Campbell Law in Ghana: Students, faculty take weekend excursion to remote village of Nzulezu and Takoradi

CAPE COAST, GHANA — During the week, our program here in Ghana consists of class time, discussions, shared meals and excursions to various locales around Cape Coast. On the weekends, our group travels to other parts of Ghana — away from the university environment.

This past weekend, after class, we made it to Takoradi — the more western of the twin cities of Sekondi-Takoradi. Friday concluded with a much appreciated trip to the Shoprite grocery and a visit to Takoradi’s shopping mall.

The main objective of our trip to the Western Region was to visit the village of Nzulezu — built entirely on stilts in the shallow, marshy edges Lake Tadane. Getting to Nzulezu was an adventure in itself — involving 22 people on two narrow, wooden boats making their way through the marshes that ring the lake.

While visiting the village, our group met with a representative of the community who gave us a sweeping overview of the village and its history. According to local history, the people of Nzulezu descend from a group that migrated from an oasis-town near the Mauritania-Mali border in the Ancient Ghana Empire.

The representative explained to us that the village is challenged in getting teachers to come, and struggled with access to healthcare facilities. Interestingly, the main industry of the village is agriculture, rather than fishing, with most people in the village leaving for work early in the morning in canoes.

Sunday afternoon, we made it back to Cape Coast. Students played football (soccer, to us), read and prepared to get back to their coursework. Our final week in Ghana began today with class, and our upcoming itinerary is packed with trips and events.