Cape Coast: a Photo Essay

As I type this blog post from my bed in Accra, I’m reminiscing on my time spent in Cape Coast, Ghana. For the past three weeks, our cohort has been on a trip across Ghana, visiting the various regions and learning about development within the country. For the last week of our trip, we stayed in Cape Coast, a beach town (which you probably could’ve guessed by the name). Cape Coast’s biggest industry is fishing, but they are more widely known for their Slave Castles, buildings where enslaved Africans were held until they were shipped to the Americas. Despite this painful past, the city is warm, lively, and fun, so I would like to share some pictures of my time there.

 

• In Ghana, women carry their babies on their backs using a piece of cloth. These women can be seen doing things such as walking to work, cooking, or even riding a motorcycle, all with a a baby on their back. While in Cape Coast, we were living with our program staff and their families. The baby on my back in this photo is our chef’s son, Kojo. This was my first time carrying a baby on my back Ghanaian style.

• And the beach! Of course, living in a beach town, I got so many pictures of the ocean. We were in Cape Coast for eight days, and I went to the beach at least once a day, sometimes more. Most beaches in Ghana are privately owned and you have to pay money to swim there. But, at night, me and my friend would sneak onto beaches and just watch the waves, which were some of my favorite memories. 

• The house that we were staying in belonged to the mother of our academic director, who is a Ghanaian diplomat. The house was huge, but my favorite part of it was this display case of African memorabilia. 

I have so many more pictures from my time in Cape Coast, but these were just some highlights. What a week!