Life in Bolga Gallery

Steve en route between villages Whether traveling by motorbike, by local bus, or by foot, navigating the roads of West Africa is always an exercise in being patient and embracing the adventure. Here, Steve, the owner and founder, waits to receive help from local weavers, who shared a different route to get around an impassable road.

Roads between villages get washed out Dirt roads and walkable paths form a well-used network of routes to get from village to village. Sometimes the roads get washed out, especially during the rainy season, as seen here. There are always ways to adapt and improvise though, and it speaks to the ingenuity of the local people who travel these roads daily.

Steve embracing the moment Steve, the owner and founder, loves every trip he has taken to Africa over the last 3+ decades, each journey showing him a different side of a vast and ever-fascinating land and culture. Unpredictable situations are a part of the experience, as seen here, as he waits to find an alternate route to a nearby village, smiling and in his element.

Children sharing fresh-picked fruit from the trees In the rainy season, the countryside is alive and abundant; children gather up fruits and vegetables all around. Here, after stopping at a huge tree to grab some fresh fruit, the local kids were already in action, having climbed the tree! They dropped several fruits down, a sweet gesture of kindness.

Children are a part of daily life and chores From the time they are born, children accompany their mothers while they are weaving baskets, as well as take on daily chores, and are integrated into the normal rhythm of life.

Wells are a cornerstone of village life The village well is the center of activity and is vital to daily life. Around 20 percent of the population living in the rural areas of Ghana do not have access to clean drinking water sources. To help address this dire shortage, our new non-profit, Weaving Hope Together, will create many new wells in these communities.

Retrieving well water requires immense effort In many villages, people spend hours every day walking miles from their homes to fetch water. The weavers have expressed that wells are one of the most important projects that we can focus on, as children often miss school because they are needed to gather water each day. Because they are pulled away from school to help out with such daily tasks, the primary school enrollment rate in Ghana is only 80 percent. By building more wells, we hope to help address this pressing need.

Wells are a natural gathering point In over 35 years of traveling around Africa, Steve shares that “he has hardly ever seen a well sitting idle.” They are a hub of activity, always.

Children fetch water from a young age Fetching water is one of the earliest chores that the children in Bolgatanga take on. Fed by a hand pump, the children shown here are collecting water in a variety of containers.

A portrait of innocence A boy, between moments of playing with his friends near one of the wells. Even amidst the struggles that they face, there is a beautiful innocence to the local children.

The very essence of dignity and grace A woman sitting peacefully at a small village market after buying a chicken. Steve, the owner and founder, says that he is “always struck by the dignity and calmness emanating from the villagers around Bolgatanga.”

Village elders are an inspiration This villager, in his late 90s, is a living example of independence, patience, and strength of will. It took him five minutes to walk 200 feet, but he trudged forward, step by step, a truly inspiring thing to see.

Sweet-natured youth of Bolga Cute village kids, candid and light-hearted, enjoying the moment.

Arriving back at the village home as night falls A classic village scene, as children arrive back home with water in the evening. During the rainy season, every family home is engulfed by maize, guinea corn, cassava, and millet growing towards the sun. The village paths are carved among the growth, forming protected walkways from home to home and connecting to outside roads eventually.

Firewood, millet, and guinea corn are staples Every home has a firewood pile and, depending on the extent of the family home, there may be a roofed kitchen space or it may be outside, as seen here. The dried millet stalks, shown on the left, are used as kindling and for fires that don’t need to last long, as firewood is precious and used judiciously by all. The tall plants, surrounding the home on all sides, are guinea corn.

Farming takes priority during the rainy season A dam feeds an extensive farming area surrounding Bolgatanga and many villagers have plots where more water-intensive crops are grown year-round, such as rice, peanuts, and tomatoes. During the rainy season, farming is often the top priority and baskets take a backseat to the rhythm of nature, which cannot be denied or delayed. Planting time shuts down basket production, as does harvest time, but once the seeds are planted, basket weaving resumes full-scale until harvest time.

Steve joins a local funeral procession Steve, the owner and founder, shares the following story describing the scene pictured: “One evening as were riding motorbikes through the villages to check in with weavers on the eve of a market day, we heard wonderful music lilting over the plains and, following the sound as our guide, we came upon a family house where a funeral was in progress. We were enthusiastically welcomed to join the celebration, and against my initial hesitation, we were obliged to join. It was really interesting to join the dance, shuffling through the home’s courtyard for some time before heading back on our journey.” When asked why they would welcome an outsider like him to join their funeral, the villagers told Steve that it was “an auspicious sign that a white man had appeared” and that they most certainly wanted him to be a part of the occasion. It was an unforgettable moment and experience, no doubt.

Kitchen interior of a village abode The interior of a kitchen in a traditional family home, decorated with natural pigments. A typical family home may shelter 25-40 people spanning 3 or 4 generations. Traditionally, the people in this region are polygamous and there can often be 3-6 wives per husband, leading to many different nuclear families under one roof.

View of the bright moon rising A beautiful moon rising over the Baobab trees, which dot the landscape throughout West Africa. This picture was taken after Steve, the owner and founder, had spent the whole day with a master dyer, a person who can mix any colors, and who plays a pivotal step in the basket-making process. As Steve returned to the home village on the back of a motorbike, the moon was slowly rising into the warmth of the evening sky.

Food of all types can be found at the market In the main market of Bolgatanga, peppers and grains are a top-seller, but any kind of food imaginable is available. Even edible flowers!

Often a whole family will jump aboard a motorbike Although it doesn’t meet our safety standards, it is very common in Africa to see a whole family riding on a motorbike. Here, a mom is bringing her kids home from school.

A huge shipment of salt at the market Among the many surprising things that you may see at the market, pictured here is a massive truck loaded up with salt. Where there is a need, there is a supply.

Women selling carrots and other wares Wholesalers in the market supply local women who sell their wares from tubs on their heads; in this instance, they were supplying carrots. The women of Bolgatanga work tirelessly, day in and day out, and are emblems of strength and perseverance.

Sewing machine transport at its best It’s not uncommon in Bolgatanga to see a woman carrying a basin of water on her head, but in this case, it was a sewing machine instead!

Life is colorful in Bolgatanga The villagers often wear colorful clothing, and this woman is no exception, the patterns of her outfit brightly complementing the woven designs of the market baskets.