For some attending the second annual ÒA Taste of GhanaÓ fundraiser event in October, it will be a relatively new experience that offers a sampling of Ghanaian food and culture. But for Tometi Gbedema, the eventÕs prime organizer, the cultural exchange is the latest step in a long journey to rebuilding the starting point of his education.

Gbedema, a 42-year-old graduate student in geography at UC Davis, serves as director and president of The Otwetiri Project, a nonprofit organization in Davis. His organization is hosting the fundraiser to help reconstruct a primary school building that was destroyed in a windstorm in February 2006.

Located in the rural Ghanaian village of Otwetiri Ñ pronounced Òoh-ch-treeÓ Ñ the dilapidated structure and adjacent school buildings sit in the middle of a cluster of smaller villages with a population estimated to be more than 2,200 people. The school complex serves more than 650 students.

Gbedema feels especially attached to the village because itÕs where he attended primary school and where his mother still lives. ÒThatÕs the beginning of my education,Ó Gbedema said. ÒItÕs true IÕve been at Davis, T.A.-ing and teaching classes in the summer. But If I didnÕt go to that school, I wouldnÕt have been able to do any of that.Ó

Since the destruction of the old school, The Otwetiri Project has met half of its $35,000 fundraising goal for building a school house that will hold three classrooms, a library and computer room, a head teacherÕs office and storage area for school and sports equipment. With a ground breaking ceremony that took place in June, Gbedema hopes that this event will put the project closer to completion.

For the uninitiated, ÒA Taste of GhanaÓ is described by its organizers as a Òcelebration of Ghanaian food, music and dance.Ó Indeed, in addition to Californian appetizers and drinks, attendees will have the chance to dig in to delicacies such as moi moi, a steamed bean cake seasoned with African spices, kelewele, plantains with vegetables, and chin chin, an African dessert cookie made from short bread.

A Ghanaian deejay will play West African music, ranging from the modern Ghanaian highlife hith (now called hiplife) Zouglou dance tunes of Magic System from the Ivory Coast to the traditional yet eclectic sounds of King Sunny AdeÕs Yoruba Nigerian Juju.

And the event will hold a silent auction where bidders can bid on African and local art work, home-delivered African meals, just to name a few.

ÒLots of fun, great food, music and dancing,Ó said Dorie Mellon, vice president of The Otwetiri Project. ÒWe will also have plenty of information about our project with pictures of Otwetiri, the students we are trying to help, and the construction of their school.Ó

The fundraiser will follow a garage sale on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the home of Jan Poole at 305 Cabrillo Ave. selling clothing, furniture, appliances, toys and books from more than 20 families, according to Mellon. Tickets to the ÒA Taste of GhanaÓ also will be available, at $40.

And while this may be a repeat show for those who attended last yearÕs event, success here might facilitate plans for further development in Otwetiri. Gbedema has plans for a possible health center in the village for primary care, a critical absence where the closest major city, the Ghanaian capital Accra, is about a one-hour car ride away.

It also is GbedemaÕs desire to create a meaningful relationship between the Otewiri and Davis. The Otwetiri Project already has established an annual soccer tournament, called the Davis California Challenge Cup, between the school in Otwetiri and neighboring village schools.

As an avid soccer fan and an assistant coach for Davis High School junior varsity girls team, Gbedema hopes that one day he can bring members of the Davis Youth Soccer League to Otwetiri, to see the school and perhaps to play soccer with kids from the village. But until the schoolÕs construction is finished, these plans might have to wait.

ÒI have all these plans but I donÕt have the financial capacity,Ó said Gbedema, who must also weigh his responsibilities as a student with his desire to do more for the village. ÒThere are obstacles that are making it difficult to get things done. But I still have hope.Ó