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From eddieturkson, in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

Sekondi-Takoradi: From Gold Coast to Black Gold

I’m from a coastal city, a twin-city, Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana. It is a port city which plays a crucial role in the economic development of Ghana, a West African nation regarded as the beacon of democracy in Africa.

When the first Europeans, the Portuguese set foot on African soil in the 15th century around the period 1471, they first landed on Fante Land, my hometown, present day Sekondi-Takoradi and its environs. The Portuguese found so much gold on the land in the Sefwi Wiawso district between the Rivers Ankobra and the Volta that they named the place El mina meaning the mine. From that name came the name Gold Coast, Ghana’s colonial name after the British finally took over the colony from the Dutch in 1850. Sekondi-Takoradi is nestled at the southernmost part of Western Region at the foot of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Dotted along the coast are numerous colonial forts and castles reminiscent of the infamous slave trade.

Sekondi-Takoradi is the capital city of a region rich in natural resources including timber, precious metals- gold, diamond, and bauxite for aluminum. The region boast of large cocoa plantations which adds up to the national output to rank Ghana as the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. Recent oil finds in the region at Cape three points, some nautical miles away from the seashore has catapulted the region and Ghana into the extraordinary league of oil producing countries In Africa. In Ghana, all roads now lead to Sekondi-Takoradi, dubbed the Oil City. Foreign direct investment is pouring into the region like never before, from China’s SINOPEC to UK’s Tullow Oil, the region is poised to become a major business hub in the sub-region in the next decade.

The inhabitants of Sekondi-Takoradi (Fantes) are Akans, a select tribe and descendants of Ancient Ghana Empire. Historical records were handed down orally through story telling because manuscript of our history were lost due to plunder and invasion by Arab invaders from the East, a move that heralded the iniquitous slave trade and slave routes across West Africa.

The Fantes like other Akan tribes have series of annual festivals to honor their ancestral gods and leaders who led them to their present location during those invasions. Popular in Sekondi-Takoradi is the Kundum Festival, a mystical festival and an eye-opener for foreigners and tourists who yearn for enlightenment into some of Africa’s ancient cultural traditions and rich history. The city’s street carnival is the most prominent street carnival of masqueraders in Ghana. It attracts tourists from all over the world.

The People

[Photo by eddieturkson]