu, I completed the photography for two new board books that will eventually be distributed freely to new mothers who attend family planning sessions in conjunction with well-baby monthly weighing and vaccination clinics. Local fishermen made every effort to help me as I recorded shared moments between Moses, a fisher for more than 50 years, and his namesake grandson.
During my November visit, I told the children at one library about ‘Bunny.’ Afterwards they wrote to Brauns-Heitmann, the company that made Bunny along with its general household products and food and Easter egg dyes. The children asked those working at Brauns-Heitmann how Bunny could have possibly travelled all the way from Germany to Ghana by sea. I mailed their letters in late December.
I returned from Ghana two weeks ago and continue to admire the dedication of our hardworking staff and celebrate the enthusiasm of our library members and adult literacy students. In 2015, we recorded 283,382 visits.
The Korle Gonno Community Library hosted its second Art Exhibition and an Interschool Quiz, Cultural dancing and the library’s 13-piece orchestra added to the festivities. The most elaborate art piece was a three-storied, six-room house, complete with inside lights, as fashioned by librarian Rachel Yeboah. Using picture books for inspiration, she created a tiled-floor bathroom with a complete set of fixtures, a bathmat, a pedal-operated garbage can, a laundry hamper overflowing with clothes, a scale, a mirror, a bar of soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a water cup in a wall bracket, a toilet roll, and a tissue dispenser. Hundreds of children came by to see it, including many who live in one-room dwellings.
I also took photos for OCLF’s next board book featuring one-year-old Ishmael. His mother Ruth, who is also the village librarian, and I had fun setting up scenarios to appeal to a young audience. Sadly climate change is having catastrophic consequences for villages like Ruth’s lining Ghana’s coast. Only 20 yards away from their home, you can see dwellings filled by encroaching sand. Ruth keeps her library books on a table.
My April visit to Ghana was full as always.
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I met with four people to confirm the correct Twi translation for Mimi’s Purse, a soon-to-be published OCLF book. In January, after trying to accomplish this with different translators and almost giving up, I heard from a principal of a teachers’ college who wrote, “I encourage you to publish it because you will be contributing to children’s literature in local languages and thereby promoting literacy.” 
I returned from Ghana just in time for Winnipeg’s first major snowstorm. During my visit I saw countless individuals pass through our library doors. The majority were children who came to read storybooks and listen to story times. I also met adults who attend our literacy classes, students who flock to our study halls, and theatre members who take their rehearsals seriously.
Our first library, built from a 40-foot shipping container, is undergoing a major renovation with a new roof and ceiling and the installation of a tiled floor. Our remarkable carpenter, now 81, continues to inspire me with his ability to take on new jobs. He is now replacing all the window frames, ones he initially installed when the library was first built in 1992.