Jamestown – colonial masterpieces, great graffiti and its connection to Brazil.

British Jamestown was established in the 17th century and is next to Dutch Ussher Fort. Both of these lively communities enjoyed a period of rapid expansion during the 19th century as Accra grew as a city. You can, like many places in Ghana still find remnants from slavery.

Unfortunately the area has in more recent times fallen into disrepair but that is certainly part of its charm.

The city from what I understood, if in fact I did at all, is made up of chiefdoms and according to your name this will determine which chiefdom you come from. If you walk around you will find quite a few symbols dedicated to this. They seem to vary in sensitivity when it comes to taking pictures.

One of the main attractions is the 28 meter tall lighthouse built by the British in 1871. The fort next to the lighthouse served as a prison till 2008

In 1836 a rather curious event occurred in Jamestown, connected curiously enough to Brazil. One third of all slaves traded in Africa went to Brazil. In 1836 a British ship called SS Salisbury brought 70 Afro Brazilians back to Ghana. They couldn’t speak English so they would greet each other with “Como está?” to which the forthcoming reply was Ta bom. From this they would become known as the Tabom people.