The Tumultuous Relationship between Two Neighbors – The Sea and the Anlos

Having the sea as a neighbor is something most people wish for but do not have. Others have but are faced with the reality of its hostility: One such people are the Anlos of South-Eastern Ghana, in the Volta Region.

You would spark a very heated argument if you tell the younger generation that Keta was formally the capital of Volta Region. It was. With the beauty and its hospitable people, Keta was the pride of Anlo until the sea decided otherwise. Majority of the town is today buried under the sea. The people had to flee; and there was also no other choice than to move the capital far inland to Ho.

The sea becomes an uninvited guest mostly in the night: You feel the cold of lying in ‘a swimming pool’ if you slept on a mat. You wake up only to step into ‘a river’ and to your great surprise and fear, if you slept on a bed. Such is the nightmare of the people of Adina and Blekusu, especially.

The biggest and yet forgotten threat from the sea is at Agorkedzi in the Anloga Municipality. The topology of the land is such that if the sea buries that community then the whole Anloland will have a very big reason to worry.

Hostile takeover is like a hobby for the sea, if not checked. No matter the positive affirmations you give yourself, you will stand afar and point to the sea that your house was once there. Fuveme, the former neighboring town of Agorkedzi, could attest to that – it is now completely buried under the sea. A stranger will never believe a town was once there.

It is up to the stakeholders of the Anloland to come together and find a way to make a concerted effort towards saving their land, now or never. They have to contribute towards a lasting sea defence project; and also appeal to other stakeholders in Ghana and beyond.

The nature of the land at Agorkedzi is what makes it a matter of urgency. Failure to respond to that serious threat now will result in most of Anloland being affected before they know it.

Remember, it is the sea we are talking about here. Its harsh lessons should not be forgotten.

By Sylvo Ben-Afa