It was after dark by the time we returned to Kete Krachi but our spirits were not dampened.The film crew arrived the next night and we all agreed to rise early the next day to do some scouting. Typically, everyone was late and we departed later than planned.
Early on, however, we spotted a boat that looked suspicious. As Albert talked with the master he became certain that we were dealing with a trafficked child. The young fellow was very quiet and diligent.
He was reluctant to talk with us but finally was persuaded to visit with Albert and Kofi. We learned he was working from a village that was on an Island named “Lala” (no wise cracks about my affinity with “Lala Land”!). At approximately 1:00 we landed at Lala (tht’s tye typical time masters bring their catch ashore, mend nets, get food and a little rest before returning to the lake) and sure enough, there was Christian (the master) and Kweitey (the child).After some very intense negotiations and a lot of pressure from the local “Opinion Leader” (sort of a village elder) Christian reluctantly agreed to release Kewitey on Monday. Alex (bless her!) was very assertive and after much pressure, Kweitey went home with us that afternoon.
Kweitey was initially very shy and somewhat fearful that things might be going from bad to worse.
However, by midday he was better and by the following day he was involved in soccer games with the others and showing a great deal of promise in an impromptu class taught by Alex.
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