Matt Barr of Barr Photography and his daughter Jessi came with us to Ghana in March. It was wonderful having another set of eyes to see Kushea in a new light, in addition to having passionate and enthusiastic people to connect with on the trip. Matt has traveled internationally personally and for his business, and it was a return trip to Ghana for him. We appreciated his thoughtful insights, his friendly demeanor, and of course, his amazing photography. Matt quickly became the favorite visitor from our group with everyone in the village because he had a fancy camera and could immediately show them his photos.

Neatest City in Ghana and Friendliest People

Matt has spent time filming for other NGOs in Ghana in past years. We think Kushea is pretty special, but it was nice to hear it from someone who’s spent time in other places in Ghana as well.

“One of the things was evidently unique was that Kushea is a beautiful clean village. My previous experience in Ghana was in villages that were full of trash. I spent time in a larger village that was trying to be more commercial, or more westernized. There were cell phone towers, gas stations, much more of a city. My experience in Kushea feels like a quaint village where people were at peace in their space. There was a feeling of contentment in Kushea, where people weren’t looking for handouts.”

We have to agree with Matt, both in Ghana and in Congo, Kushea is so neat and tidy, and its inhabits Nana Prah has so much pride in Kushea and has instilled that in the village.

Every Wednesday is a city-wide cleanup time from 7 am – 9 am, before the farmers go out to the cocoa fields. Everyone— parents and children— pick up trash, clear weeds and work on community projects together. There are iconic garbage bins throughout the streets, painted the color of the Ghanian flag, to encourage cleanliness. 

The people of Kushea are so friendly. Lots of smiling eyes, friendly waves, and invitations to chat. Our first evening there we talked a walk through some side streets. We passed by one family and a lady called out to us “Nana! Nana!” Nana is a title of royalty and respect, any chief or subchief would be called Nana. Because Robert was appointed the Chief of Development in a ceremony two years ago, he is recognized in the village. This lady remembered him from past trips and wanted to take a photo with him. 

Matt had an amazing ability to capture photographs like he wasn’t there, an invisible person swooping in and around our conversations. But he was even more talented in that he could talk and connect to a person, then take a photo that reflected something deep and special about that person. We asked him if he had any moments from our trip that were especially meaningful and he shared this story.

“When I photographed this younger guy, something about his life connected to me. We are both dads, doing what we can to take care of our families.

Here’s this young dad to young children, working so hard within his circumstances to provide for his family by farming cocoa beans. His entire town could fit into my house, and his house was the size of our walk in closet! It was such a stark contrast of our two lives. It made me realize how much we take for granted, when we think about how much the world lives.”

This was Jess’ first time visiting Africa, and despite a friendly visit from a resident cockroach in her bed, she said she had a good time. A local teacher from the school organized several girls her age to visit at the king’s palace and take her on a tour of the village. They spent over three hours together.

We asked Jess about that morning and what that was like for her.

“I was a little nervous and there were so many girls who came. They wanted to see and touch my hair. We sang songs and they taught me the games they play at recess. They wanted to know what me and my friends did together.”

Then we asked Jess, what was the same or different about your lives?

These girls walked everywhere, no matter how long it took. We have bikes and cars. They didn’t text; they played real games with each other. After being with them, I wanted to be more present with my friends at home. These girls were in the moment, and happy with what they had right then. They weren’t thinking about tomorrow, or nervous about the next day. They just thought about today.”

Hand Up, Not a Hand Out

One of Tifie’s guiding principles is to help people provide for themselves, not to simply give things away. Sometimes, gifts are beautifully generous and the right thing to do. Other times, especially in a humanitarian context, they can cause more long-term damage than good. The hundreds of abandoned wells, schools, and donated items throughout Africa are examples of these well-intended donations.

Without a thoughtful community plan and internal commitment, they often become abandoned projects. Matt noticed this guiding anchor in how TIfie approached its projects—a solar battery project for families and businesses as well as the newly formed honeybee coop that Tifie is supporting.

Matt said that he talked to Robert about bringing donations in his suitcases to give out in Kushea,  he got the vibe from Robert that giving toys wasn’t’ our intention.

“We were there not just to give, but Tifie is about helping people be empowered to help themselves. That’s the vision that I caught in Kushea, that TIfie can be the catalyst to assist and empower them for what their next thing is. Tifie helps get the ball rolling, provide the next stepping stone so that they can take off running.”

On that note, thanks for reading all the way to the end. If you got this far, hit me up at [email protected] and I’ll send you some swag. 🙂