Boggy Wednesday (Ghanaian singer and songwriter)

During another trip to Cape Coast a few weekends back, I went to visit my longest running Ghanaian friend, Ekow Simpson and during the visit he introduced me to some of his friend at their house.  Among Ekow’s friends was one man who goes by the name of “Boggy Wednesday”.  Ekow had previously let me hear his music but it wasn’t until later that day I realised that the singer was in fact in the same room as us lol. So I had the privilege to chill out with him and his friends. (Not that I heard much due to the place being all males, who can talkkkkkk) lol. But all the same, it was nice to put a face to the voice. He was very humble and down to earth. So for those who haven’t heard of Boggy Wednesday then let me introduce him to you.

About Boggy Wednesday:

Robert Kweku Bamfo popularly know by his stage name “BOGGY WEDNESDAY” was born in Accra, Ghana and grew up in Elmina in the central region. Boggy attended Montessori school in junior high and Ghana National College in senior high. He later went on to continue in NIIT as a networking engineer.

Boggy believes in creativity, originality, lyrical, and longevity in his music. He was awarded song of the year in 2013 and best vocalist of the year in 2014 in the central region. Boggy is an excellent definition of Afro beat, Afro pop, Highlife of this era. H­e has perfected singing with live bands. His style of piecing his music together makes it difficult to place him in ­any particular genre because each track ­gives you a sample of different flavours­. He has mastered his own identity as a musician.

Where he started:

Boggy’s dad use to play the key board so he use to listen to the rhythms and then go on to write his own music when he was in junior high. His parents didn’t like the idea of him going into music so he put his dream on hold and began to concentrate on being a networking engineer. After he completed 3 years in NIIT as a network engineer he went right back to focus on his dreams of becoming a musician.  Boggy’s first day in the studio was when he wrote his song called “dying for” ft TeePhlow produced by Kopow, Boggy’s childhood friend. This song is what earned him song of the year in 2013 (see photos below) in the central region. He felt he needed to step up his game so people would appreciate and recognize his music more. So he then came back with a second song called “SOMEBODY”. This song also won him the best vocalist in 2014.

2013 Best Song of the year award.

2014 Best Vocalist award.

Boggy is still working hard on his music career and his next goal is to achieve a Ghana music award. He will be bringing new songs to the table around April 13th so look out for that 🙂

Below you will find the links to a few of his YouTube videos. My personal favorite is “Queen of my heart”. A day can’t pass without me playing this song. Very soothing voice and beautiful lyrics 🙂 Great work Boggy and I pray you get all the success you deserve! It was a pleasure to meet you.

Please also find Boggy’s Facebook fan page below & Twitter. Don’t forget to hit the like button! Enjoy!

FACEBOOK – Boggy Wednesday Gh

(Search by name above or follow the link below)

https://www.facebook.com/Boggy-Wednesday-Gh-777979882226077/

TWITTER – @nanaboggy

 

Solomon N. N. Tetteh. (Professional Photographer from Ghana, Africa)

Every year that I visit Ghana I meet more and more wonderful people. During this current trip I have yet again met a wonderful and gifted Ghanaian by the name of Solomon N. N. Tetteh. I was recently travelling back to Accra from Kumasi and I was introduced to Solomon during my visit.

So, during these past few days I have gotten to know a lot more about Solomon, his background, interests and how he got into photography.

About Solomon N. N. Tetteh:

Solomon is from Accra, Ghana. He has spent most of his childhood days in Osu, Shiashie and Nungua (Ghana). Solomon schooled at Osu Home School (South La Estate Primary), Nungua Presec (SHS).

How he became interested in photography:

His interest in photography started out earlier in his life more as a hobby.  He started taking pictures with a mobile phone before he was in possession of professional camera. Solomon was actually more focused on Dancing and making music. He didn’t really focused on photography because he didn’t have any kind of motivation in that aspect or area.

It was around 2009 when he started operating an internet cafe that he got the chance to study more on photography and manipulations online (Youtube channels).  He was more focused on Graphic Designing than photography. By 2011-2014, Solomon went on to study Graphic Designing at IPMC.

In June 2014, Solomon’s pastor (Rev. Abraham Lamptey) was the one who gave him the platform to officially put his gift to service and use in the house of God. His pastor was the one who gave him a camera (Model: FujiFilm-FinePix S4300) to use for the Church. Rev. Abraham’s photo below)

From that day on, he became part of the media crew of his church. The church has always been his classroom in mastering and perfecting his craft in photography, “Since its a gift from God, why not use it to serve Him more”, says Solomon.

Sometimes, he would take the camera home after service and during that time is when he had the chance to put to practice everything he has seen other pro photographers do and what he would love to do. It was in July 2015 Solomon had his first own official camera (Nikon D5200).

Who inspires him in terms of photography:

A few of the many photographers that inspire Solomon are Reyv0lution, Dani Diamond, Benjamin Von Wong, Bob Pixel.

What type of photography and work he does:

He mostly focuses on Portraits, Nature & Lifestyle shoots. He also does photo shoots for several event’s (Weddings, Parties, Programs etc) as well as travel photography. Being open to new things, Solomon is always discovering other forms of photography and would love to get involved in more shoots such as Landscape, New Borns, Macro, Black & White shoots etc.

What shoots have been most enjoyable for Solomon:

Solomon’s most joyous and successful shoots have been shoots with children and the youth.

Below is a wide range of Solomon’s best shots and I personally would agree that these are some of the best shoots I’ve seen. His work is outstanding and the attention to detail he puts in to each photograph is wonderful. From personally getting the chance to shoot with Solomon, I got to see how he puts his ideas into play when the camera comes out. He is always bringing ideas on how to make the shoot extra special and not just the average same old photo shoot.

To enlarge any of the photos below you can individually click on them.  These photos strictly belong to the owner and should not be copied without permission.

BEACH SHOOTS

 

 

TRAVEL SHOOTS

 

 

ANIMAL SHOOTS

 

 

CHILDREN SHOOTS

 

PORTRAIT 

 

PHOTO SHOOT OF DAVID BORTEI BISSINAH (YOFI) IN ACCRA.

 

 

I will definitely be using Solomon’s services again and even wish to use his service on my own wedding day one day in the near future and would highly recommend his services to anyone.  He has a kind and polite manner with a very friendly approach which will make you feel very at ease during your photo shoot. 🙂

How can I contact Solomon:

If you wish to book or inquire about Solomon’s services you can contact him on the following platforms:-

Facebook: Solomon Tetteh
Instagram: SolomonJnr
Twitter: SolomonJnr
Email: solomonjnr6gh@gmail.com

Thank you again to my readers! I have been noticing you everyday and appreciate all the lovely comments.  I appreciate those who take interest and take the time to read my posts. So, once again, thank you and many more to come! 🙂

Cape Coast, Ghana

Evening all 🙂

I am a little late in posting (as always) but I have now started my 4th trip in Ghana. I landed 2 weeks ago and Still currently here doing my work so bare with me 🙂 I have so much to tell in such a short time so I will get round to posting my experiences from my trip so far. I have managed to return to the orphanage in Kumasi as planned and will post about this next.  For now, just a quick post following my return to Cape Coast over the weekend. It had been 3 years since I last visited Cape Coast so I had to plan a trip 🙂

So I managed to fit in some time and spend my weekend in cape. I travelled from Kumasi with my sister in Ghana, Akosua. We met up with my longest and dearest friend in Ghana, Ekow 🙂 Ekow was the first Ghanaian I met 7 years ago and it’s been around 3 years since I last saw him. We fight and make up like brother and sister lol He has seen me grow from a stubborn little teenager into a matured woman lol. So I was very happy to see him and spend my weekend with him. Cape Coast is my favourite place in the whole of Ghana and it always has been. So I wanted to make the most of my trip. Our great friend Kofi also came along from Accra. We had a wonderful time and chilled at the beach and enjoyed great food 🙂 I would highly recommend Cape Coast to anyone who has yet to visit. It is one of the most beautiful places in Ghana and so full of culture and history. Even the place alone looks so historical lol There is a lovely beach restaurant next to the castle I would recommend. Great music and good food. Well, I am now back in Kumasi and packing for another trip tomorrow into Accra so I will keep everyone updated during my travels and I will try and have my post up this weekend from the trip to the orphanage last week. For now, enjoy the photos below of Cape Coast 🙂

Offinso Children’s Home, Ghana

From my previous posts, you will already be aware of my main reason for visiting Ghana so often. My main purpose has always been to work as a volunteer and it is something I am passionate about. So on my third trip I of course visited a lot of village schools again but this time I managed to visit a very special children’s home (Offinso Children’s Home). We had planned out an event for the kids to have fun and also give out clothes etc. But before the date of the event I got the chance to meet up with the owner of the children’s home.  On the morning I arrived at the children’s home I was shown around briefly before sitting down with the owner to go over the plans for the event. So this wonderful lady Sat in front of me greeted me and began to tell me the story of how Offinso children’s home came about. I knew this was going to be a wonderful story but what she told me next touched me so much that I really wanted to just pick her up and squeeze her tightly lol so she began to tell me how it all begin. Many years ago she was at her home just not too far from where the orphanage is now located, and she had heard a child’s cry from near by the house. So of course she eventually started to wonder why this crying was continuous so she went to check things out. To then discover a baby who had been abandoned by the parents. So her next action was to take the baby in. She then tried to locate the parent but from what I remember, no one stepped forward to collect the baby.  So, she raised the baby by herself instead.  She then went on to tell me how after this first time, she then started to take care of other abandoned babies and people also would approach her for help or to take in abandoned babies and raise them. She of course did. (There is way more detail to it that this but it was a lot to take in so excuse me for the missing details).

After some years of this wonderful role she had taken on, she then realised she will need a bigger place for these kids to stay so that was when she started to form a children’s home. From what I remember, given this was almost 1 year ago she told me the story, she then started to build a Small home with the little money available for these kids to stay. Gradually more and more people were dropping kids off to her leaving her with little space for all of them. So through the years she started to gradually bit by bit build more and more parts of the orphanage and also build a small school area for them to be taught and learn too. There were also some Americans she told me about who heard about this story and came by to see how they could help. They then provided her with a lump sum of money to help towards building this orphanage up. Today, the orphanage is what I would call, rather massive! There are four (or five) buildings on one plot of land, female bedrooms, male bedrooms, dinning hall area, school and of course the owners own living area. The owner is now getting older and that very weekend I visited she had just celebrated her 80th birthday if I am not mistaken.  So, her next plan for the orphanage is to have concrete floors put down on the orphanage grounds and a new roof for the dinning hall. This of course showed how she still doesn’t give up regardless of age. This lady is a blessing to these children.

So during my visit to the orphanage I had the pleasure to meet the first orphan she raised, who is now in his 20’s and completed university. Might I also add, this lady pays for these orphans tuition and pays for them to go to university. She told me how she wants to be able to send one orphan per year to university. Given there aged by then of course. So not only does she raise these kids but she also makes sure she gives them a future even after they grow up into adults! I don’t quite have the words to describe how wonderful and amazing this woman is but I wish everyone had the chance to sit with her and hear her story. As it was so detailed more than I can type. I felt extremely touched and till this very day I Still remember her every time I think of Ghana.

So, now in 2016 and its just 4 weeks left until I fly back to Ghana for the 4th trip. (I just booked my flight today ahhhh I’m so excited) and I will definitely be visiting the orphanage again to help in every way possible. Below I have posted some pictures of the event we held at the orphanage along with some pictures from my first visit to the orphanage. Oh, another touching part about his visit for me was, this one baby in particular, who I carried and played with at the orphanage, when I returned the second time, on the day of the event, she recognized me and reached her arms out to me and didn’t leave my side the whole event. I was so unbelievably touched and felt like she was my own daughter. I wished I could just take her home lol I pray she remembers me again this year. Below is her pictures. The first day she met me and the second time when she recognized me again.

Enjoy the pictures below and oh, I will of course update everyone on my next visit in four weeks 🙂

A few pictures from the event.

Returning from Ghana (3rd time around)

Hi everyone! 🙂

I know I have been a stranger for what, almost a year or so? Wow! Anyway, a wholeeeeeee lot has happened in one year and I have a tone of posts coming up but to start it off I’ll keep it short and sweet.  So after that second trip to Ghana I was screaming and shouting over last year, I of course couldn’t help myself going back a 3rd time 😉 I missed Ghana so much I jumped back on a flight just a few months later.  I returned to Scotland after my second trip with a massive plan in my head and I had to fulfil it.  And that I did 🙂

On my second trip to Ghana I had this idea to help out a few village schools and orphanages (previously visited during this trip) but knew that what I had in mind would be costly.  So, as soon as I got back to Scotland I continued work at my job as normal but started saving extra hard this time and also started a small fund raiser around friends and family to gather every pound I could! As the idea I had was to get/buy as much school books, stationary, clothes and shoes for each village school I visited and most of all, for the orphanage which held a special place in my heart after meeting the amazing lady who owns and runs it. (I will be posting about this on another day, her story is wonderful).

So a few months after saving and gathering money i had more than enough to take over on my 3rd trip but just to get that bit extra, I took a few trips round my local primary schools and giveaway clubs and rounded up a whole load of schools books, pencils, pens and some kids shoes/clothes etc to take along. Now of course I had only a certain amount of luggage allowance so I took what I could (in two EXTREMELY large suitcases, it was not easy getting to and from the airport! Bitten off more books than I could chew!) Haha but nevertheless, it was all worth it!! And from my upcoming posts over the Christmas period, you will see exactly how it all went and read all about my 3rd trip to Ghana. Trust me, it’s the best one yet! 🙂 I am currently back in Scotland and planning my 4th trip to Ghana while also trying to build on my career here in Scotland (Hence the reason for my silence). Oh, I got a new job earlier this year with a different law firm this time so that’s more great news 🙂 Anyways, stay posted for my upcoming stories and pictures from my last trip.

Happy holiday’s!. 🙂

Another Side Of Ghana

As most people know from reading my last posts, i was in Ghana again for the second time on September/October.  My first time in Ghana was on May 2013 and of course it was an experience of a lifetime and i wont forget those wonderful memories but, i have to say, my second trip to Ghana this year was even more special than i ever imagined it to be. I didnt know it could get any better than that first trip in 2013 but this time i felt something different.  The moment i got off the flight, i no longer felt like a “visitor” to Ghana. I felt like i was returning home. The feeling is almost impossible to explain to anyone.  Sometimes (if not most of the time) i feel almost trapped when i am here in the UK.

This sounds crazy i know but i feel i am stuck in the wrong place. I am not saying i hate it here, i have family and friends here but the moment i step back into Africa i feel almost like i’m no longer trapped.  It is almost like that feeling you have when you were a kid and you are in class being taught a subject you have no interest in. For example, i hated maths, so every time i went to maths class i felt trapped and almost like i was forcing my self to get through that hour just so i can rush to Art class.  As for Art, i loved/love art so that class was where i felt most happiest and no more trapped. Understand? So just like Africa and the UK, i feel trapped in one place and free in another.  In an ideal world i would be living in Africa and working there. But since my job (paid job) is here in Scotland, then i am “trapped” here for now until i have everything in order and enough savings to move.  Anyway, what i am trying to say is, the moment i got back to Ghana on September i no longer felt trapped, i felt i could now be my self 100%.  Surrounded by the right people who share the same interests as i do. That happiness is incomparable honestly!

I stayed in Accra for a few days when i landed.  I spend those first few days with some amazing friends, went to the beaches, chilled out, ate plenty great food, danced to some great Ghanaian music and just relaxed to the fullest.  This was wonderful of course but it was the Monday after i landed (2/3 days later) i got packed and ready to travel to Kumasi. Now, i visited Kumasi for the first time in 2013 and i can honestly say i didnt enjoy the busy streets lol but this time Kumasi has became a second home for me and i seen a different side of Kumasi. I lived with the most wonderful family who i love with all my heart and miss them everyday. This family brought me in as one of their own. Their house was right next to a very loud church (lol) which i actually enjoyed hearing everyday. Just down the street from the family house there was this young man selling beef kebabs and sausage kebabs and anyone who follows my blog will know these kebabs are heavenly to me! lol so i would go out in the evening and get some to bring back to the family house and enjoy with some homemade jollof rice made by the households helper.

I also got a chance to visit Kintampo Waterfall this time around. I will post some pictures below. Ghana has some of the best tourist attractions i’ve ever seen and Kintampo waterfall was of course another amazing tourist attraction. I would really suggest that you check it out if you havent already. There is a very lovely young man who will give you a tour around and guide you to each waterfall. Finally when you get the main fall (the largest one) you have the chance to either go in a splash around or just sit on the rock and enjoy the peaceful wonderful scenery. It was one of the most amazing peaceful places ive visited. I would make that my place to go and think and clear my head if it wasnt such a long drive to get there lol

I also got the chance to visit a primary school (the head teacher was the lady who i was living with in Kumasi) so her son was kind enough to take me to visit the school (you’ll see some pictures below) This of course wasnt my first time visiting schools in Ghana but this time it felt extra special because of the warm welcome i go from all the staff and of course by the head teacher (my step mummy) lol The kids in the school were of course cute as always and some actually made me laugh so hard. One young boy called out “hey Obroni, white lady, white madam, beautiful lady) he used every term of “lady” to get my attention and i couldnt stop laughing, a boy of such young age (around 8 years old) who was calling out every name he could gather in his head for a white lady hahaha i am even laughing while typing this as it was just adorable and hilarious.

After spending time in Kumasi we traveled back to Accra to sort a few things and while there i lived with some members of the same family from Kumasi. This whole family were taking care of me from Kumasi to Accra! This is one family i know ill love for the rest of my life. They really took great care of me and made sure i was comfortable in everyway. We had some of the most amazing nights together. Chilling out, meeting up with friends, eating great food, laughing together and genuinely enjoying each others company. Their words to me before i left their house was “when every you are in Accra or Kumasi, you come here, this is your home too now, no more hotels” 🙂 Of course i am not surprised at the kindness of these people because i’ve never met anyone in Ghana who isnt kind at heart towards their visitors 🙂 I am just glad i met yet another wonderful Ghanaian family who ill forever hold in my heart.

I am veryyyyyyyyyyy happy to say that i am AGAIN going back to Ghana 🙂 in just 2 months time! (February) – i cant stay away ! lol I wish everyone would go out to Africa and experience it for themselves. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with Africa and will either never leave or rush back at every chance you get!

I will be volunteering with a small organization which i am now part of (see my previous post for more info on the organization)  Who work hard to help orphanages and widows/elderly in Kumasi (and hopefully by God’s grace, other parts of Africa when the funds become stable)  So i will be flying out on February to take part and do my bit to help out and try and raise as much awareness and gather funds/clothes etc to donate to the orphanages.  I will try my best to find time to post more and post some photos and stories along the way. Thanks to everyone who actually takes the time to read my VERY long posts lol My idea from the beginning is to change peoples negative views on Africa and see the positive sides to Africa and through my own experiences and knowledge i hope i can show people that there is more to Africa than what the media will show you. I hope everyone gets the chance to go out to Africa and experience the wonderful continent for themselves 🙂 I promise you’ll want to go back! Great music, food, fashion, people and sights to see!

I also want to say thanks to all my wonderful friends i have met from all over Africa. I honestly don’t know where i would be without you all. I don’t always have time to come online but when i do and i see the wonderful emails and comments from everyone it makes me so happy knowing that my message is getting across to some people and seeing how much they admire my passion for Africa. So thanks my lovely friends i love you all :*

Street Hawkers

Picture above: One of the lovely ladies i met on the way to Kumasi.

I’ve noticed that the word “hawker” is used differently in different parts of the world. Of course a lot of us only use it when referring to someone who sells good on the street by chanting out to people but after a bit of research on “Hawkers” i noticed Hawker is actually used slightly differently around the world.

Funny thing is that in my old home town in Scotland, the word “Hawker” is a word used to insult someone or saying someone is dressed badly or dirty. Like telling someone they look like a hawker would mean someone doesn’t look presentable or tidy. Not in all parts of Scotland but where i grew up that was the word older people tend to use a lot lol

My own definition on what a “Hawker” is, is pretty much just the same as most people. Someone who sells good on the street. A lot of people can be ignorant towards hawkers though and mistreat them as they see it as annoying to be disturbed by them. I think this is ignorance because they dont actually know and realize that they are just trying to make a living or earn some money.

While i was in Ghana of course there was a lot of street hawkers around and while some of them may be in your face a lot it is still something i learned to deal with and understand. A lot of people don’t stop to think about how hard they are working for a small amount of money first of all. Not to talk of the long hours in the heat too! Also i have heard some ignorant people saying they should just go and get a “real job” ! when in actual fact they have no idea why they don’t have a “real job” ! Street Hawkers can be doing that job because of a lot of reasons. One being they might not have the money to pay for university fees to get the job they dream of or some people might just be doing it as a job on the side. I have a close friend who’s mother is living very comfortably and has other jobs yet she still sells goods as a side job just because she enjoys it. So i think people shouldnt be quick to judge.

I actually met some lovely friendly people while out in Ghana who are street hawkers because i am a huge food lover and couldn’t resit buying almost every food i seen lol one thing i actually miss about Ghana was buying different foods from hawkers. Also i found it very handy when i was on the road a lot and got hungry or thirsty and there was the street hawkers to buy some food from.

I am interested to know what other people think about Hawking so feel free to post comments below 🙂

I haven’t been able to post on my blog as often as i would like to due to work but i would like to say thanks for all the views and comments! I’ll try and get more posts up soon as i will be back in Ghana on September to work as a volunteer as most people already know. So i should have a whole lot more to upload when i get a minute ! 🙂

Feel free to add me on facebook or drop me a message/email if you are interested in volunteering with us in Ghana too as we are still looking for people to come along and work in the school 🙂 You can find the ling below for our volunteer facebook page or visit the contact page on my blog for where to contact me direct. Thanks again! 🙂

MakeChange-Africa – (Our volunteer organization) – https://www.facebook.com/makechangeafrica

Stereotypes about Africa

Something that has been really bugging me for a while is the stereotype people think about Africa most especially in my country (UK) where almost everyone I’ve meet and talk to about countries in Africa there reactions are always very irritating to me.

First of all, the biggest one i hear almost EVERY time i tell someone i was in Ghana is “oh you were brave” or “wasn’t you scared going over there?” and this is coming from people who have never visited any country in Africa. So in my opinion, if you have not visited that country you have no right to speak a bad word about it based on what crap you see on TV!

The majority of people i’ve met around the UK see Africa as a “country” which is for one ridiculous and makes them sound pretty dumb! With all due respect but if you are judging a country based on TV that shows your level of intelligence for a start!

A lot of people have questioned me on why i am going back over to Ghana and Nigeria to work as a volunteer as they think it is too dangerous and unsafe! From my experience, UK is more dangerous than Ghana! While in Ghana i felt nothing but respect and love from people i met. They greeted my and were extremely friendly. Below is a picture i took in Ghana and i will go on to explaining my reason for posting this picture below.

 

This picture was taken while i was in Akim Achiase Villiage in Ghana, you have probably seen my post before about Akim Achiase. The lady carrying her baby on her back was a very lovely and friendly lady who brought us in to shelter from the heavy rains as she seen us pass by soaked! This was very touching and a great act of kindness in my eyes. Where i come from this would never happen. I am not saying that my country is all bad because it is not but the manners and kindness of the people i met in Ghana was really touching.

So for people to tell me that i am brave to go to Africa is ridiculous because there is nothing to be scared about. In Scotland i wouldnt think about walking outside passed 12pm in the dark. Yet when i was in Ghana i would walk around the village at 1am enjoying the noise of the crickets and bothered by no one. Throughout my stay in Ghana i came across some of the most lovely people and i am privileged to have met them.

I know and understand that Yes, there is some problems around Africa but to judge it based on what you see on TV and judge it as some poor dangerous sick & diseased continent is ridiculous!! because no matter where you go in the world there will be good and bad.

Take a look at the news each month for Britain or America. Is it all picture perfect with no evil and cruel things going on? I don’t think so!

I have and will always admire Africa for all the good things and good people i have came across and i cannot wait to go back to work as a volunteer. 🙂

Thanks for reading and take a trip to one of Africa’s lovely countries and see for your self what Africa is really about.

Cape Coast Castle – Ghana

About the Castle: Cape Coast Castle is one of Ghana’s Slave Castle which was built on the Gold Coast by Swedes for trade of Timber and Gold with a church also built within the castle. The Castle was then later used for the slave trade. For those who don’t know how slave castles were used, they were used for keeping African Slaves locked away after they were captured and held there until sold to the Americans. Some slaves were held there until death if they were not sold. The castle also had a Cell for the Slaves who fought or tried to escape.The female and male slaves were divided into separate dungeons as you will see from my pictures below. Each dungeon was dark, cold and with no lights, toilets or bed to sleep on. They had to sleep and go to the bathroom in the same area so you could imagine the torture they gone through. Slavery was and is one of the many horrible acts of cruelty by human beings. I started learning and reading about slavery from a very young age but when you enter one of the slave castles everything you read about or learned about then feels more real when you see where these poor souls were held and even died. The castle definitely had a cold hunted feel and as you are walking around and feeling and seeing how dark and cold the dungeons are you start to feel more emotional and realise just how horrific it really would have been for these innocent people. People say slavery is a thing of the past and should be left there, but for me, i like to educated people or tell people the stories of slavery and let it never be forgotten because although slavery was abolished i feel the innocent souls who died and were enslaved should never be forgotten and we should remember how lucky we were and still are…to not have faced the same thing they did.

On my third day in Ghana i reached Cape Coast and of course it was a must to visit Cape Coast Castle not only because i am a huge fan of history but also because it is a beautiful castle despite the deep dark history that lies here.

I took a bus that dropped me off some minuets away from the castle so my sister and i walked to the castle and saw some lovely sights along the way. Below is a picture of the beautiful church just outside of the castle.

We also met some lovely people outside of the castle including a girl carrying water on her head who was interested to know what brought us to Ghana. She also insisted that my sister carried her bucket on her head which was quiet funny to see my sister carrying something with her head haha

The Front of the Castle

As we entered the castle there is a shop/market area where you can buy souvineers and different types of things including clothing. I Bought a beautiful Kente dress from one of the shops. We then reached the counter where you will pay for your ticket and also pay to take your camera in with you. 1 camera per group or person if you are alone.

We were then joined with a group of other tourists and guided around the castle with a tour guide who tells everyone the story of the castle and what happened in each room of the castle etc. I took some videos while in the castle while the tour guide was telling the stories of the castle. I will upload them to my blog later for people to see.

The picture above of cannon balls is what were used when intruders tried to intrude the castle or take over the gold coast. The cannon balls were shot at their ships to bring them down and stop them from entering.

As i mentioned before, the Cells were used to keep what they called “stubborn Slaves”. Slaves who fought to free themselves or to free their wife’s/children. They were locked inside this cell as punishment as if they were not being punished enough! the cell was extremely small and dark.

My sister and I inside the castle

The Female Slave Dungeon – The dent in the middle of the ground was their “toilet” – in the same area they would sleep. All human wastage would flow down this area out into the Ocean. Leaving the innocent souls to either die through sickness, Disease or malnutrition if they were not shipped out and sold before then. The lights in the dungeon was only later installed when slavery was abolished – For tourism.

View from the top floor of the castle.

The Door of no return – The door that led the slaves to the ships where they were then transported to the Americans.

The Door of Return

The Door of no return was of course because they would never return to Africa, but later the other side of the door was named “The door of return” apparently it was for those lucky enough to return – I’m not 100% sure if this is correct i am just speaking based on the information given by the tour guide.

As you can see, Cape Coast Castle is just one of many slave castles and is a huge tourist attraction in Ghana. I definitely recommend that everyone who visits Ghana should stop by Cape Coast and visit on of Africa’s many slave castles. You will leave feeling emotionally attached to Africa if you are not already. Don’t forget to show your respect when visiting and take a moment to remember the lost innocent souls not only of Ghana but of all those who died and suffered during the slave trade!

Kakum National Park – Cape Coast, Ghana

On my travels around Ghana, i eventually reached Kakum National Park in Cape Coast. Kakum National Park is the only park in Africa with canopy walk. I have to say it was a little scary and very high but such a great experience. I think my sister was more scared than anyone there as she was holding on for her life haha..

The Entrance at Kakum national park

 I really recommend this place to anyone who is visiting Ghana, it is a Must see! the only downfall of it was the prices! Non- Ghanaians are charged almost double to enter. We kind of expected to see a few animals but we did not see any animals at all. It was more like a trek, but still very much worth experiencing 🙂 The walk up to the canopy bridges was so so steep and really tires you out lol It takes around 15/20 minuets to get to the top where the canopy walk is. The walk back down was a lot easier! haha

The start of the walk up to the Canopy bridges.

When you get to the top, you are then told to cross individually or in groups of 2. You are also told not to shake the bridges or scare anyone lol of course i then made the bridge shake a little just to scare my sister haha. as if she wasnt scared enough :p The bridges connect to 7 tree tops. At the end of each bridge there is ledges for you to stand on to get from one bridge to the other, this was the part i found scary! as the ledges felt like the were moving away from the tree haha.

The stop point where the guide explains what we should expect when we get to the top.

We were told to watch out for snakes hanging from the trees, which of course made me a little more nervous!! lol But luckily we didnt come across any snakes, the only thing we came across was a mosquito that bit my sister on the hand and she freaked out! hahaha.

One of the bridges

The Start of the bridges

My sister holding on for her life at the start of the walk! haha

On the way back down to the bottom

When you reach the end of the bridges the guide will then lead us back down to the bottom. It is more relaxing going back down and there is also some stop points where you can have a seat. There is also a bar at the bottom where you can get something to drink and take a look around. There is many lizards walking around which we found very amusing lol i tried touching one but it just ran away from me 😦 lol

Me outside the bar/payment area, wearing my Kente dress i purchased from Cape Coast Castle Gift shop 🙂

If you are ever in Ghana or plan to go to Ghana, please check this place out and enjoy! 🙂 thanks for reading !