Lights, camera, no power! - A tale of Tuna and its power woes.
Power poles have been in Tuna since 1996. At that time the hook for Phase 1 power was a connection away. Many people, however, wanted to wait for the connection for Phase 3 power so they could operate bigger machines (industrial types) The power was not at that time connected. Instead, Sawla a town down the road and the new district capital got power. 12 years later, the government has promised it is coming. The latest has been before the election in December. Some are still optimistic but most just laugh or scorn bitterly when the topic is mentioned. They see this as a empty promise or an attempt to get votes. Some places in Tuna have generators to have lights for a few hours at night, but for the most part, aside from the occasional torch or kerosene lantern, the town of Tuna is dark. My office has a generator my boss will turn on one or two nights a week for an hour or two, but only at night so he can have lights and TV as well.
Adjusting to living without power has hit home with me how convenient a lifestyle many have in Canada. Having the internet at the tip of our fingers, not worrying about power outages, or no power to charge our phones, run our tv or our refrigerator is an incredible luxury. When Ghanaians were asking me about having a computer and internet in my home, I felt almost embarrassed to explain that I did indeed have this in my home. Between this stark inequality and getting used to office work without a computer and google at my finger tips, I was certainly questioning my efficiency. Since I have gotten more used to this, and thought of how I can be useful and efficient, I have learned more about myself, and how I work and can be resourceful and creative. I admire how successful my NGO has been for over 14 years without power or internet. I am thankful for this experience and what it is teaching me. Sometimes, I still get frustrated, but I am definitely learning how to channel that and also learning what an outlet writing in a journal or writing a blog entry an do for you!
Until next time!
On a side not, places that have power will often have outages, scheduled or not. So even if power is hooked up, it is not a sure bet. This is also something I have experienced when trying to get to the internet!
Power poles have been in Tuna since 1996. At that time the hook for Phase 1 power was a connection away. Many people, however, wanted to wait for the connection for Phase 3 power so they could operate bigger machines (industrial types) The power was not at that time connected. Instead, Sawla a town down the road and the new district capital got power. 12 years later, the government has promised it is coming. The latest has been before the election in December. Some are still optimistic but most just laugh or scorn bitterly when the topic is mentioned. They see this as a empty promise or an attempt to get votes. Some places in Tuna have generators to have lights for a few hours at night, but for the most part, aside from the occasional torch or kerosene lantern, the town of Tuna is dark. My office has a generator my boss will turn on one or two nights a week for an hour or two, but only at night so he can have lights and TV as well.
Adjusting to living without power has hit home with me how convenient a lifestyle many have in Canada. Having the internet at the tip of our fingers, not worrying about power outages, or no power to charge our phones, run our tv or our refrigerator is an incredible luxury. When Ghanaians were asking me about having a computer and internet in my home, I felt almost embarrassed to explain that I did indeed have this in my home. Between this stark inequality and getting used to office work without a computer and google at my finger tips, I was certainly questioning my efficiency. Since I have gotten more used to this, and thought of how I can be useful and efficient, I have learned more about myself, and how I work and can be resourceful and creative. I admire how successful my NGO has been for over 14 years without power or internet. I am thankful for this experience and what it is teaching me. Sometimes, I still get frustrated, but I am definitely learning how to channel that and also learning what an outlet writing in a journal or writing a blog entry an do for you!
Until next time!
On a side not, places that have power will often have outages, scheduled or not. So even if power is hooked up, it is not a sure bet. This is also something I have experienced when trying to get to the internet!
1 comment:
Steph
Your blog is great !!
I really enjoy seeing your photo's and hearing your stories.
Love Mom XOXO
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