Dean's Travels In Africa

Visit To Lome

2010-05-06T08:54:00.000-06:00

May, 2009 I visited Lome with my daughter and Edna Dach. During the visit Edna and I worked with the PATC staff focussing on developing a coomunications plan for the organization.

Travelling To Lomé 2009

2009-04-27T09:38:00.001-06:00

Looking forward to travelling to Lomé, Togo this June.

2007-07-31T19:15:00.001-06:00

July 15th

Left Mbezi and headed for the Dar es Salaam airport after lunch. Arrived at the airport at 2:10 pm for a 3:00 pm flight. Managed to push my way to the front of the line and make my flight barely in time. Spent the next nine days in Paris with my wife Michelle. In true Kenya Airways fashion my luggage did not make it until a week later.

Mikumi National Park

2007-07-15T18:34:00.000-06:00

July 14th

At 6:00 am the next morning we headed off to the Mikumi National Park. With hundreds of sleeping policemen (speed bumps) along the way the trip was slow. During the trip Anthony and Lawrence discussed how much dowry they paid to their in-laws and how much Anthony could get for his school age daughter. Seems even in today’s world he could still expect to get 65 cows and a few chickens because of her musical ability.

On the way we stopped at the city of Morogora. Morogora is where Anthony is from. It is also where thousands of South African refugees came during their years of tension. The refugee camp was later turned into a university for agriculture.

We stopped along the highway to purchase some handmade baskets.

Five hours later, after passing some pretty exotic road kill (monkeys, hyenas, etc.) we arrived at the game park. While driving through the park we came across baboons, giraffes, antelope, water buffalo, wart hogs, impalas, hippopotamus, cranes, zebras, wildebeests, and elephants. Our guide wouldn’t allow us out of the vehicle because lions were spotted in the area that morning. In addition to animals we also came across Maasai. Maasai are a nomadic tribe who maintain many of their traditional values and beliefs.

Maxwell, Anthony,Lawrence and I prepare for our safari.

Driving home that evening I was reminded how much I really do not like night driving in Africa. Too many vehicles with no lights, driving much too fast, weaving in and out of their lanes. The uncontrolled burning of bushes along the highway was also a little unnerving. Driving through 20 ft high flames on the side of the highway is not my idea of a relaxing time.

Maasai girl holding a Chapters bag??

Winding Down in Dar es Salaam

2007-07-14T18:21:00.000-06:00

July 13th

After a couple of frustrating hours in the school lab we decided to finish off our work in a local Internet café. The increased speed and reliability made today go much smoother. Later that evening Anthony, Maxwell, Lawrence and I went out for dinner at the Sea Cliff Hotel. Found the food excellent. Our table gave us a clear view of the Indian Ocean. Anthony mentioned it was a very expensive hotel for foreigners ($130 a night).

July 12th

Today was a long day. With very little sleep I was on my own with the workshop participants. Power outages and Internet problems only compounded things. After work I went to a local handicraft market with Anthony. Visiting and bartering with the local artisans is definitely one of the most enjoyable things to do when in Africa. Dar es Salam was particularly enjoyable because the vendors were very polite and relaxed.

Young lady in the artisan market wearing traditional clothing.

Later that evening the Teachers’ Union held a short ceremony for Arlene in the hotel restaurant. Afterwards we drove her to the airport.

Trouble In Tanzania

2007-07-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

July 11th

Received a telephone call from Arlene at 11:30 pm. She was experiencing difficulty with her Malaria medication. Lawrence, Anthony, and myself took her to the hospital to get checked out. By 3:30 am we were back at the hotel and plans were being made to send Arlene home.

While looking for a hospital we came across a Maasai warrior working as a security guard. Dressed in traditional clothing, wearing a sword, and holding a spear he was much more menacing that the guards who were protecting our hotel. Anthony said no one would ever attempt to rob a place with a Maasai standing guard. Maasai have been known to prove their manhood by attacking lions with just a sword.

July 10th

Tuesday, July 10th marked Dr. Lawrence Kannae’s 51st birthday. During supper at the hotel he and Maxwell Amuzu had their hotel cabins broken into. While we were 100 feet away a laptop, projector, cell phones, and a large amount of cash was taken from their rooms. Arlene and I had cabins adjacent to theirs but did not have any problems. Lawrence, Maxwell, and Arlene were pretty shaken up by the incident. Anthony and Lawrence believed that they had been followed back from a money exchange in Dar es Salaam.

Travelling to Tanzania

2007-07-06T17:25:00.000-06:00

July 7th

We arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania July 7th. Anthony from the Tanzania Teachers’ Union was there to meet us at the gate. Unfortunately, only one of my suitcases made it to Tanzania. Several days later it arrived with the lock removed and digital camera missing. The airline declined to take responsibility. Kenya Airways – The Pride of Africa!

During our time in Tanzania we stayed at the Mbezi Garden Hotel. The hotel is located northeast of Dar es Salaam, about an hour and a half from the airport.

Tanzania has one of the highest incidence of death due to Malaria in Africa. My bed was outfitted with a mosquito net.

Flew out of Edmonton July 4th and arrived in London July 5th. The following day we flew out of Heathrow Airport to Nairobi, Kenya. We arrived in Nairobi one hour before our scheduled flight to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. There were no signs indicating gates for flights and none of the airport personnel were able to provide answers. Instead we were told to join a line with several hundred travelers waiting for flight information. For the next four and a half hours we stood in line. During this time we found out our Kenya Airways flight had been cancelled and were put on another flight scheduled for the next morning. We were then told to go to the Kenya Airways lounge and wait. No apologies, no explanations, no compensation, and no night’s sleep!

Standing in line in Nairobi gave us a glimpse of the cultural differences between various ethnic groups while we waited. We learned just how patient and polite Japanese and Indian tourists are while being physically pushed out of the way by 30 or 40 Africans from the Ivory Coast.

Had no problems with the bottled water in Kenya or Tanzania.

Travelling to Tanzania

2007-05-27T20:42:00.000-06:00

This summer I will be travelling to Tanzania to work with the Tanzania Teachers' Union. As in the past, I will be sponsored by the Canadian Teachers' Federation working in partnership with the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre. This year I will be travelling with Arlene Littlemore.

I anticipate that the workshops will take place in Dar es Salaam during the second week of July. Never having been to that part of Africa I am very excited about experiencing all that it has to offer. Tanzania is home of the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar.

Stay tuned!

Au revoir L'Afrique

2006-08-27T18:55:00.001-06:00

Part of the wonderful staff of the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre. Rouky, the bilingual secretary, Pepe, the organization's accountant, and Zack, Coordinating Assistant - Research, Communication and Consultancy Unit.

Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Visiting African Schools

2006-08-27T18:54:00.001-06:00

Friday we visited a couple of local schools. Lomé’s schools were both very large and under supplied. The first secondary school I visited had 2800 students with 18 classrooms.

Due to lack of space the student population is divided into morning and afternoon classes. Classes are still over 100 students. One of the classes I visited has 150. No textbooks, no multimedia, no classroom assistants, and no air conditioning.

Some of GSACRD's school have expressed an interest in having an exchange using the Internet. I left wondering how we could have an Internet project with a school that didn’t even have a computer lab. Still the teachers and students were very eager to start working with our students. The second school was pretty much the same as the first.

Having taught junior high I particularly enjoyed taking this picture. The student is being disciplined for disrupting a class.

Terrential Rains In Lome

2006-08-27T18:53:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we had rain storm of epic purportions. Thunder and heavy rain. Roads were washed out and we had power blackouts throughout the day. Because the water was so high it knocked out power to our air conditioners and our water pump. Two things I'd rather not do without. For the people of Lomé this was just another day in the rainy season.

Pictured is Kokuvi, caretaker for the SODEP house. We were outside watching the rains.

Travels to KPalimé and KPadape

2006-08-27T18:53:00.002-06:00

Traveled to the north country today with Edem and Kokuvi. Edem is the printer for PATC and Kokuvi is the SODEP House caretaker (see his weblog at http://agohakokuvi.blogspot.com). We hired a taxi for the day to reach the Kpalimé area 100 miles north of Lomé. It cost 35000 CFA which is about $75 CDN.

We traveled to Edem’s village, Kpadape, in the secluded mountainous area near the Ghana border. The small centre has a population of about 12,000 people and does not have a secondary school. It does have a private Catholic primary school. One of the reasons for my visit to the community was to explorer the possibility of SACHS becoming involved in building an African school.

In Kpadape students who go to secondary school must travel 6 kilometers to Kpalimé. Six kilometers to school in the morning, back home for an extended lunch period, back to school in the afternoon, and then home again. Twenty four kilometers through the dense bush regardless the weather. Many families choose to have their children work rather than endure the long road to school everyday.

Edem’s father has offered to provide the land if someone will sponsor to build a school. He estimates the cost will be 10,000,000,00 ($21,500 CDN) to construct a building and provide chairs for the students.

Proposed site for a future secondary school in KPadape, Togo

While in Kpadape Edem introduced me to how African’s farm cocoa, coffee, bananas, and other goods. Unlike Canadian farms, this type of farming takes place in the jungle not in well cultivated tracks of land.

After the Kpadape we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Edem, Kokuvi, and the taxi driver had goat. I just had a Coke. By the time we made it back to Lomé it was well into the evening. Night driving in this country is not something I cared to experience.

Final Day Of Workshop

2006-08-27T18:52:00.003-06:00

Today was the final day for the workshop. After today's session we took and group picture.

Following the photo I was asked to attend the executive meeting of FESEN. FESEN is the governing body of the Togo teachers' union. The photo was taken outside of the organization's office in Lomé.

The organization asked that I mention that they would really appreciate help with science resources. Anyone interested in providing support can contact Celestine at ayindoc@yahoo.fr.

Several GSACRD schools have expressed interest in participating in an Internet based Science Project with a local school. Schools will use a weblog for the exchange.

Collective Wedding In Lome

2006-08-27T18:52:00.002-06:00

While out in Lomé on saturday, Zack, Eric, and myself stopped to watch a "collective" Catholic wedding party have their photos taken. A collective wedding involves having various family members and friends celebrating their weddings at the same time. Eric indicated this happens a couple of times a year. The joint celebrations help the families save money.

Crazy Canadian Disrupts Lecture Hall

2006-08-27T18:51:00.001-06:00

After reading about the over crowding at the university's lecture halls (http://allafrica.com/togo) I wanted to take a picture of one of the classes. When I walked into the class some five hundred plus students were hard at work. When I raised my camera everyone, and I mean everyone, stopped and started chanting at me. Some were saying "Go go go" (and take the picture). Most were waving their fingers at me saying "No, No, No!". During the commotion I took a picture of the class laughing and waving at me.

After I took the picture I was invited on stage to discuss the matter with the Professor. After explaining to him what I wanted to do he put it to the class for a vote. With a thunder of "No, No, No's" I was told the majority had spoken. This was all done in great fun. Everyone enjoyed the exchange including me. Next to the group singing for Leah this has to be the highlight of the trip. What a wonderful sense of humor these future lawyers and economics major have!

Hi Birthday Leah

2006-08-27T18:50:00.003-06:00

My daughter Leah celebrated her tenth birthday today. It was a great thrill for both me and Leah to have the group sing a traditional happy birthday song for her. Leah listened and cheered enthusiastically while communicating with us using an Internet telephone software called "Skype".

Participant Discussion On The Use of Technology

2006-08-27T18:50:00.002-06:00

During today's session I introduced how to produce a podcast to the workshop participants. In a continent where resources are scarce this type of technology has enormous possibilities for African schools.

This is a podcast created by the participants using Audacity (free software from versiontracker.com). It provides their insight into how this new emerging technology could be used in African schools.

Its Raining In Lome

2006-08-27T18:49:00.001-06:00

Today it rained in Lome. It brought a nice change to the hot humid weather. Africa is at the end of a dry season and is starting its rainy season.

The workshops are being held at the University of Benin just outside of the city. Much of the land around the university is still used for harvesting various crops.

Zack Bawa is helping run the workshops. He visited SACHS for a week during the spring of 2003. Still talks about the enthusiastic students I had in the Communications Media program.

Valerie and Rouky are two of the workshop participants. Valerie works for Public Service International and Rouky works for the PanAfrican Teachers' Center.

Land in Lome, Togo Late March 12th

2006-08-27T18:48:00.000-06:00

At 11:00 pm Lome time I arrived in the Central West African city of Lome, Togo. After 30 hours in transit I started bright and early March 13th. I began working with members from the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre, Education International Africa, and Public Services International at the University of Benin. For two weeks I will be helping them utilize various types of technology in their efforts to improve education across Africa. This blog is part of their introduction into the use of innovative technology in education and communication.

Click on the "comments" to read about the participants and enter into a dialogue with them.

Back to Africa - 2006

2006-08-27T18:47:00.001-06:00

On March the 11th I will be returning to Africa to work with staff from the Panafrican Teachers Centre (PATC) and Educational International in Lomé, Togo. For two weeks I will be helping them utilize their technology to assist teachers from across Africa.

My visit is part of a continuing project that I have been involved in since the fall of 2002. Initially, staff members from PATC came to St. Albert to discuss how they could use Internet technology to service and support African teachers. During his visit Mr. Zack Bawa and I developed a website for the organization that is housed on a server at St. Albert Catholic High School. The server also houses websites from many of the 50 teachers organizations that are members of the PATC.

Banjul, Gambia 2005

2006-08-27T18:46:00.001-06:00

"During the month of July, Dean McKinney provided technology workshops in the city of Banjul, Gambia on behalf of the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre (PATC). Dean co-presented with PATC's Executive Assistant, Zack Bawa. The sessions were hosted by the Gambia Teachers' Union. This year's participants were educators from seven different Western African countries. The men and women who took part were from Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Ghana, and Togo. The event received its funding from Education International, Canadian Teachers' Federation, and the Alberta Teachers' Association.

This summer the workshops focussed on establishing an effective means of electronic communications between the unions and PATC; and the establishment of new websites for each of the participating unions."

www.etcata.ca

Following the workshops I presented at the IEARN.org conference in Dakar, Senegal. The conference was attended by educators from over 100 countries from almost every continent. During the visit I visited Gorée Island. The island was featured last year on The Amazing Race.

One of the highlights of my trip was to have a traditional African meal called "Afra". The meal consisted of a variety of fresh meats served on a plate shared by friends.

Click here for more pictures from the trip.

Lome, Togo 2003

2006-08-27T18:44:00.000-06:00

"During the month of July, Dean McKinney provided technology workshops in the city of Lomé, Togo on behalf of the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre (PATC). The participants were educators from over twenty African countries. The men and women who took part were sponsored by teachers' unions who hold membership with the PanAfrican Teachers' Centre. The event received its funding from Education International, Canadian Teachers' Federation, and the Alberta Teachers' Association."

My trip to Lomé was my first trip to Africa. During the time that I spent in the country I was able to see many different sides of Africa. I found the people of Africa to be some of the most friendly people I have ever met. This was a stark contrast to some of the problems that persist in Lomé. The country has suffered due to a prolonged period of having United Nations sanctions placed against it. Still Lomé continues to be a very vibrant and busy city.

Click here for more pictures from the trip.

Trip Schedule

2005-06-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

Looks like the trip will start with me leaving Edmonton July 5th. Will have an overnight stay in Brussels and then on to Banjul, Gambia the next day. This will give me a few days to get climatized and prepare for the workshops.

We will be staying at the Tafbel Hotel. Looks like a pretty nice place. Workshops will be off sight at the Gambia Teachers' Union offices. Booked to stay at this hotel till July 16th.

After the time in Bangul will be flying to Dakar, Senegal. During our time in Dakar we will be presenting and attending the IEARN.org international conference. This will give us time to relax and meet fellow educators from around the world.

Travels In Africa

2005-06-10T19:39:00.000-06:00

I set up this site so that I can post regular updates during my trip to Africa this summer. During the trip I will be at the following locations:

Banjul, Gambia: July 10 - 16th
Dakar, Senegal: July 17 - 24th

In Banjul I will be helping provide technology workshops for various members of the PanAfrica Teachers' Centre (PATC). I will be there representing the Alberta Teachers' Association Computer Council (ATACC), and the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF). My co-presenters will be Donna Griffin (ATACC Past President) and Zack Bawa (PATC Administrative Assistant).

In Dakar we will be presenting at the iEARN 12th annual world conference. The conference will be attended by over 1000 educators from all over the world. Dakar was featured on a previous episode of The Amazing Race (Goree Island and the pink lake).

This is my second trip to Africa. In the summer of 2003 I was involved in providing workshops with Edna Dach (ATACC) and Zack Bawa in Lomé, Togo. Pictures from that trip can be seen at www.atacc.ab.ca/misc/panafrica/togo

Dean