Depa(18)

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Or, a yummy way to help the West African cocoa farmer is to purchase chocolate from my company, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates. Or, visit Splash Cafe, my sister's restaurant. Splash Cafe and its sister business, Splash Cafe Artisan Bakery donate at least $2500 every summer to Project Hope and Fairness and makes my trips possible.

The people who live in West African cocoa-growing villages are warm, welcoming, and full of joie de vivre. These are a few pictures of faces I have collected over the years in the village of Depa, located about 5 km away from Issia, right on the road to Gagnoa.



1) Depa02_med.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











2) Depa03.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











3) Depa07.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











4) Depa08_med.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











5) Depa11_med.jpg
Boys have caught the rooster for our lunch. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.










6) Depa12.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











7) Depa01.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.








8) Depa03.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006.











9) Depa16.jpg
Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006











10) Depa, Depa19.jpg
Cote d'Ivoire, 2006











11) DepaMask06.jpg
Some villages put on a mask dance for visitors. Depa, being the chef-lieu of 140 villages, has a committee of men a sort of secret society, that preserves the Mask Dance, which has been passed down the centuries. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2006




12) IMG_1888.jpg
Proud owner of a mask. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2007.








13) IMG_1976_MarkNGirl.jpg
Mark Phillips and a friend. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire. 2007.











14) P8200368_OldMan_Stan.jpg
Father of the Chief. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire. 2007











15) P8200384_ChiefsWife_Stan_med.jpg
Wife of the Chief. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire. 2007.











16) P8200399_MarkOnStilts_Stan.jpg
Mark Phillips, a terrific dancer, shows his prowess with leg extensions. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2007.










17) P8200396.jpg
Chief of Depa talking to Tom. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2007. Photo by Stan Thompson.







18) P8200416.jpg
The Mask Approaches. Depa, Cote d'Ivoire, 2007. Photo by Stan Thompson.





Movie of the Mask Dance. Depa, 2006.