Dear Ben,
I am doing a project for my homeschool group's International Day. I chose the country of Ghana, because I want to travel to Africa someday and we have your artwork on the walls in our house and we know you. I would really like to visit you in Ghana someday after I save enough money.
Here are the things that I know about Ghana so far:
>Ghana produces 20% of the world's cocoa.
>Ghana achieved independence from Britain about 50 years ago, and is the first country in Africa to form a democracy.
>The slave trade had a devastating impact on the people of Ghana.
>The official language of Ghana is English, however there are about 50 other languages spoken there too!
>Craftspeople in Ghana produce beautiful cloth: Kente, Batik, Adinkra
>There are several different climatic regions in Ghana: rainforest, savannah, and coastal
>Families and extended families live closely together and take care of one another
>Some of the world's most dangerous snakes are found in Ghana: puff adders, cobras, and black mambas.
>UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is from Ghana
>Ghana is full of gold.
>Music in Ghana has a lot of drumming. (We know about talking drums) We have some African instruments at our house and also a picture by you with instruments and two others with people dancing and playing instruments.
Ben, will you please e-mail a letter back to us that we can read to our friends as if you are our special guest from Ghana? We are going to take your artwork to show to the group during our presentation, and we want to tell them about you and your country. We want to know all about your life in Ghana. Thank you for your help
Sincerely,
Your friend Adam DeBacker
I am doing a project for my homeschool group's International Day. I chose the country of Ghana, because I want to travel to Africa someday and we have your artwork on the walls in our house and we know you. I would really like to visit you in Ghana someday after I save enough money.
Here are the things that I know about Ghana so far:
>Ghana produces 20% of the world's cocoa.
>Ghana achieved independence from Britain about 50 years ago, and is the first country in Africa to form a democracy.
>The slave trade had a devastating impact on the people of Ghana.
>The official language of Ghana is English, however there are about 50 other languages spoken there too!
>Craftspeople in Ghana produce beautiful cloth: Kente, Batik, Adinkra
>There are several different climatic regions in Ghana: rainforest, savannah, and coastal
>Families and extended families live closely together and take care of one another
>Some of the world's most dangerous snakes are found in Ghana: puff adders, cobras, and black mambas.
>UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is from Ghana
>Ghana is full of gold.
>Music in Ghana has a lot of drumming. (We know about talking drums) We have some African instruments at our house and also a picture by you with instruments and two others with people dancing and playing instruments.
Ben, will you please e-mail a letter back to us that we can read to our friends as if you are our special guest from Ghana? We are going to take your artwork to show to the group during our presentation, and we want to tell them about you and your country. We want to know all about your life in Ghana. Thank you for your help
Sincerely,
Your friend Adam DeBacker
Hello from Ben In Ghana
I hope and belive that by the grace of God you are all
very fine.I feel much better today and I am glad to
read from you this afternoon.I know it is about 8am in
the states,since we are about five hours ahead of you.
All the above information ablout my Country is very
true but we dont have dersert here we are located at
the west cost of Africa.
We also do alot of nice art works such as carving and
many other forms of art.I wish I ws there in
person.Over here we I see alots of domestic animals
around my neighbours and at my own house where I do
have four dogs.Part of my house have green grass where
I do see many birds come to feed and drink water.We
have wet and dry seasons.I mostly see very diffrent
birds around due to the weather conditions since some
of the migrate just like in the states.
When you I travel out of the city I see many more
diffrent animals that is on the farm or if I go deep
into the forest where ssome families live very quiet
and cool.No electricity and they use localy invented
light that they fuel with palm nut oil.Some use
lantern that they use kerosene from the city.
It is ok to grow up in Ghana due to how much your
parents understands education,naturaly life is
difficult in every part of the world.We do live normal
lives just like any other people.Over here there are
not that too many of opportunities like in the states.
Thank God things are shaping uf for the better.Yes
very big diffrence living in the city than the village
life.There are some eye opner from we that live in the
city and we educate those in the village.There are
school in the village that have some brilliant
students and they later come to school in the city.
I do shopping at the markets and in shops.We now have
shopping malls in the city some few very large like in
the states.I eat very good healthy food that I cook at
home some of that I cultivate in my home garden.I at
times eat from a nice resturants around the city or
from many nice hotels and drink nnnnatutural mineral
water that we have here in bottles.
I eat vegetables,local and continetal dishes.I do
wear traditional African clothes and some times
werstern clothing.This depends or where I have to be
at a particular time.
Some of my relatives live in the city and in the village.Yes I am
very famous in Ghana that is why I get the chance to
travel around the world by the grace of God.
I most at times have to show up at embbassies for
interview before I obtain visas to travel.Due to our
economy here most embassies think many people want to
travel to thier country and will never want to come
back until they have legal stay.
I hope to see you all by June this year when I and
Relique will onces aagain do a nice show at Wavely
House.
Thanks,with lots of love I end my long note.
Your friend Ben Agbee[Benjamin Agbenyegah]
very fine.I feel much better today and I am glad to
read from you this afternoon.I know it is about 8am in
the states,since we are about five hours ahead of you.
All the above information ablout my Country is very
true but we dont have dersert here we are located at
the west cost of Africa.
We also do alot of nice art works such as carving and
many other forms of art.I wish I ws there in
person.Over here we I see alots of domestic animals
around my neighbours and at my own house where I do
have four dogs.Part of my house have green grass where
I do see many birds come to feed and drink water.We
have wet and dry seasons.I mostly see very diffrent
birds around due to the weather conditions since some
of the migrate just like in the states.
When you I travel out of the city I see many more
diffrent animals that is on the farm or if I go deep
into the forest where ssome families live very quiet
and cool.No electricity and they use localy invented
light that they fuel with palm nut oil.Some use
lantern that they use kerosene from the city.
It is ok to grow up in Ghana due to how much your
parents understands education,naturaly life is
difficult in every part of the world.We do live normal
lives just like any other people.Over here there are
not that too many of opportunities like in the states.
Thank God things are shaping uf for the better.Yes
very big diffrence living in the city than the village
life.There are some eye opner from we that live in the
city and we educate those in the village.There are
school in the village that have some brilliant
students and they later come to school in the city.
I do shopping at the markets and in shops.We now have
shopping malls in the city some few very large like in
the states.I eat very good healthy food that I cook at
home some of that I cultivate in my home garden.I at
times eat from a nice resturants around the city or
from many nice hotels and drink nnnnatutural mineral
water that we have here in bottles.
I eat vegetables,local and continetal dishes.I do
wear traditional African clothes and some times
werstern clothing.This depends or where I have to be
at a particular time.
Some of my relatives live in the city and in the village.Yes I am
very famous in Ghana that is why I get the chance to
travel around the world by the grace of God.
I most at times have to show up at embbassies for
interview before I obtain visas to travel.Due to our
economy here most embassies think many people want to
travel to thier country and will never want to come
back until they have legal stay.
I hope to see you all by June this year when I and
Relique will onces aagain do a nice show at Wavely
House.
Thanks,with lots of love I end my long note.
Your friend Ben Agbee[Benjamin Agbenyegah]
Blogger's Note: Ben Agbee
Ben Agbee is currently one of Ghana's most respected and successful artists. He was born in Ghana in 1966, and went on to major in art at college. Now, his success as an artist has allowed him to pursue painting as a full time career.
Working mostly in acrylic on canvas, Agbee's style is distinctive and original. He focuses almost exclusively on the subject of African women, usually in profile, often drawing on two different motifs for their depiction. A more complete gallery of Ben Agbee's work is available at African-Encounters.com. Agbee has participated in several collective and individual exhibitions in Accra, other locations in Ghana, the Netherlands, the United States, New Zealand and other locations internationally.
