The Location

The West African country of Ghana is divided into ten regions. Upper West Region is tucked into the north west corner of the country, far from the main centres of population and decision-making near the coast. The regional capital is called Wa, with the main towns being Lawra and Jiripa.

The area north of Wa is very much off the beaten track, experiencing few outside visitors. A travel writer has described it as having “a timeless frontier atmosphere and deep sense of removal from the rest of modern Ghana.”

The climate is characterised by two main seasons. The rains last from June to October, with often violent storms. This is a period of intense farming. For travellers the mud track roads often become almost impassable during this period.

The dry season runs from November to May. During this time the Harmattan wind whips across the landscape, blowing in Saharan dust which coats everything in cloudy haze.

The most helpful way to think of the region is in terms of the local tribe – the Dagaaba – rather than the modern state of Ghana. When the boundaries of modern Ghana were formalised by European colonial powers at the Berlin Conference (1884-85), the Dagaaba tribe found itself straddling British and French area of interests.

Today the tribe exists on the fringes of three countries: Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. The tribal language is Dagaari, of which there are many dialects.

Bagri village is about 60 miles north of Wa, west of the main road between Lawra (which is the nearest town) and Hamile. It sits on the Black Volta river, which here marks the boundary between Burkina Faso and Ghana.

All of the villagers are either subsistence farmers or fisherman.