Tour of Accra – ‘Freedom and Justice, AD 1957’

Don’t get too excited. There is not a lot to do in Accra and even less now that the national museum is closed, My tour was four hours. So lets get started!

Our first stop was the vast Independence Square which as the name suggests commemorates Ghana’s Independence from Great Britain in 1957. The square also known as Black Star Sq, was commissioned by Kwame Nkruma, Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President, to honour the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1961.

The Square can seat 30,000 people. Other notable features are the Independence Arch, Liberation Monument and the Asomdwee Park.

Despite its almost Stalinist proportioned monuments and vast expanse of concrete the place has a deserted feel to it. If you climb to the top of the arch you will be rewarded with a lovely view of not only the square and beyond but the national sports stadium.

A brief word about the Ghanaian flag as it was explained to me. Many of the African flags have the same colour combination. The red stands for blood as many African countries fought for their independence. The Yellow stands for the gold coast which was once the name for Ghana. The green stands for agriculture. The black star in the middle stands for black nation

Tinyteddy’s feedback: “The view was amazing. While I’m at it I just want to put the record straight about some rather insulting rumours that have been circulating about me, especially the one that I am some decorative little teddy brought out primarily for photo shoots. Heck no! In fact roll on the Kwame Nkrumah museum”