by Mharia Ross-Walcott
Host: Wisdom Addo • West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation • Servas International • Accra, Ghana
Our ‘Trip of a Lifetime’ to West Africa started early in September of 2024.Three of us caught the early train from Springfield Massachusetts to Penn Station, hailed a taxi to JFK airport and embarked at the midnight hour for Casablanca, Morocco.
The fourteen-hour layover in Casablanca (originally called Anfa, meaning ‘the top’ in the indigenous Berber language) was enhanced by a tour guide named Hamid. After cappuccino coffee at a cafe on the Atlantic Coast, we visited the beautiful gardens at Arab League Park, and then toured the granite, marble and wood architectural splendor of the Hassan II Mosque. This magnificent structure, built between 1986 and 1993, can hold 105,000 worshippers! We learned that Casablanca is planning to become the ‘Gateway to the African Continent’. For that reason, and the fact that they will host the World Cup in 2030, much construction is underway
We spent the first full week immersing ourselves in the fascinating culture of the Gambian people. We visited the Kachikally Crocodile Museum, where we learned about the ancient culture of the Mandinka, and shared space with and were encouraged to touch the creatures who live in the pond. We met young Mandinka women from the village of Mandinary who are mobilizing the youth around ecological education and then visited the Mandinary Lodge, an ancient gathering site by the Gambia River.
Our host
Raheema resides near the Banjul Airport. Our next flight took us to Ghana, a cherished destination in the Motherland, a long-anticipated dream for my husband Baba Wallabee. We spent time in Accra, Cape Coast and Kumasi. The Kakum National Park and the canopy suspension bridges were breathtaking and visiting the Cape Coast Castle stirred our hearts and souls to reconfirm our commitment to never again repeat the sins of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Thirty miles from Kumasi, the Bonwire Kente Museum mesmerized us with the patterns of the Asante Kente that tell the history and stories of the Akan people.
Wisdom Addo is a Servas Host in Accra. We met Wisdom Addo (a name that means King) at a popular restaurant in the bustling city of Accra. He works with the West African Centre for Peace Foundation (www.wacpfgh.org), that seeks to nurture a generation of adults who pursue peace, tolerance, conflict resolution, community service, and leadership.
The West African Centre for Peace Foundation (WACPF) is a non-government organization that serves young people in schools and communities providing education on human rights, leadership training, and peace building. Their major initiative is construction of a youth leadership center in Odumase Krobo, Ghana, about two hours from Accra. It will have a conference center, educational and vocational training spaces, guest lodging, and recreational spaces. Its vision is deeply rooted in promoting peace education, non-violence, and conflict resolution skills. The center will be the hub of PeaceJam Ghana.
The WACPF’s Peace Centre Project works in collaboration with the PeaceJam Foundation, which is a US-based non-profit organization that offers international educational programs that connect youth with Nobel Peace Laureates with the goal of positive change for them, their communities, and the world at large.
Meeting Wisdom Addo was a true inspiration for us! His work is an investment in our shared future. I hope Servas members will explore the positive work he is spearheading in Ghana, West Africa and many more nations. I highly recommend him as a Servas Host to all of you Peace Travelers! Here are links to two joyous videos on Ghana PeaceJam, and the WACPF Peace Center.
And finally, we would be remiss if we didn't share Wisdom's Greeting's and invitation to Servas members to visit him in Ghana.
