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Introduction
Young Francis Konadu captured the spirit of Ghana with one gesture.
After school, Francis works in a kente cloth factory, weaving the traditional, brightly-colored fabric for which his Ashanti region is known. After just a few minutes talking while he worked, we agreed to be pen pals. As I left the building, he handed me his address. He then reached in his pocket and pulled out something else: a strip of fabric he had woven, white with lavender and silver threads. Though unfinished, the beautiful cloth represented days of work and a good bit of income. "Here," he said, and pushed it into my hand.
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Day One - From Accra to Obuasi
As capital cities go, Accra was fairly quiet for a mid-day Monday. Milling through the traffic, street vendors offered goodies of all kinds, from chewing gum to cell phone adapters. Ads for Canon, Microsoft and Nissan vied for attention alongside local businesses like the "Jesus Never Fails Communication Center." And, beneath the shade of a Mercedes-Benz billboard, three boys sold a delicacy: snails as big as a fist.
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Day Two - Confronting AIDS
The rooster's cry pierced the darkness before 5 a.m., leading a chorus of birds to accompany the rain drumming the iron roof. In the area of Obuasi, which is rich in natural resources and fertile land, miners and farmers go to work at first light.
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Day Three - Digging for gold
It's not every day you talk with a bunch of miners about sex.
The Tarkwa region of Ghana is rich in the mineral for which the country was once known as "The Gold Coast." Professional mining companies and the informal mining sector fuel the economy of Tarkwa, a town of about 70,000 people. Formal gold mining began in 1877, though gold had long been used as currency and ornamentation.
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Day Four - Breathing new life into an old school
We barreled down a red dirt road toward the village of Bonsa Wire (wihray), bouncing in and around the potholes. As we went deeper, the canopy cover of bamboo thickened, throwing patterns of sunlight around the foliage.
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Day Five - A Grim Legacy
Walking down the dark, slippery concrete ramp - sliding your feet in front of you to feel the way - you can't help but imagine how the captives must have felt. Chained, separated from their families, sick, tired and terrified, they were forced into the unknown.
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Day Six - Preserving the forest
At 6 a.m., the fishing village of Elmina bursts with life. We set out early to visit one of Ghana's wildlife preserves. But, before leaving the coast, we stopped by the beach.
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