About this Site

This site is about 3 things: celebrating camels, learning how to draw them, and showcasing a side of West Africa that most people are unfamiliar with.

From the home page. Read it again and let it sink in this time: Camels are seductive and elegant animals. They can walk on sand better than you. And they can drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. You can never be a camel, but you can learn how to draw them. This will fill the huge void that currently lies at the center of your life. I know it’s there and I can help you get rid of it.

I originally traveled to West Africa (specifically, Ghana) because I liked highlife music. Once I got there, I found other things — food, languages, jokes, mapouka (the dance and the alcohol), orange-headed lizards — that I also liked. In 2010, I quit my job to return to Ghana and to visit other countries in West Africa. I now find myself based here for most of the year, making money with web work, freelance writing and a burgeoning restaurant/catering business I am running with two Ivorian friends in Abidjan.

Every now and then, I return home to the states. Every time, I get asked the same stupid questions. They usually involve poverty, civil war and HIV/AIDS. I am tired of these questions. Camel drawing is important (the most important), but I also want to do my part to show people why they should be asking different questions about this part of the world.

This site is not a money maker. You can choose to download the ebook for free, or you can donate some $$$. 100% of all profits from this site go to these projects.

Still lost? Visit the contact page and ask me something. Got a cool project in West Africa and need some exposure? Tell me about that too.

More About Me

If you didn’t pick up on this already, I am a West Africa-obsessed camel drawing consultant. Formerly a middle school teacher in Washington, DC, I see myself returning to the classroom at some point in the future. For now, I am enjoying the semi-nomadic lifestyle. I make music and drawings, like this one, and sometimes I act silly. Case in point. If you want to read more of my thoughts and travel writing, you can check out my personal site at philintheblank.net. Get in touch on the contact page or reach me on twitter at @philinthe_. I would love to hear from you!