Tolon

I am settled in Tolon now. Some of my coworkers at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture call it a village, but it’s really more of a town. The population is around two or three thousand. Tolon is the capital of the Tolon-Kumbungu District in the Northern Region. A district is similar to a municipality, while a region is more like a province. Some facts about the Tolon-Kumbungu District:

• About 135,000 people live in the district (51 people / square km).
• The main crops are maize, rice, millet, yam, cowpea, pigeon pea and soya beans.
• It is responsible for twenty-five percent of the regions total rice production.

Tolon is largely Muslim, although there is a significant Christian population as well. A small number practice traditional African religions. The town has a number of mosques and one Baptist church. The remaining Christians hold their church services in the school house. There seem to be a number of schools around, although I haven’t determined exactly what purpose each serves. Also in Tolon is a medical centre of some kind, a meeting area for the district assembly (government), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s district office (where I work) and a World Vision office (which is in the same building as us).

The community seems to be fairly well off, there are a number of boreholes and latrines and from what I’ve seen so far they’re well maintained. All but the poorest residents have electricity, although it’s often sporadic (the Ministry of Food and Agriculture just installed a backup generator for our office). Most are also taking part in the government’s health insurance program. There are a number of tractors in the community and most people pay to have their fields tilled. Unfortunately rising fuel costs are making tractors less and less profitable. Talking with some of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture field staff this morning, it appears people are finding it harder and harder to pay off their tractor loans given the rising operational costs.

Tractors are becoming increasingly unprofitable as fuel prices rise.

Poverty certainly still exists in the area however. During my first day at the office I met a man named Adam who works as a mason for World Vision building latrines and lives in a village about an hour and a half walk away. He said all the animals in his village have started to die and no one has been able to figure out why. Often villagers invest their income in animals and then sell them later when they need money. For those whose animals have died, it will be very difficult to raise money to pay someone with a tractor to till their field. Adam says they will be forced to till their fields by hand, which can take a month and will reduce yields, sending the farmers and their families further into poverty. The story of Adam’s village exemplifies the vulnerability of the poor. To me, development means reducing this vulnerability.

My host family is Muslim and one of the better off families in the town. My host father, Imuro, is the town’s spokesperson at the district assembly and is in charge of addressing issues brought forward by the community. He has two wives and six children (5 girls and 1 boy), although only his first wife lives in our compound. Several of his brothers and their wives also live in the compound. It might be a while before I figure out exactly who everyone is and how they’re related.


Imuro is my host father and represents his community in the local government.


My host father's brother's son. Name to be determined.


Some of the family children. Names and relationships to be determined.

The men’s rooms are all made from concrete and have corrugated metal roofs. Mine also has a ceiling fan, florescent light, electrical outlet and small bathing area. Imuro and his brother, Mohamed, have televisions in their rooms. The women and children sleep in buildings made of mud and/or concrete with grass roofs. All buildings have electricity.


Typical women's housing.

Not everyone in the family speaks English, so I tend to interact more with some than others. Imuro took me to watch the town’s football team (which he coaches) practice the other day. The next time I came I decided to participate, which was a humbling experience to say the least. I will likely constrict my role to that of a spectator in the future.

Imuro’s thirteen year old daughter, Arysha, and I are quickly becoming good friends. She is the only female in the compound who speaks strong English. During my first couple days she showed me around and translated many of my introductions. The other day I showed her Frisbee and now she continues to ask me to show her more games. She also wastes no time in informing me of my cultural mishaps. These include (but are certainly not limited to) eating alone in my room, sitting on my hands, handing something to someone with my left hand and eating my food from the centre of my dish outwards. Arysha seems particularly bright and her father sends her a half hour drive every day to Nyankpala for school. Apparently this is because there was no nursery school in Tolon when she started and now her father wants her to continue in Nyankpala. Presumably, especially given the relative quality of her English, the school in Nyankpala is better. Interestingly, the school in Nyankpala does not teach its students to read or write in Dagbani.


My favourite Ghanaian, Arysha.

I still have a long way to go in terms of integrating. I would like to take my Dagbani beyond the simple greetings I somewhat understand now and hope to enlist the services of a teacher. Food has been a slow process but the situation is improving. At first I didn’t have a very strong appetite (perhaps related to the food poisoning) but I am now able to finish most of my food. I’ve watched the women cooking on several occasions but would ultimately like to play a little more active role. My physical health has been good since arriving, although I was mentally and emotionally overwhelmed when I first arrived. Since then I’ve adjusted and I’m feeling quite comfortable now. Tolon is beautiful and my family is extremely nice. I expect I will miss them very much when the time finally comes to leave.

Yam mounds on some of the farmland adjacent to Tolon.