369 : Good By Dan

Daniel made this map as a boy, copying it from a Shell road map of Ghana and coloring it in with crayon. He labeled the country’s regions and towns as best he could, working from the reference. At the time, Daniel was helping out Mark, a fisheries advisor from the UK who had recently arrived in the rural village of Avalavi through VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), a UK charity that places skilled volunteers in developing countries. The two spent a fair amount of time together as Mark attempted to cook unfamiliar food, tried to learn basket weaving from the palm trees outside the house, and generally providing Daniel with a reliable source of amusement.

One day Daniel gave Mark the map as a gift. Mark didn’t immediately notice the inscription along the left edge, or as he put it, appreciate its gravity. The text, visible in the second photograph, reads: “MR — M–K IF — GO — GOOD BY Dan” — which is to say, “Mr. Mark, if [I should] go, goodbye. Dan.” The next day, Daniel had returned to his family near Koforidua. Mark never saw him again.

[higher resolution image unavailable 04.2026]