A dance fairy tale in Ghana

​“Once upon a time… a happy dancer with a big dream; bring happiness to Africa. He set out with his dream, hoops and a music box in his backpack to the African land of cocoa fruits, Gold Coasts and hospitable people.'

This is how I started the fairy tale that I wrote after my return from Ghana, entitled 'An oboruni dance fairytale'. I've always believed in fairy tales and every travel adventure I've made in my life has been magical to me. Because every journey brings many magical moments that are beyond your imagination. So when I got on a plane to Ghana in September of 2019, I had already written this story in my head, which of course ended with a happy ending when I flew back in October. They would live happily ever after (without me)…

You don't volunteer in places that are already magical in their own right, but you do it because you are convinced that you can bring some of that magic with your help. That you can make all the children smile (again), let the teachers achieve their dreams and turn the schools into a dreamland. But if you've done projects before, you know that you always come back with both feet on the ground and an illusion poorer. No matter how promising your plan looks on paper and your expectations are still so high; reality usually runs counter to fantasy.

The reality of Ghana also helped me quickly (and hard) out of my dream, from the very first day that I became acquainted with it. I saw the first slums, the first houses in appalling conditions and the despair in the first eyes. I heard the first stories about hopelessness and endless problems. And many more would follow. But what I didn't see or barely heard was inhospitable people, crying children and downcast eyes. It would later turn out that the Ghanaians (like so many Africans) were the best at hiding their worries under their big smile and colorful appearance.

Despite the poverty of most of the people I met, such as the family where I was housed, I was welcomed everywhere with much love and pleasure and lavish abundance. Even though they had little of their own, what they had, they shared with me because they knew I was coming to share something with them too. I felt at home in that warm nest, although the culture was miles away from my own. The food, the unstructured life, the lack of facilities and the education, everything was completely different from what I was used to. And then I was that 'oboruni' with that white color that looked nothing like them and came from a world that they did not know at all. I have never felt so different from Africa and never had to put in so much effort to bridge those differences.

Soon the period of my stay turned out to be too short to meet all my expectations, but I did try to achieve the very best. From organizing tables and books and buying play materials to giving dance lessons in the midst of the chaos. The fact that I finally managed to get a performance from all groups for the whole school seemed like a godsend – and was the highest possible happy ending for my fairy tale.

As with any other project, I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given and that I took it. In this case with the support of the small but powerful IBO, without their close cooperation with schools and expertise in customization, I would never have ended up in the very impressive Ghana. Medaaaaasiii pa paaa! ("Thank you!" in Ghanaian).

My Ghana project has made me realize again how hard work it can be to realize your dreams if you don't know which (dream) world you will end up in. But also that every dream you have is invaluable to others, whether you enlighten a few children or an entire school with it. Every point of light that brings you into a dark world is one. And I felt such a radiant light during those 6 weeks in Ghana! The End