africa

I'm expermenting with video compression to see if I can work out the ideal size for uploading and downloading video clips here in Ghana. The bandwidth here is much slower than in the US, so I have to be careful about how large a file I post. Here are two versions of some footage from the BusyInternet cybercafe, one low bandwidth and the other medium bandwidth. The low version is around 600k, while the medium version is 1.3 megs. (For those of you keeping score, the uncompressed version of this 40-second clip is over 30 megabytes - pretty useless here in West Africa.

A few moments after I posted my blog entry about the potential use of smart phones and Bluetooth wireless as a workaround for Ghanaian video bloggers, lo and behold I was approached by Lebanese blogger Mustapha, who introduced himself and sat down to chat, one Mac owner to another. He then pointed out he had the new Handspring Treo 650 smart phone, which just so happens has both video and Bluetooth capabilities. Lightbulbs went off, and in a matter of a few minutes we were able to post the following video clip. I wonder if it's the first smart phone video blog entry from Ghana?

I shot some footage while driving in a taxi from BusyInternet to my hotel, 45 minutes north of downtown Accra. Here are the results.

A couple of Liberian refugees in Buduburam, Ghana demonstrate the cool way you shake hands in Ghana.

A short video of some of the kids I met at the Buduburam refugee camp. Note how one of them yells out "Obruni" as he karate chops me - Obruni means "white man." :-)

A photographer circulates photos of a disembowled Liberian man found outside the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. The actual photos are not shown in the video.

Video montage of a walk through one of the largest open-air markets in Africa. Shot and edited on July 23, 2005. Music by Ghanaian drummer Obo Addy, from his album Afieye Okropong, used with permission from Alula Records.

I put together a short video about traditional kente weaving in Ghana's Ashanti region. Kente, perhaps the most famous West African textile, is brightly colored, coming in a variety of patterns, some reserved for use by Ashanti royalty. The video was shot in the historic kente weaving village of Bonwire, about an hour south of Kumasi. Three weavers are featured, each using a traditional loom to make the cloth. The video also contains music performed by Ghanaian drummer Obo Addy, used with permission from Alula Records.

Video documentary of my July 2005 visit to the Liberian refugee camp in Buduburam, Ghana. I learn about the challenges faced by Liberians forced to flee their homeland, as well as some of the training programs available to them. I visit one of the camp's telecentres, as well as an women's literacy support group. Music used with permission of Alula Records. Nine minutes, 50 megabytes.