Vero’s Oven

[ Techiman, Ghana ]

Greetings Transglobalistas, and a warm Hello from Ghana.

Yes, Ghana. I’m still here. Still enjoying this town and soaking up new experiences. There are definitely upsides to lingering, despite a strong urge to keep moving. Chief among these benefits is a chance to circle back, to follow up with people met and (temporarily at least) forgotten.

This week, that person is Vero. Perhaps you will remember her, the first woman I met the day I arrived in Techiman. She owns a local bakery, Vero’s Oven, which provides fresh-baked bread, cakes, and the like to many of the grocers in town. She’s been doing this for twenty years, since she and her husband moved here from Accra, and so I was excited when she invited me to stop by.

Friday morning I hopped on the bike, rode across town, and spent perhaps ninety minutes watching Vero and her staff hard at work. This is a practiced and efficient team of capable, powerful women. They’re also funny. And playful. There was an intense camaraderie among these ladies similar to what I encountered at Yorkee Fashion Design, and I was honored to be there with them. In the end, I think I was able to capture something of their work and their spirit.

Vero left town right after our meeting, so I can’t yet give you names for all the faces–that information will follow soon, and I’ll update the captions accordingly, particularly the portraits–which REALLY deserve names to go with those amazing faces.

In the meantime, take a look and let me know what you think!

Ciao,
—jim