We all woke up for a trip to the Cultural Art Center, a huge market. There are what feels like hundreds of small stands, with vendors ready and willing to approach, using tactics as sneaky as "Oh! My friend! I have forgotten your name!" Reminding them that they never knew your name (jokingly) doesn't bother them in the least. The relief of so many stands is that there are inevitably repetitions, making the necessary, encouraged haggling easier - comparison shopping made very, very real. We found some souvenirs and gifts, including sculptures of animals made from melted down old cedi coins and recycled car parts (my favorite).
Out back, Molly lead us to her friend Louis Wonder ("Won-da"), a professional drummer and drummaker. He took us into the back room of his shop to welcome us, then gathered some friends - including Shine, who later revealed himself to the be the first flutist of the Pan-African Orchestra - for a concert. Shine taught me all the drum names: I recognized the djembe (which pleased him almost as much as my familiarity with the Orchestra), and he introduced me to the dom-dom and the bass, gome. Louis got Molly to go get libations as an offering to the spirits afterwards - the Rastafarians give thanks to their predecessors for passing down the music. Molly arranged for us to return at sunset for drumming lessons on the beach.
Louis proved himself to be exactly the teacher most American pre-schools are looking for. He taught us basic Palogo rhythms, broke them down into small segments, and sprinkled his lessons with exclamations like "WOW!" "Nice one!" and "Clap for yourself!", which Molly says is a typical Ghanaian expression. By the end, he had us playing supporting rhythms - accompanied by one of his students on cowbell - and singing a song children learn as a mnemonic. It would be difficult to transcribe, but I did write it down in the notebook I've been carrying - when we left the market in the morning Louis asked us all to bring a pen and paper, to help us remember and bring his lessons home with us. He offered to arrange a bonfire on the beach on our last night, and, beyond, assured us "family prices" on any instruments we decide to buy.
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