Day 7: Bricklayers Job Done

Wednesday June 3rd 2009
The masons arrived in the light of morning to finish the final layers of bricks above the eave and on the sides to form the gable. I was happy to see them in good spirits and glad to also see that the masonry work will be nearing completion so that we can put our attention on the roof and finishings. Aglame and I assisted in tossing bricks to them as they stood on prefab rafters precariously propped against the building. When there was no longer a need for our assistance we left to visit the carpenter to be updated on the status of the door. We also researched the implementation of the plywood panels to form the roof and tried to decide the fashion in which we wanted to place them.

The other members of the association continued to assist in ways possible. Yankee hand painted some Thank You cards for the donors who contributed to the project and others sat down to discuss the implementation of the exhibition hall and its functions after the inauguration. Once construction is finished we will have more time to turn our full attention to these programs but for now we must deal with the issue at hand...create the space.

Day 7: Seal of Approval

Tuesday June 2nd 2009
Today, the carpenter and others, along with I, went to trace the exhibition halls logo on the large hardwood door sitting in his shop ready for carving. I was asked by the association to design the logo that would be used on the hall as a reminder of my assistance and collaboration in it's creation. I was honored to leave a piece of design work, and had already prepared the sketch of what we used to host the community-wide talent show/spectacle.

Within time, the design was traced on the wood planks and ready for some sculpture work to be done. I was given the seal of approval as my “patron” reviewed the sketch to insure I correctly transferred the design. I aced my exam and we headed back to the site to remove the wood planks which allowed the cement to further cure as the hot African sun beats down.

Removing those planks was no easy feat and I popped in to inspect the process further. The carpenter was upset as he busted both heads off his hammers trying to pry the vises loose. Then there was just the obligatory, collection, and removal of all the nails and wood parts that then needed to be hauled off to their rightful owner. What better way to do it in Africa then, on your head while seated on a taxi-moto. They sure know how to use their heads here in more ways than one thought possible.

Day 6: It Takes Shape

Sunday June 1st 2009

The masons arrived to lay the layer of support “chainage” about the door and window frames. They installed a welded metal bar that would be the support for the final layers of the bricks. Once this was in place, there was a need for wooden planks to create a channel where plaster could fill in the metal frame. Of course in any project you come across those items that you forgot to budget in, luckily on this project this was just one of the few “non prevus” (unforeseen expenses).

We scrambled to find wood planks to support the metal frame where they would fill with cement, and in time found some that could be borrowed and returned with little or no charge. Once all was found they started to fill in the channel and secure the layer so that it can cure. Again, I am lucky to have the support and energy needed to see this project through to the end. It makes me realize that they to want its presence in village.

Day 5: Up Up and Away

Friday May 30th 2009
Since the first day of the actual construction went very well, things then continued to move along at a smooth pace. Luckily, Aglame who is Buddhist, asked that Buddha hold back the rains so as not to disturb the masonry work in the beginning stages. I think it worked because we continued to have calm sunny days and a bit of breeze to cool the sweat and toil of the construction.
The masons continued to raise the walls of the new exhibition hall leaving spaces for the door and windows. There was a brief pause in the day for lunch and a quick "repo" (rest) then they were back up again slapping the mortar against brick. I spent a lot of time at the site assisting in any way I could. Many people passed interested in what was happening. If they already weren't informed of the activity, I explained to them what we were constructing. Excitement rang through in their response to my speech. It only proves it's need in the community and they way in which it will be received and maintained; with care and respect.

Aglame, the president of APAEC, the association who will run the boutique and it's programs, called the carpenter to head out and order the wood for the frame, doors and windows. That way, once the bricks are in place, the carpenter would be able to mount the frames and place the doors and shutters. Luckily, there was wood located near the site and they took it to the local wood shop to split it and start constructing the doors. On the main entrance we had decided to carve the logo into the door. The carpenter agreed that it is possible to sculpt the design in only 5 days, which is enough time to prepare the door for placement.

Day 4: Palm Wine Blessings and Groundbreakings

Thursday May 28th 2009

A bottle of local spirits and a drink to the ancestors blesses the site of the former hall

then they made me do it too...

6 am sharp! The groundbreaking began with a bottle of sodabe and a blessing of the site. Then the construction began as the masons traced the perimiter of the building. This was all done with a tape measure, square, bricks and string. It worked well enough for me. It's funny to see how things pass here. I asked how they were going to determine the position of the building and if they were going to level the site before. Nope, you just slap it down in a position that follows the nearest building, trace out the perimiter and start digging the foundation. And so it passed...they measured 4mx 6m, placed bricks at each corner then used string to make it square and started chipping away at the earth. In time a nice 45mm deep trench was created and then they placed the line again to mark the first layer of the foundation. I was amazed at the speed and ease at which they toiled away under the African sun. In time three layers of bricks outlined the base of the building.

Normally, when a project like this one enters a community, sometimes there are minor flaws thay can escalate into great problems. I feel that I am lucky to have such a wonderful team of community members here to assist in the realization of this project. So "petite a petite" the artisans and trades people of Adeta will "build their nest."

Day 3: Bricks and Stones Can't Break These Bones

Wednesday May 27, 2009
Work was not scheduled to continue until Thursday but once I awoke I got a call at 6:15am stating that the workers were free today to continue. I got dressed and hurried out, expecting to see the site in place for the opening ceremony where a small “groundbreaking” will occur. In that palm wine will be shared and spilled on the ground, a prayer blessing the site and the foundation will be laid.
We waited around for an hour waiting for all the “responsables” to arrive. Since the original date was Thursday and the rest of the people had not yet arrived we decided to put our attention on other necessities. We also decided to hold the opening ceremony to tomorrow as originally planned, this way all the materials would be in place to quickly lay the foundation. The masons found that they needed to attend to work elsewhere and asked to be excused. Since the workers are there contributing for the participation of the community, it is best to respect their work schedule with paid clients.

The use of a car in Africa..its more about the goods than passengers

We were able to find some ready-made bricks to assist in the construction and therefore continued to gather the materials. Again, since I am in charge of reporting on the project and am available to assist in any way possible, I got down to the nitty gritty again. The bricks were located 1K from the site so we had to rent a car to load and unload the bricks into. There was no other way since the weight of bricks on a wooden pushcart in mountainous terrain would be a danger to anyone near. So after 5 trips and strength training that gave me the dirtiest hands I have had here yet, all of the materials were now in place. Now it’s time to get some rest for the work continues at 6am sharp tomorrow.

Day 2: Gather the Goods

Tuesday May 26th 2009

bricks made and sand in place...now lets go get gravel...

7am sharp! Ready to go! I arrived on the site to see that the workers had already made about 50 cement bricks. They were going to finish making the bricks for the first few layers of the foundation while I went with the others to gather the gravel. So we went to the part of town where one could find gravel with a huge oil drum, shovel, bucket and a push cart. Tractor anyone? At least a donkey…eh? This was also no easy feat as difficulties with the elevation and condition of the road permitted the haul to be harder than desired. Factor in the rising African sun and you have a recipe for sweat and toil at the hands of manual laborers. Since I am also a part of the community my contribution to this project rests in their assistance. I have been amazed at the amount of attention this brings when they see the “yovo” (foreigner) working alongside. I was at the back of the cart pushing with all my might as sweat poured down my face profusely. This attention has benefited my search for willing and able members of the community to work together to realize this goal. I have been blessed in all of my service to have a strong community of active participants in its development and for that I have faith in the success of this exhibition hall.


Thus, we hauled gravel, made bricks, and prepared the work for the week. “Little by little the bird makes his nest” they say here and thus it all began. I had proposed that the construction will take place over 7 weeks. The team of workers told me that they can get it built in 2. I refused to believe such a grand proposal but I don’t doubt its possibilities. Work like this can be completed in a short period of time as long as all the money is there. Luckily the contributions of both parties are present and since constructions here in Africa are not as restrictive with building codes and permits, well 2 weeks it is. I still made them swear on their word, for if it is possible then we could have up to an extra month to make sure the activities of the center begin to take full form before my depart and the volunteer who will replace me arrives to assist.

gathering gravel with the "pousse pousse" to deposit at the site for brick construction

Histoire et les Objectives de la Salle (en Francais)

Adéta se trouve dans la région du Plateau et il est situé a 150km au nord de Lomé, la capitale du Togo. Il est l'une des premières destinations touristiques grâce à la proximité de nombreuses merveilles naturelles sur sa frontière avec le Ghana. Il abrite également une riche communauté d'artisans et de gens de métier. Avec une population croissante de plus de 20 000 habitants, Adéta ne dispose pas d'endroit pour exposer ses œuvres artistiques et artisanales. Il y a actuellement plus de 45 ateliers de tailleurs et couturières, 10 entreprises de menuiseries, 20 salons de coiffure, ainsi que de nombreux d'artisans. Une salle d’exposition peut offre des opportunités économiques pour les artisans et de contribuer au développement économique durable d’Adéta.

Besoin communautaire

Dans mon travail ici en tant que Volontaire du Corps de la Paix, j'ai, avec les membres de la communauté, ont assisté à la nécessité d’une salle d'exposition où des individus talentueux et motivés peuvent se promouvoir. Nous voyons la nécessité d'une stimulation créative et d'apprentissage dans un environnement fermé du reste du monde. Beaucoup de jeunes ont peu d'options pour les activités destinées à rester et s'amuser dans les mœurs que pourrait inviter quelques-uns des problèmes que l'on voit dans les pays en développement.

Là où il y a un manque d'éducation et d'apprentissage, il existe également des cas de sida et de VIH, les grossesses non désirées, manque de scolarisation et d'autres risques potentiels. A Adéta, nous continue à voyons l'augmentation des jeunes mères par le biais de mon aide au centre médical. Beaucoup de ces jeunes femmes deviennent enceintes et des victimes de l'absence d'assistance sociale qui les oblige à abandonner l'école et de perdre tout intérêt pour activité génératrice de revenus. Ils deviennent dépendants de leur partenaire ou parents, et beaucoup restent à la maison avec peu d'ambition d'investir dans leur avenir ou celui de leur enfant.

Nous voyons aussi la nécessité d'un hall d'exposition central de promouvoir le travail des métiers Adéta. Avec une concentration de travailleurs qualifiés, Adéta offre un apprentissage dans un large éventail de métiers grâce à des professeurs particuliers. Toutefois, les jeunes qui investissent dans la formation n'ont pas de débouché pour la démonstration de leurs talents que longtemps après qu'ils aient terminé leur apprentissage. La seule possibilité pour eux est de trouver suffisamment de capitaux pour ouvrir leur propre atelier et de chercher des clients.

Beaucoup d'entre eux, qui apprennent ces métiers deviennent frustrés par le manque de préfinancement pour les entreprises dans un marché déjà saturé. Cela ne les décourage pas ni ne laisse l'ambition d'aboutir.

Adéta manque encore un point de vente pour démontrer au public les travaux de la communauté. On aurait pu connaître tous les recoins de la ville pour trouver le grand nombre de la culture traditionnelle très intéressante. Grâce aux ONG d’Adéta qui accueillent, les volontaires pour l’accomplissement d’une mission humanitaire (de court et de long terme). Cette ville est abritée par beaucoup de touristes et grâce aussi a son climat très favorable. Avant les volontaires faisaient leurs achats à Kpalimé compte tenu du manque de la salle d’exposition. Maintenant la ville d’Adéta dispose une salle d’exposition au publique qui permettra de faire la promotion des œuvres artistiques et artisanales.

Day 1: Preperations

Sunday May 24th 2009

I quickly returned from the church service in my friends village of Agou to see that the work had yet to begin but they had solved the issue of the location. In turn the first spots we had located to construct the building were no longer possible due to the future enlargement of the road. Therefore a deal was made and a location was purchased which placed the future hall closer to the center of town. In turn this location was more idea since many people pass by that part of town and it is close to restaurants and bars for refreshments. So I was happy to see that we could start with the construction.

Meetings were held by the association in my absence since I was in a training seminar the previous week. In that, information was filtered again through the community on the plan and objective of the hall as well as the call for support and assistance. The cement had also arrived and the guys were ready to start constructing the bricks for the foundation. Other members of the team also transported the sand to be used in the brick construction. So it seemed like all was in place to start the creation of the exhibition hall. If only the rains would come to chase away the heat.

Today was also one of the hottest days of the year and though the workers seemed pressed to start I was sure that it was going to wait till Tuesday. Since Monday is market day and there is too much traffic, it would have disturbed the transport of materials to the work site. Therefore the rains came in on Sunday to calm the heat and we prepped to start work on Tuesday.

Bienvenue...Welcome...Weizolo

Welcome to the future site of the Centre de Creativite du Milieu d’Adeta. This site will document the progress and development of the exhibition hall in the community of Adéta, Togo. This project was realized in part due to a strong community of trades people and their need for a hall to promote and sell their crafts as well as on the part of Peace Corps Partnership funding, where a number of generous friends and family back home in the USA contributed to the purchase of materials. Since my time here as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in the domain of Enterprise Development I have witnessed a lack of such venue. It is my hopes that this hall will invite the progress and development of numerous tailor trades and youth of Adéta as well as become a site where many a visitor can experience all that Adéta has to offer while finding that special souvenir of their time in Togo, West Africa.

I would like to Thank everyone again who contributed to the realization of this project. Your thoughts and wishes rest with the community of Adeta, Togo and they are truly grateful.
Here is the original summary of the project as listed on the Peace Corps Partnership Website:
A community center plays a large role in the development and solidarity of the population it serves. As a centralized location, it provides trade unions, artisans, women, and other community members with a forum to share goals and launch activities. In the town of Adéta, there once stood a community center available to meet all the demands of a growing population. After removal of funding from the state the building fell apart and closed its doors.
With community leaders, we have mapped out a plan to rehabilitate the community center through the proposed the idea of holding a “Spectacle de Créativité”(talent show). This event would aim to promote the artist trades of Adéta as well as the activities of its youth, generating the economic development of Adeta. To further realize these goals, this project looks to install a self-sustainable exposition hall and information center to house promotional events focused on the artisan trades and creative youth that will initiate the rehabilitation of Adéta's community center. The exhibition center will house handmade articles for sale made by community members, as well as offer community information on activities. Contined participation in events such as the "spectacle" will generate revenue for the upkeep and growth of the exhibition hall. The local community has purchased a plot of land and agreed to assist in all aspects of the construction. To complete these efforts, this project requests $993.24 to aid in the purchase of materials for the construction of the exposition hall.

Entrez dans le Salle de Créativité d'Adéta
La salle d’exposition représente un lieu ou tous les artisans de la ville d’adeta; viennent exposer leur œuvre, chaque atelier a exposé une oeuvre provenant de leur propre création. C’est aussi un endroit pour tout le monde; les touristes et surtouts a nos amis expatriés qui viennent faire des chantiers bénévolat de profiter l’occasion pour ramener des petits cadeaux.
La salle d’exposition représente une place remarquable pour la ville d’adeta car elle a réveillé l’esprit créatif des jeunes du milieu et aussi a permis de faire leur promotion sur les radios privée