Baptism Beach, Cape Coast - April 13, 2022

 

The first baptisms in Ghana after the 1978 revelation that all worthy males could hold the priesthood were held in Cape Coast, at what has been recently referred to by some church members as Baptism Beach. It seems that this name is recent since many long-time members are unfamiliar with the name and the location.  They treasure the Ghanian pioneer stories, they just don’t associate them to a specific location. Currently, it is the site of a slaughterhouse used by the local villagers. Blood from the animals has caused deep brown stains in the rocks, animal body parts lay scattered about, and the fires searing the meat hides leave a stench in the air. The beach, though cleaned a few months ago by local YSA, is again heavily littered with plastic bottles washed up with the tides. Shameful that a location once was used to perform the long-awaited saving ordinance of baptism for hundreds of people is now so distasteful state.  

Busua Beach April 13-15, 2022 

The senior missionaries decided to take another trip, this time they flew to the border of Côte d’Ivoire. We were out on business, so we drove, meeting up with them at Busua Beach Resort. We had stayed there in November when we took our western Ghanian seven-stake training trip. When we travel, we try to tuck in a cultural site between meetings, if possible. This trip we were determined to see Cape Three Points and the Nzulezo Stilt Village, both day trips from the resort. 

 

Cape Three Points is exactly what the name implies. Three very prominent points jutting into the ocean with a light house built by the British in 1875 and then re-built in 1925 on the center point. The points are visible on most maps and listed in travel brochures, so we were surprised at how remote the light house is. In fact, we’ve traveled on some pretty awful roads, but this one was the worst of the worst. We climbed the 85 feet to see a breath-taking view of Ghana’s only coastal rainforest. It is probably the same today as when it was built. Time has been good to the beauty of Cape Three Points. 

We passed several small villages along the road. It was instructive to watch the people as they went about their daily labors of harvesting palm oil seeds, cassava, tapping rubber trees and the ever present collecting of sticks to fuel cooking fires.  

We observed this woman working with a group of girls who were thrilled to pause their tasks when I asked if we could take a picture. The woman was very much their leader, in charge, and pleased that the girls appreciated her granting them a work break. She appeared to be dressed for the day of managing the girls, wearing her earrings and string of beads. Perhaps she was their teacher? 

Nzulezo Stilt Village April 15, 2022 

 

Our next day trip included several senior missionaries, who didn’t want to lounge on the Busua beach. Together we headed west to Nzuleo. We had hoped to visit the stilt village on our November trip but were detained by the local police who were patrolling the highway for so long that we missed our window of opportunity. This time we carefully attended to all rules and laws, real and not so real, so that we could visit the 400-year-old Ghanian stilt village that was a two-hour drive from the resort. 

From the closest neighboring village, we took a 40-minute canoe trip through a pristine series of marshes, swamp forest (the largest stand left in Ghana) and open pools rich with wildlife, including crocodiles, egret, heron and kingfishers to get to the ancient village. We looked for crocodiles through these waters! 

According to legend, the ancestors of Nzulezo villagers were from the ancient Ghana Empire in today’s Mali. In the 15th century, after a tribal war fought over their fertile land and gold, they had to flee. Their god, it was said, appeared as a snail and led them to safety past other ethnic groups and slave traders. Following their god, they finally reached Lake Tandane. Here the snail told them they didn’t need to fear attacks because the lake would protect them against enemies. Nzulezo means “surface of water.” 

Today approximately 500 people live in the typical huts built from branches of raffia palm. Individual huts are linked by wooden platforms and houses a school, community center and a few small businesses. They have electricity from batteries, satellite TV, and a mobile phone network. The village subsists on fishing, farming on nearby land, and tourism. 

The children jump and play in the water, just other children would on a playground Families have three boats, one for dad, one for mom, one for the kids! 

 

School teachers are hired, but few stay for the whole year. Many only make it past the first week. The village is working to educate, train and hire their own to address this problem.  

The smoothie shop 

Newly renovated school

Sayings handwritten on the schoolhouse door: The presence of a man will never be known until his absence is felt.

GOOD - GOD = 0

Make hay when the sun shines