Dear friends,
I write to you with an eye towards the sun, and its undimming promise of tomorrow. The world seems to be in crisis, and yet we know that every challenge opens a road to opportunities and hope. Suddenly we are tested into clarity, the weak find answers in unexpected places, and the student teaches the teacher, and life and gratitude are reborn and renewed. It is in this spirit that I say “Akwaaba”. This Akan word of greeting emphasizes the importance of Presence and Absence. “Welcome” to all of us who have been in dark places during this pandemic, who have been interrupted by loss, pain and fear. Your absence was felt and your return makes us whole again.
As we come to the end of another year, I say Afihyia Pa to you! Happy Holidays! We are grateful for our blessings, including the many words of support and encouragement since the pandemic sidelined our summer 2020 trip. As we embark on plans to restart our educational program in Ghana, we continue to be encouraged by you.
WTIG is set to run in the summer of 2021! Even as cases go up in all parts of the world, the covid infection rate in Ghana has remained relatively low. We are hopeful that as we plan for reopening our institute, things will get even better for the world by summer.
Out of challenges sometimes better ideas and practices are birthed. Our engaging workshops have been further tailored to address current affairs, social justice and the theme of belonging.
As we embrace Africa’s wisdom, we also rely on the qualities that sustain Ghanaians during difficulties. The Ghanaian educator, Kofi Asare Opoku wrote, “The humor found in African proverbs is not merely intended to induce laughter or amusement. Rather, it is the water with which the pill of wisdom is swallowed.” For us at the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana, mindfulness and identity inform our goals and mission, and as we embark on reopening the program, we experience the sustaining presence of our ancestors, history, proverbs, humor which we share with you here.
One of the opportunities we saw this summer is the creation of this Newsletter. It is filled with voices we hope you will appreciate. It is also our hope that you, our readers will be linked to Ghana, and in turn contribute to this newsletter with time.
Here are some of the voices you may hear in our first newsletter and subsequent ones: David Duane’s transformative learning at the Elmina castle expressed in pointed language, the Ghana-inspired poems and musings of Elise Mott and Elizabeth Updike-Cobblah, and the silent voice of Jennifer Youk See as she captures the warmth of Ghana’s people through her camera. Our next edition will feature the prompting voice of the Haitian poet, author and painter Mariléne Phipps through her poetry, the mind of Ghanaian traditionalist and anthropologist Professor Obeng, and the judicious voice of Gertrude Fefoame who speaks of those on the fringes of African society.
This newsletter welcomes us back to engage with each other, to a place of seeing, being and learning. Soon you will get information and details of our plans for the WTIG Cohort 2021 program. Visit our website https://www.witnesstreeinstitute.org
Educators now more than ever, are aware of their role in reshaping the world, providing the lenses to link us to our humanity, and to spur us towards saving ourselves and generations to come. We at WTIG thank you for the hard work many of you are doing.
Please take care of yourselves, and be attentive to your own well-being. These holidays, and at the end of a long struggle, welcome yourself home from yourself. The world needs you. Put your feet up, rest them and reflect on the good you have done. Celebrate your work and echo the words from Derek Walcott’s poem “Love After Love.”
“The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
And say, sit here. Eat.”
Tete Cobblah
Director of WTIG