Indigenous Knowledge on Climate Change in Keta
Trip Start
Unknown
1
6
9
Trip End
Ongoing
Keta, Ghana
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Over two days there were three community group meetings, at which fishermen, farmers and others were asked about how climate is changing, how they predict droughts, storms, etc. It was very interesting and there were a few useful things that the team learnt, such as how particular bird types arrive when the dry period is about to start. However, some of the more mythical type beliefs were most interesting, e.g. if someone drowns in the sea, the storm won't stop until the body is washed ashore. As is the case in most of Ghana, the communities revolve around their chief, who has to be presented with three bottles of schnapps before or after any meeting. Unsurprisingly quite a few people in the villages seem to be drunk at 10 in the morning.
Keta itself is quite run down and has the feel of somewhere that used to be richer. There is a big problem with coastal erosion the area is literally falling into the sea in places. The beach is incredible though - miles and miles of clean white sand with fishing boats and palm trees. There is almost no infrastructure for tourists at all, so there are few visitors (when I walked down to the beach I got a lot stares and kids asking me for money), apart from at weekends when there are a lot of funerals apparently for people who came from this area but moved away. Funerals are a big deal in Ghana and people will travel a long way for the funeral of someone they barely know.
