Walkers, sitters, and riders (out and about in Accra)

These are some of my favourite photographs of life on the streets and beaches of Accra.

Some of these were taken as part of the 52 Frames weekly photo challenge. 52 Frames is a global photography community and project that offers a guided weekly photography challenge designed to help community members improve their skills. It has been instrumental in shaping my journey as a photographer. You are welcome join - it’s free!

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Accra-Tema Motorway near the Airport Residential Area. During the Harmattan season, the haze creates an apocalyptic atmosphere.

Labadi/Osu beach.

Spintex Road.

“Beach Road” connects Accra to Tema, snaking along a series of beaches. It is scenic and slow and some spots are prone to bad traffic jams, but it’s well worth the drive on a weekend.

Adjiringanor.

A man and his phone at the entrance of a home in Adjiringanor. I used a tripod to keep the camera still so that I could capture the dramatic fall-off of the street light.

Shooting the breeze in Adjiringanor.

Three friends hanging out on a rock on the beach in Osu on a hazy Sunday afternoon. During Harmattan the combination of haze and seaspray is quite dramatic.

Liberation Road near the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange. The man on the right used to sit along this street all day. He seemed to be struggling with his mental health. Everyone (myself included) passed him by on their way to something or somewhere else. I titled this photo “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams” after the song by Greenday.

Every town in Africa has a place where the tarred road ends and a more rural reality begins. This dirt road links Nmai Djorn with Ashaiman, through Ashale Botwe.

This is part of a series titled “the horsemen of Sakumono Beach”, but which I didn’t complete . Many young men in Sakumono and other beaches around Accra earn a living by giving horse rides to beach-goers.

Sakumono beach on a Sunday afternoon, with the Port of Tema in the background. A fierce storm was brewing in the background but the beach-goers were unfazed.

The skies got darker but no one left the beach until the skies burst open.

Accra-Tema Motorway.

On some Sunday afternoons, some children and teens gather to learn and show off bicycle stunts.

URBAN JUXTAPOSITIONS, Part 2: CATTLE IN THE CITY

One day in 2021 I looked out the living room window of my apartment and saw a herd of cattle grazing in a nearby field. At first I thought the cattle belonged to nomadic herders passing through, which would not be an unusual thing in my home city of Nairobi. My curiosity grew when I saw the herd several times in the following weeks. Over time I got to know the owners and some of the workers, who graciously allowed me to photograph them and their livestock.

The cattle owners buy the bulls when the animals are relatively young and fatten them with the aim of selling them during the Eid El Adha celebrations.

The owners are squatters on public land, and therefore they have limited space. The cattle are penned in cramped spaces or tethered.

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The cattle’s diet comprises vegetable scraps, leftovers of fruit processing, and commercial feed.

Once in a while the cattle are let out of their pens to graze.

On this particular day, this herd had been let out to drink water from a rain pond.

In the background is a makeshift shelter for workers.

The authorities demolished the makeshift accommodation due to some problems with the squatters. Some people decided to hang on until they could sell their cattle and move on.

Some of the owners are young people starting out in business or doing this as a side hustle.

URBAN JUXTAPOSITIONS, Part 1: WALKING THE (RAILWAY) LINE

This post is part of an ongoing collection of photos exploring the joys, contradictions, incongruity, and ridiculousness of urban living. I am particularly drawn to the ways in which privilege coexists with poverty and deprivation. As a photographer and poet, I hope to offer an authentic perspective on how people adapt to the complexities of urbanity.

Google defines juxtaposition ( https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=google+dictionary#dobs=juxtaposition ) as:

‘the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect’.

In this post, I share glimpses of life on two sides of the Accra-Tema railway line as seen from the Airport Residential Area of Accra.

Two men walking on the railway line at dusk. The track is a thoroughfare for many people.

Another walker on the railway line. In the background is Villaggio, an iconic high-end residential address.

Children walking home after a football game in a dirt field nearby. Notice the informal settlements on the left.

Even when the train was operational (pre-COVID-19) it ran only twice daily - once in the morning and once in the evening. For the rest of the day, the track is a free-for-all.

In April 2020, a fire broke out in this crumbling and abandoned development along the railway line. The fire was said to have been started by squatters.

The smoke as seen from the grounds of the Accra Polo Club. The railway track (concealed by the bushes behind the stables) runs between the club and the abandoned property. The fire was not as close as it seems in the photo.

The buildings were pulled down in April 2021, one year after the fire. They had become too unsafe for the squatters who lived there.

Young men scavenging for metal in the building during demolition.

A view of the Accra Polo Club at twilight, with Villaggio in the background.

THE WATERFALLS OF EASTERN REGION REVISITED

Akaa Waterfall

Some places speak to you in a mother tongue of sorts. It is understood that you will be back.

These collapsed boulders have somewhat held together through the ages.

You bring more of yourself, and give more of yourself when you return.

A dragonfly at Akaa Waterfall.

You want to know more, and perhaps be known a little.

Children playing upstream of the Akaa Waterfall. The river that feeds the fall is rather small, but powerful enough to cut a channel with decent pools.

Asenema

During my second visit, I was able to capture a little more of the height of the Waterfall.

My favourite things were waiting for me.

Iridescent Blue Forester buttefly.

Apparently, this is called an assassin bug.

Capturing this Little Copper butterfly was the highlight of the trip. It might even be the highlight of my macro photography journey.

The waterfalls of Eastern Province

Around October 2020 I started exploring small waterfalls in the Eastern Region of Ghana. I visited Asenema and Akaa Waterfalls. I visited at the beginning of the dry season, when the water flow was starting to reduce. I plan to visit again (and explore more waterfalls) during the rainy season (which will hopefully start soon!)

Asenema Waterfall is a butterfly lovers paradise. I saw more butterfly species than I have ever seen in one place. They were quite jittery, and I only managed to photograph this iridescent blue forester.

Akaa Waterfall is accessed through a narrow pathway underneath massive boulders. We felt quite small.

Nicodemus and the jewel (rainbow) bug

Here is the latest collaboration between my friend and fellow poet Esther Wafula.

But first, a little background to this beautiful bug. I went for a photo walk one late afternoon and could not seem to find anything interesting. I had given up and was walking back home when I stopped by what has become my favourite ‘bug’ bush. From the corner of my eye I spotted the rainbow bug. The light was fading, so I had to be fast. I managed some decent shots before he flew away.

This was my first sighting of a rainbow bug. I haven’t seen one since.

This bush has been reliable source of subjects for several months. Many species of bugs have defoliated it, but it still seems to be providing some nourishment to a few.

Nicodemus and the jewel bug

Nicodemus is in a bind:
A position on the ruling council,
And a Rabbi he cannot ignore.

Safeguarding the old makes him haggle
When the moment demands he sell his all
To buy the pearl of great price.

Nicodemus walks in twilight
Cloaked behind
Collective pronouns.

The Rabbi does not mince his words:
Rebirth is the kingdom’s price of entry.
Are you willing to pay?

Nicodemus
Raises his eyebrows:
Why such an impossible cost?

If the ant
Has wisdom for the slacker
The jewel bug might suit Nicodemus:

You must shed your pale colors
Old and tight like a giordian knot
Before you can show your rainbow coat.



II
Empathy for Nicodemus

At the height of spring splendor
I remembered Nicodemus
And sneered at his lack of candor
Betwixt the old and the numinous.

For in the day
He was pious and sure
But drew near in the cover of darkness
Anonymous and curious like a moth.

It is now mid-October
The month of my birth.
The Jacarandá is shedding her purple
And my path is strewn with questions.

Now I know
My house is made of glass.
I find my hand, once eager to cast a stone,
Unclenching in empathy.


Poem by E.M. Wafula, October 2020.

Asesewa

This was my second field visit in Ghana. This is a village about 40 km outside Asesewa in Upper Manya Krobo district. We drove through lush green forests, bush, small towns, and farmland to get to the village. It truly felt like driving through a kind of paradise. Somethimes i think the garden of Eden was in Ghana.

For me, the star of the day was this old man, who exuded so much joy while he was drumming.