Nshore-Na walkathon: An encounter with lavendar hill
First of all, in this business called tourism, beaches, coastlines and water bodies are precious resources.
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Through no fault of theirs, some countries have the misfortune of being landlocked. Thus the sea experience becomes an exotic luxury. On the other hand, nature has blessed some other countries with a range of water bodies.
One such lucky country is Ghana. We have lakes, we have rivers and we have nearly 600 kilometres of marine coastline. To what extent are we harnessing the tourism benefits out of these natural endowments?
Elsewhere, there are nations, cities and villages that have nothing but the attraction of water. That is their unique selling proposition, and they are making bankable capital out of this vital resource.
Take Venice. This is a city in Italy that is completely built on water. For hundreds of years they have not only managed to make it attractive for tourists, they have also kept it clean.
Could we say same for Ghana? Your guess is as good as mine. Yes, we are well endowed with water resources, but the truth is that many of our water bodies have become sewers of pollution.
Plus, a large stretch of our shoreline has become a receptacle for garbage, faecal matter and other waste materials.
And I am not just talking about Accra. To put it mildly, the quality of surface water across the country is increasingly being compromised. The reasons include mining activities, urban and industrial pollution as well as agricultural development.
The galamsey menace, for instance, has not only discoloured our water bodies but poisoned them as well.
According to a recent GNA report, water quality in mining communities around Obuasi and Tarkwa alone have polluted 250 rivers with cyanide and heavy metals. If this makes you cringe, just consider the thought that thousands of Ghanaians drink this water daily.
The reality is that if they were human beings, the Pra, Offin, Densu, Birim and the other rivers would have drowned us all in their tears to be saved.
Still in-land, our own Nzulenzo in the Western Region is gradually becoming a messy watery rubbish dump. Who in Ghana is in charge of water bodies?
Back to the coast and to Accra city. The day I learnt that the Odaw is actually a river, I felt someone was joking with my emotions.
When I started verifying, it didn’t take long for me to accept the shameful truth. That guttered, long stretch of stuck-and-stinking mixture of rubbish and mud is a river. How could we do this as a people?
So, when one evening I got a phone call from Kofi Tsikata, a fellow communication specialist, to solicit my support on the issue of sanitation on our coast, I couldn’t say no. Indeed, I was more than interested.
Kofi works with the World Bank, and he has set out on the initiative to trek across Ghana’s coastline from Aflao to Half Assini and document what currently pertains.
Practically, he is taking one sustained snaphot of our beaches to capture the good, the bad and the ugly. A yeoman’s task, if you ask me.
He has dubbed the project the “NshoreNa Walkathon.”
Right on the phone, I couldn’t help but notice the pun in the designation. Nshorna’ in Ga means the coast or beach. And in this same word the English ‘shore’ is present.
The walkathon, according to Mr Tsikata, will be a combination of walking, driving and boat riding at sections that are inaccessible to vehicles. With a range of partners, NshoreNa Walkathon has become more than just a stroll on the beach.
Beyond throwing the spotlight on the dark side of beach-line sanitation, the initiative is also rallying community support for clean-ups.
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Environmental, social and cultural issues along Ghana’s coastline towns and villages are also being captured. Last but not least, NshoreNa also has a tourism awareness dimension.
It is the kind of adventure that made my mouth water. Quite regrettably, and owing to my tight schedules at this time of year, I could only offer to join Kofi Tsikata on part of the Accra leg of the walkathon.
As planned, by 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning I had already arrived at James Town to join the walkathon.
This old section of Accra remains one of my favourite parts of Ghana. I am always amazed at how the pre-colonial, the modern and the slum all operate within the same space.
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I felt in my spirit that another eventful day was waiting ahead of me. As I had always done when I hit here in the morning, I walked to my favourite base where I carefully laid a sumptuous foundation of Ga Mashie kenkey, hot pepper and fried fish. My cup of coffee taken at dawn now had solid support for the day’s work.
More soon
Kofi Akpabli is author of Tickling the Ghanaian- Encounters with Contemporary Culture and A Sense of Savannah-Tales of a Friendly Walk through Northern Gh