The origins of old Accra I was told is the area known as
Jamestown which sits right by the Ocean in a little Fishing Village, not far
from the bustling shopping area of Osu, so I took myself down there on a sunny
Saturday morning in late February last, in fact it was much more than sunny,
it was seriously hot and humid.
We took a walk down to the shore where there were traditional
fishing boats cut from trunks of trees,
and carved with motifs, the
waterfront doubling up as an open workshop for building boats.Jamestown is a shanty town of approximately 5000 people fitting in a small triangle of land surrounded by the sea of two sides and the old Fort on the other side, its actually hard to believe that so many people live in such a small space.
As we walked through the narrow lanes, it was clear how
simple these people lived, the community is essentially supported by the sea,
the men, Godfrey explained to me go out to sea as far as Ivory Coast to the west and
Togo and Benin to the east to fish in these simple craft, so can be absent fathers for long periods, and sadly some do get lost to the Atlantic on these trips,
thus the schools for children who have lost one or both parents.
Jamestown is alive and active on this Saturday morning,
Fishermen are fixing nets, boys are swimming in the sea and screaming with
delight, fish are laid out to dry and being smoked over barrels and everywhere
there is chatter, music and football being played. It’s a real community here,
and though there is poverty, it’s also a way of life , as they’ve existed
here while Accra has grown to become one of the fastest growing cities in West
Africa around them. It’s a fascinating place.
We finished the tour with a visit to the school that Godfrey teaches
in and also a quick visit to the Fort where slaves were once held and sold to the new world and where Ghana’s founding president Kwame Nkrumah
was once held, and we finish with a climb up the lighthouse accompanied by another
local named “Nice One”, yes that’s really his name…..
Jamestown Lighthouse, Accra, Ghana |
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