On Monday, I spent a day at the Theodora office while Wife had a badly needed day doing nothing but catching up on all her various projects. Tuesday was our last day of touring in Accra. We went to one of the oldest sections of Accra Jamestown. It was developed at the end of the 19th century by the British colonizers. Now it is one of the poorest sections of the city. It makes for a stressful visit.
I will go into this a lot more when I do my after-trip, navel-gazing post. Let's just say for now, there is a deep seated unhappiness and frustration that permeates society here. It shows in many ways. But stepping into an area like the village we visited Saturday or Jamestown as we did on Tuesday, you are clearly the outsider. You are not welcome. You are a symbol of things that people have no control over that leaves others with way more than you can imagine having. And those feelings and attitudes are blatantly apparent.
Because of the work we've done here in Ghana and the amount of time I've spent here, I completely understand. I am absolutely sure if our places were switched, I would behave the same way. That doesn't mean I want to subject myself to that environment. As we move on to another part of the country on Wednesday, I will have to see what we can do to ameliorate this.
Despite all the negatives, we did do photography, and I did get some decent shots!
The general area, the lighthouse, and some of the original British Colonial buildings
First public water fountain circa 1910
Jamestown is not only the site of the 19th/20th century British community, it is also the location of the chiefs of the Ga tribe which owns (or owned...that wasn't really clear) much of the land Accra is situated on.
Our less than joyful guide to Jamestown
Local Taxi
Micro Shops
You see this everywhere, even in the best parts of town, little shops where you can buy small quantities of just about anything you need. This fits an economy where money is super tight, and you don't have the space to buy and store things.
On to the waterfront
Smoking fish
Selling smoked fish
Classroom
Like many neighborhoods like this around the world, boxing is an outlet
Street scenes
W.E.B Du Bois Museum
W.E.B Du Bois was a prominent African-American scholar and civil rights activist during the a 50 year period from the 1890's to the 1950's. You can read more about his interesting life here. He ended his life as a guest of Kwame Nkrumah after Ghana's independence.
Our driver contemplating the legacy of Du Bois
(or maybe checking social media)
1 comment:
I had forgotten that Du Bois had such a strong connection to Ghana.
Your comments on the perspectives you see there are thought-provoking and I look forward to your navel-gazing post.
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