February 24, 2020
In Ghana, a road winds south from Kumasi to the rim that surrounds a crater and sacred Lake Bosumtwi. Thirty villages nestle around the lake.
In the distant past, the lake level was much lower than it is now, with very large trees growing down the hillsides. Water levels have risen, flooding these trees, and leaving what remains of them standing in the water.
Fishing methods are restricted. Most commonly a net is thrown while sitting on a padua (a wooden plank).
February 4, 2017
A post from 2015 presented the abandoned boxes from two Mammy lorry sitting outside the marketplace in Half Assini in the Western Region of Ghana. Those old Bedford lorries were commonplace in the 70’s. This is another one that I spotted in Half Assini at that time.
12″ X16″ Acrylic on canvas
January 21, 2016
As noted in the last post, Ghana is a wonderful destination for surfers. The beach at Busua has long been a destination for backpackers, surfers and holiday makers. Abokwae Island, with its two cocoanut trees, appears in countless photos taken from that beach.
January 11, 2016
Even though it is fifty years since the epic surfing movie, “The Endless Summer” documented the beaches of Ghana as one of the top surfing destinations in the world, most of those beaches see very few surfers. One of the country’s best and quietest beaches is found at Cape Three Points. This is the closest land location on the globe to zero longitude/zero latitude, making it arguably the centre of the world. There are several excellent breaks, one of them being just off the beach beside the eco-lodge, Escape3points, operated by an avid surfer who just happens to be my son.
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
April 7, 2015
My first experience in Ghana was a two year contract from 1971 to 1973, teaching in the secondary school in the remote village of Half Assini, in the Western Region of the country. Before that time, the most common means of transport in and out of the village were called mammy lorries. They were built on Bedford truck frames with frames and drive trains imported from Britain and assembled in Ghana. Local craftsmen then built covered boxes for the trucks that were designed to flexibly carry human cargo or produce or a combination of each. The boxes were painted in various colours and given unique names, often based on traditional sayings and proverbs or sometimes from religious sources. By the time I arrived in the country, the Bedford trucks were no longer being imported and they were slowly being replaced by more modern vehicles. These two wagon boxes were sitting alongside the market wall in Half Assini, hoping to once more be put back into service.
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
CDN$145
March 30, 2015
Dug-out canoes have been used for centuries and have enabled fishermen to provide sustenance for their families along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. In recent years, fleets of trawlers from Europe and Asia have been operating in the Gulf, most often without permits, and have decimated the fishery. This in turn has caused hardship for fishing communities that have relied on the ocean to provide for them. This canoe was returning to its home base in Busua, Ghana.
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
March 16, 2015
The fishing village of Busua is nestled between two lagoons on the coast of Ghana. Those villagers who do not go to sea to fish tend their farms in the rolling hills that extend back from the ocean. The village is home to the Ahantehene, Nana Baidoo Bonso, the Paramount Chief of the Ahanta people. Nana was a student in the Half Assini Secondary School when I taught there in the early 1970’s. This view is from the rooftop of the African Rainbow Resort in the village.
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
VillageRainbows
Village Rainbows 