Sunday at Domsesre

Sunday morning I was invited to drive out into "the bush." Domsesre is a small village about an hour from Sunyani -- an hour because the last few miles are traveled upon an unpaved, pot-hole (sink hole!) road with the foilage crowding in on it. The little mid 90s Hyundai bottomed-out frequently.



The village has about 100 residents. and I counted about fifteen structures that I thought were dwellings. There are other villages nearby, and over time this cluster of villages may become something bigger.

This kind of urbanization is growing across Ghana -- with more and more people living in fairly close proximity to each other. It's an environment ripe for the entrepreneural spirit, and enterprising families often discover that the family can be fed from the fruit of their business labor as well or better than through back-breaking farming efforts.

In Ghana, where more than 60 percent of the population is Christian, and the culture decidedly Christian-influenced (for example, I'll post pictures later of some of the signs and divne business names prevalent) churches are often the neighborhood or village social center. In Domsesre this is definitely true. The church gathers under the palm-leaf roof of an acacia pole structure about 20 x 40. As I sit and watch the people participate in a liturgy of prayer for themselves, for each other and for the country, I am again impressed with how much I could learn from these new friends.

Later, as I first watch the women, and then - in turn - join the men in a circle dance, I am reminded that dancing is one of the things I would need to learn (although I am told I am not capable of dancing properly :p ). The preacher is long-winded, and the translator keeps up well. The breeze is blowing in the shade of the palm leaves on the roof.

I feel like dancing.