After I wrapped up in Liberia, I took the short flight over
to Ghana for a three-day visit. It was very interesting to see the relatively
high level of development in Accra (the capital city), as opposed to Monrovia,
and it was another reminder of how a war can really set a country back decades
in the development process. What was really striking to me were the suburban houses
and communities that surrounded the city and how that doesn’t exist at all in
Liberia. Of course there is still poverty in the city and in the rural towns,
but progress is being made.
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| Suburban homes leaving Accra |
While in Ghana, I took the two-and-a-half-hour taxi to
Elmina and Cape Coast. Here, I toured the famous castles which once housed
slaves before they were sent to the Americas. The castles were stunning, but
the thought of the buildings as houses of horror was a sobering reminder of the
evils of slavery.
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| Elmina Castle |
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| Elmina fishing port |
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| Door of no return at Cape Coast Castle |
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| Cape Coast Castle |
On my trip outside of Accra, I also visited the Kakum
National Park which includes a 1,150-foot canopy tree walk with stunning views
of the tropical rainforest.
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| Kakum National Park |
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| Kakum Forest |
On my last day in Accra I checked out the Kwame Nkrumah
monument – a tribute to Ghana’s first post-colonial president and explored more
of the growing city.
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| Kwame Nkrumah Monument |
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