I accompany Silvana, a volunteer from Switzerland, to a performance of a dance group where she participates. It is the same group that performed once at Quiz Night, FODACH. While everything is arranged for the show in the courtyard, I stay with the cooking women. They are surprised that I know how to prepare Banku. We are cooking on the roadside, between some shops. On one side men are working on wood, on the other side they are cutting metal. More exactly, they are cutting iron bars with handsaws.
I hope the rain does not start as I am waiting for the performance to begin. Not even Silvana knows what exactly we are waiting for. Everything seems to be ready. Maybe they wait for more people to come. Two hours later or so, the director of the group, Eric Manu, welcomes his guests officially. We are all taken on a tour around the place and he explains, what FODACH does. Here is the rehearsal ground, this is the internet cafe where ICT lessons take place. Three computers have been donated by a volunteer recently. One man records everything with his camera for a documentation. This is Florence, a young pregnant, deaf and dumb woman. FODACH supports her because she is very talented in drawing. Here are some of her pictures. They are indeed extraordinary. It is an awkward situation. I feel like a visitor getting a presentation of what he is going to support with donations. A group picture is taken Florence in front of her mud house with the whole family. Back in the courtyard, we are asked to take our seats in the front row and the performance begins. I recognize some dances from the first show I saw. This time, I am much closer to the dancers. Too close. I can’t really stand the intense look of some of them, as they dance only an arm length away from me. Nevertheless, I enjoy the show. The dancers and drummers obviously enjoy themselves, too. They smile from ear to ear. Eric Manu, the director, says he has problems to choose dancers for each dance because everybody wants to perform. Like last time, after the show, we are all asked to join and then individual dancers improvise one after the other and show their moves, while the rest cheers, claps and shouts. The guests are all invited for a dinner in the courtyard. Tables are put up and drinks and food is served, Fufu, rice, plantain, meat. As the occasion is a farewell present for Silvana and Michelle, who worked with FODACH for the last two months, many words of thanks are spoken. Eric presents dresses and pictures by Florence to the two volunteers and they are obviously moved. Somebody starts to play music and some of the kids get up to dance.
