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What About All Those Bananas?

Sorry, but this will have to be quick as my time is running down. I am back in Accra as I will be leaving tomorrow. I won’t be able to fill you in on all that has happened since I left the monkeys, but I figured just the monkeys will do for today!

The Monkey Sanctuary is off of a long, dusty dirt road filled with ruts. We’d see nothing then a village would appear then we’d leave it quickly behind us.  The village nearest the monkeys was large, bigger than the others we had passed. We were driving to park the car when I saw one of the monkeys running behind the house. It was a Mona monkey, and they seem to come and go into the village at will. The monkeys come usually in the morning and early evening to eat but are more than happy when new bunches of gawkers appear with bananas in hand. The monkeys are not at all shy, and they stand up and spread out their arms to beg. We bought bananas and one of the critters grabbed it out of my hand. Grace, my student, offered to show me how to do it and the monkey grabbed her banana as well even before she was ready. With the second banana I held on and the monkey had to be satisfied with half and then half again. There were several around us by the time we started into the forest.

The woods were thick and so humid every pore in my body sweated. The guide stopped several times to show us trees and plants which were historically significant. including one called the giraffe tree. We kept going deeper into the forest to see the Colobus monkey, a larger shyer monkey than the Mona. We walk a long way until the guide noticed the long white tail of a Colobus.The monkey was sitting on a limb watching us. We kept walking but saw only four of these amazingly beautiful animals.

From there we walked to the monkey graveyard  where there are several graves marked with the sexes of the monkeys and their death dates. Two humans are buried there also, both fetish priests to the monkeys.

According to the guide, the Colobus monkeys will make a huge racket late at night if there is something going to happen. He said the fetish priests could understand what the monkeys meant and would interpret. The monkeys still make the racket but no one can understand anymore.

When we left, I was soaked as if it had been raining. The air conditioning in the car was wonderful.

I have so many more things to tell you about the last few days but it will have to wait until I am home. I leave tomorrow night at 10:10 on the Delta flight.

I’ll see you on Tuesday!

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27 Comments on “What About All Those Bananas?”

  1. Hedley Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    The Fetish Priests speak Colobus, how cool is that ? Very Dr Doolittle / Castle Combe.
    Safe ride home and the banana thing is totally King Louie

    • katry Says:

      September 16, 2012 at 2:16 pm

      My Dear Hedley,
      It seems both the Fetish priests were quite fluent. Maybe it was the headdresses they wore (which the guide described to us in such a way I had no idea what he was talking about).

  2. Birgit Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Monkey feeding – now I’m jealous 😉
    Hope you have (had) a good flight home.

    If someone is interested,
    The monkeys of Ghana (Colobus, Mona, ..):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCOnsjkFvc

    • katry Says:

      September 16, 2012 at 2:19 pm

      Birgit,
      That was just like the Colobus monkey we saw hiding in the trees. The Mona monkeys, eating away in the video, saw us as a source of food and even begged. The small ones were adorable.

  3. olof1 Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    So those Fetish Priests didn’t learn anyone else how to interpret those monkeys?

    It’s amazing how fast time has flown! I can imagine that it will feel sad to leave but it’s always nice to come home again 🙂 and who knows, You may return to Ghana soon again 🙂

    Have a great day!
    Christer.

    • katry Says:

      September 16, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      Christer,
      I guess knowing about the monkeys was a gift, not something taught.

      It’s so true-I am sad to leave but happy to be going home. The three weeks just flew by me.

  4. Caryn Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Hi Kat,
    Monkees! 🙂
    No one was interested in becoming a fetish priest to the monkeys?
    Safe home. Gracie will be ecstatic.

    • Hedley Says:

      September 15, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      Caryn, there might be something to a Fetish Priest apprenticeship…here is the job definition from wiki.

      In Ghana, Togo, and Benin and other parts of West Africa a fetish priest serves a spirit associated with an image or object that is usually kept in an enclosed place called a fetish shrine, often a simple mud hut with some kind of enclosure or fence around it. He (or she, in the case of a priestess) performs rituals to consult and seek the favor of the god of the shrine. Compensation is given in money, liquor, animals, and in some places, human sex slaves called trokosi[1], fiashidi, or woryokwe. The priest is usually chosen through “spiritual nomination of the shrine” through divination.
      [edit]

    • katry Says:

      September 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm

      Hi Caryn,
      I think you have to be called to be a Fetish. I’ll be thrilled to see Miss Gracie and Fern and Maddie.

  5. Bob Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Sounds like you had a great time even with all that monkey business 🙂 Have a safe flight home.

  6. lilydark Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Have a safe flight home– it all went so quickly. Are you bringing a monkey home with you?

  7. Morpfy Says:

    September 15, 2012 at 11:20 pm

    🙂

  8. Bubba Says:

    September 16, 2012 at 10:18 am

    What About All Those Bananas? ……
    maybe Morpfy has a receipe ?

  10. Ted Says:

    September 16, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Are you bringing back plenty of West African music? Like reggae? (it’s not just from Jamaica anymore)

    Godspeed and safe travels.

    • katry Says:

      September 17, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks, Ted!!

      You are so right about reggae. It was played all over Accra from loud speakers in front of shops. I didn’t get the name of the artists though I did ask.

  11. Morpfy Says:

    September 17, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Banana Pineapple Streusel Muffins

    Ingredients
    Streusel Topping
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/3 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/4 cup butter, softened

    Batter
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    2 cups sugar
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
    3 eggs, beaten
    1 cup vegetable oil
    2 cups mashed ripe bananas
    1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, thoroughly drained
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    Instructions
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    Streusel Topping:
    Combine sugar,flour,and cinnamon.
    With a pastry blender,cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs.

    Batter:
    Combine flour,salt,baking soda,sugar and cinnamon;stir in pecans.
    Combine remaining beaten eggs,oil,mashed bananas,drained crushed pineapple and vanilla extract;
    add to flour mixture,stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overstir!
    At this point,you can usethe batter for not only muffins,but also a medium-sized loaf.
    You can use it as you wish,of course.
    Spoon batter into a greased and floured loafpan.
    Sprinkle 1/2 of streusel mixture over the top of the loaf.
    Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    Cool in pan for 10 minutes,then remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
    Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
    Use remaining batter for your favorite-sized muffins,filling paper-lined muffin tins a little more than half full.
    Sprinkle tops with remaining streusel mixture.
    Bake about 25 to 30 minutes for regular muffins,and about 15 to 18 minutes for mini-muffins.
    Let cool for 10 minutes,then remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

    Yield: 1 medium loaf, plus 1 dozen medium muffins,plus 1 dozen mini-muffins

  12. Morpfy Says:

    September 17, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    🙂 🙂


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