We spent a lot of our time at the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit, which was allowing us to use their workspace and the staff was very helpful all throughout. The workshop had a welding kit, a lathe, a grinder and most of the tools we needed for what we were building. It was a bit overwhelming with all the teams there some days, but they always managed to take care of everything and nothing ever phased them.
It was always an adventure to go searching for a part since there were hundreds of plots where they just had heaps of scrap metal. I learned my way around a bit and could generally find what I needed. You always had to have your wits about you as you wove your way down the roads where people were moving all sorts of heavy machinery and cars drove down nearly impassable roads inches away from you. Most of the shopkeepers were friendly and helpful and it was an uphill battle to bargain for a fair price, but that's all part of the experience.
One thing that surprised me was how many people were upset by smoking. I realize that there is plenty of flammable material all around, but there are also forges and people burning trash and sparks flying everywhere, so I hope it's not a safety issue. It is a rather crowded area, so people may have been concerned about breathing in hazardous fumes, but I worry that they were already ingesting a fair bit of hazardous compounds anyway in that environment. Whatever the cause, I respected their eagerness to speak their mind about it.
Introduction
My Project (Part 1)
My Project (Part 2)
Other Work
Delivering Content
My Team
Language
Where We Stayed
Suame Magazine
New Longoro
Maker Faire
Food
Potluck
Ramadan
Transportation
Accra
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