Random PIcs from Ghana (December 2024 - June 2025)

I'm not really the picture-taking type, nor do I believe in randomly snapping people without their consent.  So these are just a few random pics I wanted to share with the public, nothing spectacular if you’re already used to Ghana but may may stand out to those who aren't.

This is the main pathway leading into the house of one of my homeys.  For the most part, the compound is surrounded by mango farms.  And there stands a couple of mango trees on the left:

This is a mango stand on the road leading into Somanya, a town located in the Eastern Region of Ghana.  The primary economic activity of the town is mango farming.  On this part of the road and especially during mango seasons, these types of stands are everywhere, being managed by female entrepreneurs:

On the left is natural tobacco.  I heard that it’s now kinda common in the United States, though I can’t say I remember regularly coming across some while there.  I don’t think the stuff inside of blunts qualifies as natural tobacco.  Nor, to my understanding, is the tobacco in most cigars 100% natural, as in being completely untampered with:

I can't say that I've ever heard of anyone dying from smoking natural tobacco, but according to Google, it can be deadly.  If you were to smoke it raw like that, you'd likely come to that conclusion yourself.  It's a powerful intoxicant, even more so than marijuana.

This is a wooden shed in the back of a compound.  I would imagine that it was much more impressive when it was first built.  The structure actually serves as a commercial kitchen.  Some ladies cook this dish called waakye inside that they then go and sell on the roadside, and they’re faithful at their job.  That would explain the ridiculously-large pile of firewood on the right:

These are pics of the Ghana Post Office in Somanya.  Ghana doesn’t have the kind of precise home-address system that exists in the States, and snail mail, to my knowledge, was never really a big thing here, even prior to the advent of email.  But since the latter is now common, Ghana Post focuses more on package deliveries, and I don't think their updated system requires a P.O. Box to send parcels domestically.  But if you're receiving conventional mail from abroad, you'd need access to a private post office box:

This is another pathway leading into or more specifically around a residential compound.  Notice that this one is waterlogged.  I took this pic because I intend to write an article about these dangerously-deep pools of water that materialize in Ghana during the rainy season:

Comparing runoff sanitation systems in Ghana to those in the United States, you’d understand what Walter Rodney meant when he said that Africa is comparatively underdeveloped.  In other words, I don’t think their ubiquity is due to lack of concern on the part of the government as opposed to lack of resources.  That said, most of the land in Ghana is privately-owned.  And the pool pictured above is on a footpath leading into a series of private properties, not a roadway.

The next pic is of a motorized tricycle, which are called praygia in Ghana.  They've become one of the main modes of commercial transportation in some localities, including Koforidua, which is a regional capital.  In those types of places, where the weather is pleasant (i.e. not overly urbanized), I actually prefer riding in a praygia as opposed to a car.  They're also safer than motorcycles, though a lot slower and less versatile:

Below is a picture of a small house made of mud.  You're not likely to come across mud houses these days, unless you're in a remote, village-like area.  The place where I took this pic, on the outskirts of Somanya, isn't necessarily remote, but unlike the big city, there's a lot of farmers around.

Since this particular structure is not actually located in a village, it's possible that the owner is using it specifically for farming purposes, i.e. only residing there when compelled to work or guard the farm.  But as you can see with the meter on the right side wall, the place is equipped with electricity, though it wouldn't have internal plumbing:

Mud houses, to reiterate, are anachronisms.  But I've heard that they're actually cool inside, even in a hot environment like Ghana.  That sometimes makes me wonder why Ghanaians are so hell-bent on building European-style houses nonetheless.  Some of the more-traditional types may opt to build a house with mud and then plaster it with cement, which I don't think has the same type of cooling effect.

Next is a pic of a makeshift bridge found one of the backroad footpaths in Somanya - again, nothing particularly spectacular but interesting.  Underneath is this gorge which is about a 10 foot drop, that's part of a river that flows during rainy season.  I never heard of the bridge collapsing, or anyone falling therein.  It isn't pretty, but it is sturdy.  That said, my heart still sorta jumps every time I have to cross it:

CONCLUSION

I don’t really care if you share these pics, which is why I didn’t put some big, intrusive watermark on them.  However, if you do decide so, please don’t forget to pay attribution to the author (me) or this blog.  And I’m also willing to sell the originals - no watermark, @ 4096 x 2304 resolution - for a modest price.

Last updated on 13 June 2025