Archived Bulletins

VISION FOR GHANA EVENT

On March 31, 2001, all 9 members of Ashesi's board of trustees gathered in Seattle, WA to conduct their first meeting with all trustees attending in person. Given the geographic distribution of our board (Ghana, Massachusetts, California and Washington), our quarterly meetings are usually conducted with various members teleconferencing in from their respective locations. Once a year, however, the entire board gathers to discuss, debate and brainstorm ideas regarding Ashesi's current status and future direction. Taking advantage of their presence, we decided to host an event for trustees, advisors, donors and supporters in the Seattle area - an afternoon to celebrate Ghanaian culture and cuisine...and Ashesi's future vision for Ghana.

Ashesi's founder Patrick Awuah gave a presentation tracing Ashesi's development from a mere seed of an idea to a full-fledged project involving 4 fulltime employees, 10 board members, 30 advisors and over 70 donors. Next, studio 213B, the architectural team designing Ashesi's campus, shared their vision for the future Ashesi campus. Two of the central themes to their design work are (1) designing for a hot, humid climate and (2) drawing on local Ghanaian architecture to emphasize a sense of community throughout the campus. Their slide presentation gave everyone a vivid sense of the particular challenges they face - both in designing for the Ghanaian climate and in dealing with different sets of materials and construction practices - as well as the solutions they are developing for the Ashesi campus.

The architectural design team exhibited schematic drawings, photos of the campus site and other architectural highlights.

The afternoon's festivities featured a performance by the drum and dance troupe "Okyeame" of several traditional Ghanaian pieces. Guests were also able to sample some Ghanaian cuisine, including jolof rice, chicken, greens and fried plantains. An exhibit of Ghanaian artwork featured wood carvings, paintings, textiles and traditional wooden stools.

"Talking drums" announced the beginning of Patrick's presentation, after which the entire troupe joined in the drumming and dancing.
Wood carvings, paintings and textiles were on display. Wooden stools (below) hold great cultural significance in Ghana as the traditional symbol of a king's power.

We were very happy to have so many supporters take the opportunity to learn a little more about Ghana and the current state of the Ashesi project - and look forward to seeing more folks at our future events!

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