Photo Essay: Tour Through Accra

We spent a good part of our first Sunday in Ghana on a tour of Accra with Dr. Michael Williams, one of the program’s managers. Having spent seventeen years in Ghana, Doc knew exactly where to take us in order to experience the true sights and smells of the city.

Photos by: Ariane Kunze, James Earl, Megan Russell, Michael Ciaglo and Sung Park.
Captions by: Patrick Malee

A boy plays outside his home on the streets of Accra. Since we've arrived, we have seen countless children entertaining themselves on the roadsides. (Ariane Kunze)
In the early going of our city tour on Sunday morning, we caught a glimpse of this man making his way into church. The sounds of the Masses could be heard before they came into sight. (Michael Ciaglo)
Clearly, the rules of the road are a bit different in Ghana. As in, they're almost nonexistent. Besides people filming movies from their cars, cut-offs are frequent, and our bus was nearly sideswiped at least twice. (Michael Ciaglo)
The Black Star Square, where Bill Clinton spoke when he visited Ghana in 1998. The speech was a wild success, with Clinton even opening up with a greeting in the local Twi dialect. Some estimated that over 500,000 turned out for the speech. (Megan Russell)
Just one of the many waste ditches found in Accra. These essentially function as the city's open air sewage system, as well as a breeding ground for Malaria and Cholera. (Ariane Kunze)
Trotros, which serve as Accra's public buses, line up and wait for customers from a local market. We will be taking the TroTros to work, and it's safe to say that we are not looking forward to it. (Ariane Kunze)
Locals dry their clothes on a lawn outside the Abosey-Okai market in Accra. (Ariane Kunze)
At the same Abosey-Okai market, locals pass by an onion stand. The motorcycle seen in the foreground is quite common on the roads of Accra. (Megan Russell)
During one of the more interesting moments of our tour, Dr. Michael Williams (our guide) said of Ghana's economy: "We import what we consume, and we export what we produce." Bicycles are a prime example of this phenomenon; the raw materials exist in Ghana, but they are often exported before they can be used. (Michael Ciaglo)
On the beach that anchors Accra's Artists Alliance Gallery, a man sleeps underneath a boat. (Michael Ciaglo)
An array of masks lined the walls of the Artists Alliance Gallery, which spanned three large floors. (Michael Ciaglo)
Outside of the Artists Alliance Gallery, a lizards rests atop one of the discarded statues. (Michael Ciaglo)
Try to guess what this is. A statue? Nope. RC Car? Try again. It is, in fact, a coffin. Ghanaians have popularized these unusual items over the years, and this eagle is just one example of what you can find throughout Accra. (Michael Ciaglo)
We discovered a large African millipede coiled in a gutter on the University of Ghana's campus. Ariane, who is clearly braver than most of us, reached down and touched it. (Michael Ciaglo)
Ariane and Elise, catching flight in front of a tower at the University of Ghana. (Sung Park)
Univesity of Oregon English professor James Earl attempts to juggle three different cameras at once. Clearly, we're taking a lot of photos. (Michael Ciaglo)
A view from "The Hill" at the very top of the University of Ghana's campus. Probably the best view of Accra we've had yet. (Ariane Kunze)
Our whole group (minus Caroline), stands in front of the tower on the University of Ghana campus. (James Earl)
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