Accra

One of the reasons I like Koforidua is that it isn’t Accra, but it is convenient distance – an easy day trip – from Accra. Accra is a something of a necessary evil. If I need to visit the VSO office, want any shopping which Koforidua cannot offer or, more extremely, want to leave the country, I have to go to Accra.

Accra has been the capital of the Gold Coast and later Ghana since the colonial administration decided to move there from Cape Coast in 1877. Also the largest city in the country, it lacks the tradition and ceremony of Kumasi and the history of Cape Coast. It has no real centre, but is rather a collection of smaller communities submerged into one big traffic congested sprawl.

Much of the early development was along the coast around the three remaining European forts – to the east Osu Castle, formerly Christiansborg Castle and for the time being the seat of government and to the west neighbouring Forts Ussher and James, most recently prisons and both now open to tourists. The British expanded the city from the forts. With the departure of the colonialists, Nkrumah created Independence Square between Osu and James Town. The square is a vast empty space bookended by two arches one classical in design to the north, the other more reminiscent of MacDonald’s ‘golden arches’. More recent development has come around the city’s ring roads – the Nkrumah Circle transport hub, embassies, hotels, NGO headquarters and the Osu shopping district off the inner Ring Road and the airport and Accra Mall on the outer one. Between these stands the brand new Jubilee House a replacement for the Osu Castle government offices, empty and awaiting the President’s decision to spend the $12 million needed to complete it. The coast in the centre of Accra has been ignored, other than as in an informal rubbish dump. Only to the east of the city is it nearly pleasant enough for a handful of large hotels to have opened. Their pool areas remain considerably more attractive options than the adjacent beaches.

Despite my dislike for the place, exploration of some of the older quarters has provided some rewards. Architecturally there is little of any consequence. What remains of the pre-independence era is not that striking and uniformly in a state of neglect. The newer stuff is on the whole ugly with only Jubilee House making any kind of visual impact, but the streets around Ussher and James Forts are of great historic value. Accra’s first school, hotel and some of its oldest churches are here. The fishing harbour was the most important in Ghana until the development of Tema and Takoradi and many of the streets are named after the mixed heritage British families who resided in the area. Nkrumah made many of his early speeches at the Palladium, a former music hall and his political party, the Convention People’s Party was launched there in 1949.

When I was in Kumasi recently I picked up a booklet which provided a guide to this area. I had been to James Town once before, about 18 months ago. It had been a grey, damp day. The road was being completely rebuilt and there was dust and earth everywhere. The James Fort prison was still in use and the whole scene was very depressing. During the week, I visited the area again. It was a completely different place. It was sunny; the sea was aquamarine, the road complete, the prison shut and generally the tone was much more upbeat. The map in the guide was good and I found many of the landmarks mentioned. I visited the Ussher Fort Museum, although disappointingly the ruins are not safe to explore. I was able to catch a glimpse of one the rings in the local boxing clubs. I could see just enough to know it was being used as a washing line, rather than for a quick spar. I climbed to the top of the 30m high lighthouse for commanding views across the city and up and down the coast. Just as much fun though, was sitting on shaded benches with locals showing them the pictures of their neighbourhood in the booklet.