There is, of course, a flip side to Mole. A short distance from the park’s main gate is the village of Larabanga. The creation of the game reserve and later the national park meant that many people had to be relocated. Compensation may have been provided, but it may not have gone to those who deserved or needed it. While it is illegal to kill the animals in the park, this does not stop the animals causing a nuisance when they come to the village. There are four villagers currently in prison because of incidents involving the killing of animals. Sentences can be in excess of five years.
Some attempts have been made to tap into the tourist dollars and cedis being spent up the road in Mole. There are a couple of guest houses and the village has its own attraction – its mosque, which is probably the oldest building standing in Ghana. Without written records there is no real way of telling just how old it is particularly as its mud and straw structure needs regular maintenance. I visited it with local guide A.D. He showed me the exterior and the interior of a building with a similar structure, to give the impression of what I would see inside if I were Muslim. The mosque itself is in the West Sudanese style and was looking very striking after its most recent repair and repaint job against a back drop of blue skies. Its small size, compared to the larger mosques in Burkina Faso, gives it a more intimate feel and reminds me of the modest Saxon churches in north-east England. A.D. said that the doorways were purposely made small to force those entering into bowing as they did so.
I was making mental comparisons between the conditions in Larabanga and those in the Eastern Region cocoa communities. Without the rich soils and vegetation and the abundant if unpredictable rainfall there are few potential sources of income here. There was evidence of charcoal making and I was shown the mill used to process maize and cassava. I was also taken to see a couple of the women involved in turning nuts into shea butter. Public transport is almost non-existent here and even the tourist office has almost entirely collapsed. A.D. believed that education was the key to improving livelihoods. He is studying at the polytechnic in Tamale, about four hours away. There are plans to build an Islamic school. The only school is Christian and the population is entirely Muslim.
The Bradt guide to Ghana devotes a few paragraphs to the experiences of visitors to Larabanga. Several were frustrated by the hassle they got from people asking for money and insisting on acting as guides. This behaviour is frustrating but you understand why the locals try it. I was fortunate and was not pestered at all. Maybe things have changed and there is an understanding that this kind of conduct will discourage visitors. Alternatively, there was a big wedding in town and it was Friday, the Muslim holy day. These may have provided a lucky distraction for me.
Some attempts have been made to tap into the tourist dollars and cedis being spent up the road in Mole. There are a couple of guest houses and the village has its own attraction – its mosque, which is probably the oldest building standing in Ghana. Without written records there is no real way of telling just how old it is particularly as its mud and straw structure needs regular maintenance. I visited it with local guide A.D. He showed me the exterior and the interior of a building with a similar structure, to give the impression of what I would see inside if I were Muslim. The mosque itself is in the West Sudanese style and was looking very striking after its most recent repair and repaint job against a back drop of blue skies. Its small size, compared to the larger mosques in Burkina Faso, gives it a more intimate feel and reminds me of the modest Saxon churches in north-east England. A.D. said that the doorways were purposely made small to force those entering into bowing as they did so.
I was making mental comparisons between the conditions in Larabanga and those in the Eastern Region cocoa communities. Without the rich soils and vegetation and the abundant if unpredictable rainfall there are few potential sources of income here. There was evidence of charcoal making and I was shown the mill used to process maize and cassava. I was also taken to see a couple of the women involved in turning nuts into shea butter. Public transport is almost non-existent here and even the tourist office has almost entirely collapsed. A.D. believed that education was the key to improving livelihoods. He is studying at the polytechnic in Tamale, about four hours away. There are plans to build an Islamic school. The only school is Christian and the population is entirely Muslim.
The Bradt guide to Ghana devotes a few paragraphs to the experiences of visitors to Larabanga. Several were frustrated by the hassle they got from people asking for money and insisting on acting as guides. This behaviour is frustrating but you understand why the locals try it. I was fortunate and was not pestered at all. Maybe things have changed and there is an understanding that this kind of conduct will discourage visitors. Alternatively, there was a big wedding in town and it was Friday, the Muslim holy day. These may have provided a lucky distraction for me.
2 comments:
Nice to read about a positive experience at Larabanga. I checked out Bradt's online whining and promo service - there are a lo of recent complaints about the hassle so it certainly seems liek you were lucky. I was going to head there recently but Metro Mass buses were on strike and one of our party got sick. Did you travel by private or public transport. When I try go next time I will be leaving from Kumasi and have had mixed reports about whether it's possible to get a lift from the main turn off to Tamale?
Hi Damien
We took the usual Metro bus from Tamale. I bought tickets at about 8 am on the day we travelled and there were only 10 left at that point. Strangely the bus was not full when it left and even the conductor was puzzled by this.
On the way back we chose not to leave at 4 am on the Metrobus. We left at 11 and paid 30 GHC for a lift in the 4WD to Damongo. We figured that 10 GHC each was worth it to get breakfast and certainly to let us see the elephants bathing. At Damongo we were very lucky. A tro arrived at about noon with market women and was going south again straight away. It didn't fill - presumably it was chartered for the women and our fares were just a bonus to it. The bus from Wa or Bole may have arrived after we left but it may not. A taxi driver said it was not running every day but he would say that. There was no sign of people waiting for a bus.
Don't know whether I would risk waiting at Damongo junction for transport to Larabanga. We saw only one or two full tros heading the other way that day. A taxi wanted 50 GHC for the ride.
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