The Korle Lagoon is a body of water in Accra , the capital of Ghana . Lying immediately to the west of the city centre, it has played an important role in the city's history. In the 1990s, it became known for its high levels of pollution.
11-514: Local tradition states that the first settlement in the area was established by the Ewe hunters, on the east bank of the lagoon. The lagoon was believed to be inhabited by a spirit, who used its powers to enchant two women named Senam and Carol (The Ewe Twins), and used them to convince the group to settle in the location, in order to worship the spirit. The land became the property of the Korle We, and it
22-638: A number of successful boxers . These include Azumah Nelson , Bukom Banku, Ike Quartey and Kwame Asante, as well as welterweight Joshua Clottey , who won the IBF title by defeating Zab Judah in August 2008. He eventually lost the title in his mandatory defense against Miguel Cotto . Kpanlogo , Gome, Kolomashie, and Azonto are dances peculiar to the Ga people that can be found in Bukom. Due to its location (near
33-501: The Ga . Although in a state of decay, the districts are significant in the history of Accra, which replaced Cape Coast as the capital of Gold Coast (British colony) in 1876. The original lighthouse, built at James Fort in 1871, was replaced in the 1930s by the current tower, which is 28 m (92 ft) tall. The lighthouse , which is 34 metres (112 ft) above sea level, has a visibility of 16 nautical miles (30 km), it overlooks
44-601: The Gulf of Guinea . It was fed by the Odaw River , which flows through the suburbs of Accra, its catchment area covering 60% of the city. The most important destination of stormwater runoff , the river also became highly polluted with waste, which was discharged into the lagoon. The combination of waste from the Odaw River and industries and settlements on the shores of the lagoon led, by 2002, to it being described as "one of
55-464: The annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival . The previous chief Oblempong Nii Kojo Ababio V who had been chief for thirty-nine years. His death was officially announced in February 2018 This Greater Accra location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bukom Bukom is a village and suburb of Accra , the capital of Ghana . Bukom has produced
66-504: The area, which it believed was a source of pollution, but following protests, this did not take place. In 2007, Odaw River was diverted, its outflow now desilted, then passed directly into the gulf, through a kilometre-long outfall. 5°32′04″N 0°13′11″W / 5.5344°N 0.2196°W / 5.5344; -0.2196 Jamestown, Accra Located directly east of the Korle Lagoon , Jamestown and Usshertown are
77-478: The districts of Jamestown and Usshertown, referred to as " Ga-Mashie " with the inauguration of the 2015 Old Accra Strategy. The popular Azonto dance originated from Jamestown. The local language "Ga" is often spoken by the natives. Areas of Jamestown and Usshertown include Bukom , known for its boxing gyms; Adedainkpo, former home of the wealthiest African residents of Accra; Swalaba; Korle Woko (formerly also known as Ripponville); and Akoto Lante. Jamestown hosts
88-482: The harbour, James Fort, the Bukom district and Ussher Fort. Since World War II , a succession of plans to enhance the capital city have come with changes in government, some seeing improvements in Jamestown as a necessary part of the overall plan, and some treating such improvements as competing with the efforts to develop the central business district of Accra farther north. Currently, plans are afoot to re-develop
99-599: The most polluted water bodies on earth". At times of heavy rainfall, it was also flooding nearby areas. In the 1990s, the government established the Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project, aiming to restore the lagoon to a more natural state, reduce pollution, and increase water flow through it. Around this time, the unplanned settlement of Old Fadama was established on the banks of the lagoon, its population peaking at around 30,000. The government announced its intention to clear
110-466: The oldest districts of Accra , Ghana and emerged as communities around the 17th century British James Fort and Dutch Ussher Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast. These districts were developed at the end of the 19th century, and following the rapid growth of the city during the 20th century, they became areas of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use. Today, both Jamestown and Usshertown remain fishing communities inhabited primarily by
121-711: Was a matter of dispute whether this was the same group as the Onamorokor We. The settlement grew into Jamestown , now the western part of the city centre, and was an important source of fish until the 1950s. In 1961, the Government of Ghana assumed ownership of the lagoon. It dredged the water body and raised the level of some nearby land, to reduce the risk of flooding, then established industries on surrounding drained and reclaimed land—initially brewing and food processing, later car repairs and then electronic scrap processing at Agbogbloshie . The Korle Lagoon links to
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