Exposures

The story of prisoner F95488

treshallowhorn — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:51:36 +0000

I came across the first article browsing through my friend’s Stephen G.’s site -
Observations. Beyond its Ghanaian and human rights relevance, I thought I should share this with everyone.

Article @ ESPN

and

Article @ GHANASPOT

Get involved here.

Theft on June 23

treshallowhorn — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:25:37 +0000

First and foremost allow me a moment to apologize. It has been close to 6 weeks since the last post on this site, despite my original intention to have weekly updates, eventually leading into daily postings. I have not lived up to that challenge, but I won’t admit failing to fulfill it just yet. Now allow me to explain what happened. On the morning of June 23, I woke up to the silence of a disconnected fan and the deathly buzzing of a host of mosquitoes. It was roughly 7 a.m, and in an unusual manner, I woke up with an unnerving sense of suspicion and sweat prior to my alarm clock scheduled to be thrown out of the window at 8. The agenda for the day – head to the Diaspora African Forum to film the unveiling of Bob Marley’s plaque on the Sankofa Wall of ancestors and interview Rita Marley after. But this was rudely interrupted after reaching for my cell phone and noticing that it was missing. Instantaneously I noticed an empty void on the desk where my laptop usually sits, and empty camera bag where my DSLR sleeps while charging overnight. I panicked and ran down stairs to question the 24hr security guard whether people had been let into the house at any point, only to prompt a “No, is everything OK?” Not really. Actually, far from it. My stay in Ghana would not be the same from here on out.

So let’s skip the fine print and get to the plot summary of the horror film I’ve been living in. At some point in the early morning hours of the 23rd, someone(s) broke into my home, entered my room, and stole my mobile cell phone, Apple laptop, iPod, 400 GH cash, and DSLR camera. They left the most valuable possession of all though – my life. And for this, I can look upon this situation and still manage to say it could’ve been a lot worse… A LOT worse.

Due of the complexity of the crime, the police and security firm have marked the theft as an inside job, and a painfully slow and apathetic investigation has been pending sense. After attempting to do the ground work for some of the investigation myself, I’ve come to the painstaking realization that I will never see my belongings again and that it’s simply time to move on and invest my energy into being properly reimbursed for my lost.

All in all, my attempts at running a blog to showcase my photographs, videos, travel writings, and to create another virtual space for dialogue have been thoroughly challenged. But like all other challenges in life, I must face this one head on and keep the melodic words of Robert Marley playing in the core of my conscience – And remember that, when the rain falls, it don’t fall on one man’s housetop.

I return to the Big Apple pie in one week. Once I’m back home Ill be able to upload the material I’ve managed to save, so stay tuned!

Village of Hope Pt. 2

treshallowhorn — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:33:31 +0000

Despite the fact that all human beings are born free and equal in human dignity, every day thousands of women and children are sold so that their bodies and their labour can be exploited. Despite international labour standards and a UN Protocol against human trafficking, millions of victims, particularly children – made vulnerable by poverty and exploited by criminals – are working in mines, sweatshops, brothels and plantations – trapped by debt and violence. In a perverse commercialization of humanity, they are used like products and then thrown away.
- Address by H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan to both Houses of Parliament, London, 8 May 2007

Where Brooklyn At?

treshallowhorn — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:26:44 +0000

Does an American Hip Hop festival have anything to do with West Africa, Accra, or me slapping away at my aluminum Macbook Pro keys on Church Crescent Road? Well I’ll save the tangential rant of how Hip Hop spreads its wings across Mama Earth to Ghana and is used as a cultural tool of political resistance and exposure for another post, and simply say yes, yes it does. As iTunes blasts Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Blackstar in the background and I wade through endless emails, evites, and fraudulent offers to enlarge my penis size, I couldn’t help spreading the word about this event I came across through Fusicology – The 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. The main portion of the event starts June 20th, and if I was back in the Stuy, guarantee I would be present.

Oh and I forgot, is Hip Hop reaaaaally dead?

Village of Hope Pt. 1

treshallowhorn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:54:39 +0000

Slavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be, or treated as, the property of others. Slaves could be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation (such as wages).
- Wikipedia

Today, according to the International Labor Organization, an estimated 1.2 million children from all over the world are sold into laborious or sexual servitude every year. The economic growth from this modern day slave trade is up to $10 billion annually. African children compose close to one-sixth of this trade, although numbers may be higher considering those who are unaccounted for (various reasons). In West Africa, the situation is increasing. And although Ghana passed the Human Trafficking Act in 2005 to curtail such growth, child labor is still increasing, especially along Ghana’s Lake Volta. To compete in the vibrant fishing economy, fishermen cut labor costs by hiring children as young as 6 years old “on loan” for as little as $20 a year and work them up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week. Most of these children are underfed, beaten, verbally abused, and consequently, psychologically scarred.

According to their website, Touch a Life Foundation was created out of a desire to assist “children whose voices are not being heard.” In 2006, they began rescuing children from the Lake Volta region, and in partnership with non-profit orphanage Village of Hope, placed them in a safe 18-acre facility in Kete Krachi. Their site states that there are now 21 children who are fully supported.

My first day in Accra I was invited with a colleague and amazing photographer Nancy Borowick to assist on a photo shoot at the Village of Hope site. Here are the photos I managed to snap of the children – rescued and non rescued.

This is Part 1 of a collection. The rest soon to come.

Get involved.

Hello world.

treshallowhorn — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:19:01 +0000

At the time of writing this post, I’ve been in Ghana for 3 weeks, 27 days, 648 hours, 38,880 minutes, and 2,332,800 seconds, still I feel as though I just arrived yesterday. After a 14.5 hour plane ride from Los Angeles to Accra, I stepped out of the winter cold Boeing jet, and into the warmth of Mama Africa. Not to mythologize Africa, but figuratively, there’s a certain exuberance in the air that fills your lungs, and a comforting density that hovers you above its red soil. On a literal note, the crass humidity unexpectedly pimp slaps you once the cabin doors open and you step onto Kotoka’s smoldering asphalt. I began sweating bullets. It’s the kind of respiration that occurred while anxiously walking home from elementary school after the teacher called your parents because you’ve been “acting up” in class. And at the time of writing this post, I still haven’t stopped sweating.

So after 3 weeks, 27 days, 648 hours, 38,880 minutes, 2,332,800 seconds, and many videos and photographs later, I am finally settling into Ghana and I’m ready to share my experience and work up until this point and beyond.

I encourage commentary, interaction, discussion, criticism, jokes, and whatever you care to include. Use this blog as a space to observe, participate, and inspire. You have a voice, so use it.

Much love and peace.