Friday, May 28, 2010

Ghanaian refugees flee by the thousands

As we head out of Ghana tomorrow for a two week reprieve in the windy chill of Cape Town, 'on the road again' as they say... I read today that Ghana has it's first refugees (estimates run about 3,500), pouring out of Northern Ghana into neighboring Togo. The people who have fled are amongst the country's poorest, and are claiming human rights abuses and chieftancy disputes in the hostile dry semi-desert of the north.

As we prepare to board the 747 that will carry us over half of the continent in comfort, I wonder if our refugees traveled like this?:

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awful about the refugees.
Hilarious pic :-)

I'll also be in Cape Town next week! Weather's getting wintery miz there.

Unknown said...

that, this,
just makes me so sad.


Enjoy your getaway.

Anonymous said...

Holli, the Ghanaian refugees could have left the North by foot. Another mode of travel here is by bicycles. The Bunkurugu area is very close to the northeastern Togo border; about 2-3 km. They regularly walk and bike to a popular market on that side of Togo. I know this area very well because I helped to fund some projects back in the late 80's there. CUSO a Canadian agency and Oxfam had been working with the people in the area for years.
Its really unfortunate that the people have left their farms and the little they have. The Ghanaian government must take the responsibility of resolving the conflict in that corner of the country before it becomes explosive. This is not the first time they've had problems of this kind, and band-aid solutions have not worked.
Btw, I will be traveling from the US to Accra in June. Please can you suggest some interesting places to stay/dine/visit etc. Its been years since I was last in Ghana. Whats new and hot in Accra these days. What are your favorate spots? Do you know about White Sands?

Lori ann said...

I can't believe that photo, how is it possible?? so much sadness.

I do hope you enjoy your getaway, Cape Town should be lovely, even with the cooler weather.
x lori

Anonymous said...

anonymous: try FOUR VILLAGES INN in Kumasi www.fourvillages.com
see our blog at www.madinghana.wordpress.com

baresytapas said...

I came to this place by chance, but I found very interesting. Greetings to all the people who visit this page.

Anonymous said...

That photo stunned me right out of my seat.
Unreal.

On a lighter note, enjoy your holiday and be sure to take more stunning pictures of your travels.

Unknown said...

ciao,
i'd like see african artworks on my blog; can you help me?. thanks. Marco.

Kuzey Güney said...

I came to this place by chance, but I found very interesting. Greetings to all the people who visit this page... Kuzey Güney

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