I am a writer and executive administrator for Trusted Clothes, which is an ethical and sustainable fashion organization. The following is a series devoted in honor of the work done in collaboration with the Schroeckers and the Trusted Clothes team, more to come I trust! Part 1.
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Abena Sara is a regular contributor and featured author here at Trusted Clothes. Read more about her below through this one-on-one interview with Scott.
Your name is Sara Corry, but you have the name Abena Sara, too. How did this come about for you?
In Ghana, everyone has a ‘day name’ that corresponds to the day they were born. I was born on a Tuesday, so my day name is Abena. When saying it, the stress is on the first A so it’s like AH-beh-nuh – not aBEEnah like most people outside of Ghana pronounce it.
You have a passion for travel, and you’re living in eastern Ghana near its capital of Accra at the moment. How’d you get there? Tell us your story.
That’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it brief. I was involved with African drumming in Albuquerque, New Mexico where I’m from, for many years. One of my teachers is from Ghana, which piqued my interest in Ghana in the first place. Then, a friend from a drum circle introduced me to a Ghanaian friend who was visiting NM – this was back in 2010. His friend, Godfried, and I hit it off and kept in contact after he went back to Ghana. In 2011 he invited me to come to Ghana and see some of the country, and I went for 16 days. The trip was amazing. I’d never been to a “third world” country and I saw so many things that touched my heart and soul. I fell in love with Ghana, and with Godfried. Then lots of “life” happened for both of us and I didn’t return until 2014, for a month this time. When planning the trip, I started brainstorming ways I could spend more time in Ghana, and the idea to form a business that would allow me to be here more often came to mind. One thing led to another and I realized that my passion is with humanitarian causes and a desire to give a hand up to people who are in desperate situations. In February, 2015 I returned and ultimately spent nine months in Ghana, working on business development – and I’m still here! I’m working on getting residency so that Godfried and I can be together and continue work we’ve started on a project to improve medical care in villages, and of course to develop Batiks for Life.
Your posts always have great photographs of Ghana. What personal fulfillment comes from it?
Yes, I love photography, although I’m really an amateur. I love nature photography most, but I’ve managed to get some nice shots of people here in Ghana. Ghana in general is a very colourful and photogenic country! For me, photography can be a spiritual thing. It’s soul-nourishing to slow down and see my surroundings through the camera lens.
And you’ve lived in the desert for over 30 years. How did this come about for you?
I moved to Albuquerque, NM (high desert in North Central NM) in 1988 (after spending a couple of years there previously). New Mexico’s state slogan is “the Land of Enchantment” and it’s a joke that we say it’s the “Land of Entrapment”! Or like Hotel California, you can check in any time you like, but you can never leave! The land does seem to hold onto people! I do love New Mexico and my family is there, so I’ll be back to visit at some point. Ghana feels like home now though.
What’s a normal day in Ghana like for you?
It’s a rather “chop wood, carry water” kind of life – in some ways a little like camping. I don’t have a huge income so I can’t afford the high rise apartments or fancy gated communities in downtown Accra. Actually I wouldn’t want to live like that anyhow, surrounded by mostly ex-pats and apart from everyday people. So I live in a small town in a small house, draw water from a well every morning, wash my clothes by hand, shower from a bucket of cold water, shop for food at the markets and food stalls, and cook over a little gas canister, just like most people here. One challenge is that I’m continually singled out because of my skin colour, which gets kind of embarrassing at times. But whereas a Black person in a predominately white area of the US might be negatively singled out, here “obrunis” are looked upon as an asset to the community. Sometimes this becomes another kind of challenge, when children come to me asking for money for instance, or when the market ladies overcharge me. Even Godfried has said he gets charged more at the market when I’m with him. To be looked upon as a source of easy money is uncomfortable, and creates a kind of entitlement which is exactly the opposite of what I’m trying to do through my work.
Click here to read more of Sara’s posts from Africa and Batiks for Life.
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Original publication on www.trustedclothes.com.
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Image Credit: Getty Images.