On a recent visit to Ghana, I participated in the 10km race of the The Accra Intercity Homowo Marathon. We started in the financial hub of the city, ran past several top-notch hotels, Government departments, hospitals, and banks, before making our way to the oldest district in Accra – Jamestown. Once I was done, I decided to walk back to the city centre which gave me a great opportunity to closely study the buildings and features I had passed during the race.
The race finished at Jamestown Lighthouse, which was originally built at James Fort in 1871, but replaced in the 1930s by this tower, which stands at 28m tall. Starting here, I retraced my steps, passing several old buildings including churches, restaurants, some corrugated iron and wooden shacks, trading stalls and colonial structures such as Ussher Fort. Ussher Fort was built by the Dutch in 1649 and was one of three forts that Europeans built in the region during the 17th century. The fort was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 because of its significance in the history of European colonial trade and exploitation in Africa.
Jamestown was most certainly less affluent than other areas I had explored in the city, but it was vibrant, colourful, interesting and above all, very welcoming.
I continued to walk until I got to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum. It being a public holiday there were several people inside, so I chose not to go in on this particular walk but returned the following day with a colleague. The memorial park is dedicated to Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It is a big park with well-manicured gardens, water fountains, various statues as well as different museum ‘rooms’ which showcase rare artefacts and provide more information on Nkrumah’s life, his fight for Ghana’s liberation from colonial rule as well as his support for sub-Saharan nations with a similar plight, his presidency, subsequent exile and death, through both text and audio. Designed by Don Arthur, the mausoleum is made of Italian marble with a black star at its apex and is the final resting place of Kwame Nkrumah.
From here, I continued to walk until I reached the Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, which is a public square that often hosts the annual independence celebrations as well as other national events.
At this point, I contemplated finding a taxi to take me back to my hotel, but I decided to continue walking and ended up in the busy and colourful township of Osu.
I then spotted Castle Road and figured this is where I would find the infamous Osu Castle. Indeed, it was. For 50 Cedis, the note which actually depicts the Castle, I secured a guided tour.
Horrified. Angry. Shocked. These are just some of the emotions I felt during and after the tour. The guide was extremely animated, and once we were done, I asked him whether he gets upset each time he gives the tour. He responded with a sombre yes. Osu Castle, once known as Christiansborg Castle after a Danish King, is a 17th-century castle. The Castle has a complex and tragic history, changing hands several times (sometimes back and forth) between Denmark, Portugal, the Akwamu, Great Britain and finally Ghana. From what I understood, the Castle was used for gold and ivory trade, but increasingly dealt with slaves who were kidnapped and held for six months at a time in over-crowded, poorly ventilated, dark dungeons with no access to toilets. Those who survived this heinous captivity were eventually taken through the “passage of no return” and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean. The slave trade had ended by the time the British took over and was then used as the Headquarters of the Gold Coast. Post-independence, the Castle was used as the Presidential residence and office for many decades.
The walk from Jamestown to the Castle (including the stroll through Osu) was close to 7km. I was emotionally exhausted after the Castle tour, so I took an Uber back to the hotel. But I was so grateful that on this trip, I had managed to fit in so much more sightseeing than I usually do!
If you’re visiting Accra, here are some links to all my runs and walks in the city. Hopefully, these give you some ideas of what to check out!
- Run in the Airport Area
- Walk from Black Star Square to Airport Area
- The Accra Inter-city Homowo Marathon (10km)
- Running in the University of Ghana (Legon Campus)
Does your town have many murals? Have you visited Accra before? Do you like sightseeing in a new town? Have you visited a slave castle before?
I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida on their link up, Tuesday Topics. Be sure to check out their blogs.