Update on "Disaster"

John Collins has sent me an update on the situation with his house and archive (see my post of November 20). Unfortunately his mails have been marked as "spam" (probably as a result of the links he included), so I have not spotted these until a few days ago.

He writes:

"As mentioned in my previous email letter - due to a number of factors that include climate change unplanned development and blocking of natural waterways Accra was severely flooded on 26th Oct and my own Bokoor House and the BAPMAF Music archives its hosts were severely affected. After this I spent a frantic months trying to save the damaged materials and at a guess I roughly estimate that about 10% of the BAPMAF archives was destroyed . Please see the following blogspots of the American Public Radio program Afropop for pictures and more details of the disaster - and also the BBC and Batuki Music of Toronto

http://blog.afropop.org/2011/11/flood-disaster-at-john-collins-bokoor.html
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15797338
http://www.batukimusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=118

Also see youtube video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hncle453r_0


In my previous email letter I also mentioned some of the things I have to do - which include
· Storing all the BAPMAF archives temporarily upstairs in the BAPMAF Exhibition Room.
· Repairing flood damage and build circa 200 feet of reinforced concrete wall with gravel embankment to immediately protect the Bokoor/BAPMAF property from flooding.
· Replacing thousands of dollars of lost equipment, computers, car, scanners, cameras, record player, stabilizers, 4-track recorder, chargers and 12 volt battery backup system, power point and slide projector etc..
· Finding means and funds to temporarily relocate both my residence and the exhibition section of BAPMAF (either together or separately) elsewhere.
· Salvaging and restoring the BAPMAF holdings and make its exhibition section available again to the public.

In just one month I have already done some of the above. I have saved all the materials that could be saved, dried them and stored them with other BAPMAF materials safely upstairs. I have built about 80 feet of wall and embankment. And right now I am making arrangements with a Ghanaian national cultural institution to loan the exhibition section of BAPMAF and have it relocated at somewhere in Accra (possibly the National Museum) - so that it can remain open to the public whilst I am salvaging, re-organising and re-building the BAPMAF archives.

I will also relocate myself my family and the BAPMAF library, research documents and archival holdings elsewhere for the meantime. During this time I will repair flood damage to my Bokoor property and also convert the upstairs property into an area suitable for both accommodation and BAPMAF activities (other than its public exhibitions facilities). It may also be possible later - if a sensible system of drainage is introduced to the area and people are prevented from blocking the river with sawdust and other materials - for my downstairs property to become the location for the BAPMAF Exhibitions space. However, as mentioned, for the meantime, the BAPMAF exhibitions and photo gallery might be located at a suitable national public space in Accra.

DONATIONS
Those who wish to contribute to getting BAPMAF back on its feet should either send donations (especially larger ones) to my bank account (bank transfer) in the UK (see below) - or to a paypal account that has been set up with the help by American colleagues and well wishers. Anyone who already has a PayPal account can simply make a donation through PayPal to at . People who don't have a PayPal account should click on the donate button (marking these as a "gift") on either of the two following blogspots.
http://bapmaf.blogspot.com/
or http://blog.afropop.org/2011/11/flood-disaster-at-john-collinss-bokoor.html

[BANK DETAILS :NATWEST, Tottenham Court Rd Branch, P.O.BOX 2EA 45 Tottenham Court Rd. London WIT 2EA ,Reward Reserve Account of E .J. Collins, Account number 26592258, Sort Code 56-00-31, Swift code NWBK GB 2L, IBAN number GB16 NWBK 56003126 5922 58]

All the best, John Collins

SOMETHING BRIEF ON BAPMAF
I am a Ghanaian-British national, a musician, musicologist and music lecturer at the University of Ghana - and I have been operating the BAPMAF music archives in Ghana since 1990. BAPMAF (the Bokoor African Popular Music Archives Foundation) is an NGO established in 1990 by myself with the assistance and encouragment of some leading Ghanaian musicians and musicologists (like E.T. Mensah, King Bruce, Kwaa Mensah, Beattie Casely-Hayford, Oscarmore Ofori, Koo Nimo and T.O. Jazz, etc), to preserve, research, promote and disseminate Ghanaian/African performing arts, with the focus on popular performing arts. BAPMAF was first opended to the public in 1996 and then after extensive re-building at Bokoor House BAPMAF was re-opened in 2007 during Ghana‘s 50th anniversary Independence Day celebrations. The BAPMAF and its Highlife-Music Institute exhibited the ‘Golden Years of Highlife Exhibition’ through literally 100’s of photos, diagrams, maps, captions and posters as well a instuments and memoribilia connected with Ghanaian, African and Black Diasporic music. The BAPMAF complex also included of a large seminar/work-shop space, digital documentation room, audio-video laboratory and library. The BAPMAF Highlife Institute archival holdings prior to the October 2011 floods consisted of 1,200 photographs/slides, 700 publications, hundreds of rare and old documents and 1,500 hours of recorded music; including almost a thousand old highlife songs on shellac and vinyl records. It provideds materials for teaching and research purposes and has collaborated over the years with many local and foreign agencies: the Goethe Institute, the University of Ghana, the Alliance Francaise, the Dubois Centre, the Swizz Embassy, The Muscians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Ghanaba’s African Heritage Library, the US Embassy Public Affairs Section (Black History Month) and Rocky Dawuni’s Africa Live Project. BAPMAF is also a member of the UNESCO Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity and has provided materials too both local and foreign media agencies: the BBC, Joy FM, Ghana Broadcasting, TV3, Citi FM, ETV, American Public Radio, Radio France International, Mietzer-keiner-filmproduktion, Cinecon Africa, Creative Storm, the Soul to Soul project, Archiafrika, Analysis Lost Productions and Panafricas/Instituto Midia Etnica."

I have little to add, apart from an encouragement to donate generously to this very worthy cause.

Disaster

This is not really a post. I am just trying to point any readers who may have missed this to the appeal made on the Afropop and the Osibisaba blog.

I am sure the original poster won't mind me quoting John Collins' appeal for help:
"Dear colleagues, supporters, fans, friends and well wishers,

As you know I have been operating the BAPMAF music archives since 1990 which was partly opened at my Bokoor House to the public in 1996 and more fully in 2007. However, devastation struck in the middle of the night of 26th Oct, 2011 in the form of a flood. This occurred over many parts of Accra due to more and more people building in or blocking water ways - so that rivers could no longer easily run into the sea. In our particular Taifa-Ofankor area this was compounded by the construction of a 3 mile section of the Kumasi highway (from Achimota to Ofankor) without adequate gutters - and also saw-millers who have been dumping sawdust in rivers and wetlands.

We residents have complained to both the Ghana National Highways Authority and the Ga District Assembly (Council) over the years to no avail Indeed the National Highways Authority told us residents that they had to build the road first before constructing the drains and that these 2 projects even fell under 2 different ministries. Furthermore, the saw-millers in the MUUS next to us, who are relative newcomer to the area, did not allow space on their adjacent land to ours for a gutter. In fact, by dumping sawdust on the drainage river (Brenyah River) they re-directed part of this river though my house and garden – which broke my wall – they are even now claiming my garden is their ‘natural’ gutter.

The resulting flooding on the 26 Oct. was unprecedented with almost 6 feet of water entering our land and 5 feet into the downstairs house and premises where some of the BAPMAF archival holdings are kept. I was in Mali at the time at an African popular music conference organized by the French Institute in conjunction with and the Malian Ministry of Culture. On returning to Ghana on the 29th I met my family perched upstairs in the BAPMAF exhibition space. They had escaped drowning by 2 minutes due to a timely call from a neighbor upstream who noticed the water build up and got them to leave the house and flee upstairs.

Some of the losses are as follows:
• Approx 10-20% 0f BAPMAF archival holding lost. Some we are still trying to dry and salvage.
• Loss of all electronic equipment including materials donated a few years ago to the BAPMAF archives by the German Goethe Institute for a digitization project.
• Loss of car, backup generator, various pumps, etc.

The house and area is now too dangerous for human habitation (i.e. residential purposes ). All this due to the short sightedness of the government in not insisting the National Highways Authority build storm gutters alongside the highway they have been constructing for seven years (which incidentally also went under water on the 26th Oct). And also the government’s inability to stop individuals or saw-millers etc from building on or blocking natural water flows.

As this is not likely to be resolved in the near future I have no recourse but to remove myself and my family from the house that myself and my father before me have been living since the 1970’s – and find rented property where we will not be drowned like rats.

So my immediate plans are as follows:
- Find temporary storage space for the BAPMAF archives so that at some point in the future these can become available again to myself and the general public.
- Find temporary accommodation relatively near the university at Legon.
- Build circa 200 feet of reinforced concrete wall with gravel embankment to protect the Bokoor/BAPMAF proper from future flooding – so I and the BAPMAF archives can move back to upstairs properties. This alone will cost around 7000$.
- To replace lost equipment, computers, car, scanners, cameras, digital record player, stabilizers, chargers and 12 volt battery backup system, slide projector, etc.
- At some point I will write to various individuals and organizations that donated general books, videos and DVD’s and music materials to BAPMAF to send me, if possible, copies.
- To replace the broken wall and add an embankment to it - or possibly even build a wall and embankment closer to my house and the BAPMAF premises. Even though I will lose my garden this will keep the building premises intact - so that in the future and the government demolishes obstacles to the water course, stops the saw-miller dumping saw dust in rivers and get the Highways Authority to build a storm drain alongside the Achimota-Ofankor Highway --I could at least use the BAPMAF premises again.

If you have any suggestions as how I could proceed – including any agencies, individuals, organizations who could assist financially or by replacing lost books and music this would be most appreciated. Letters of sympathy would also be most welcome.

Yours sincerely
John Collins (Prof).
POSTAL ADDRESS: P.0 Box LG 385, Legon , Accra, GHANA
EMAIL: newbapmaf@yahoo.com

If money is sent to help rebuild please send it to my UK bank account at follows.
NATWEST, Tottenham Court Rd Branch
P.O.BOX 2EA 45 Tottenham Court Rd. London WIT 2EA
Reward Reserve Account of E .J. Collins
Account number 26592258
Sort Code 56-00-31
Swift code NWBK GB 2L
IBAN number GB16 NWBK 56003126 5922 58"