I have been to Akosombo before, and I still think of how beautiful and vibrant that place is. Most people know Akosombo by the dam; this dam is vital as it supplies electric power to most parts of Ghana. The lake behind it, Lake Volta, is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. But what is not spoken about is the life around this lake, especially on the days when there is a market.
Lake Volta is not simply a lake to power machines; it is a reality of life to real people while giving water, fish, and employment to families. The towns around the lake depend on it daily. Upon my visit to Akosombo, I saw this for myself, notably on a market day. Market days in Akosombo are typically Monday and Thursday.
On market days, the market, and the area around the lake, is literally transformed. It becomes vibrant, colourful, and full of energy. Before the sun rises, the fishermen return from fishing, to the lake in their wooden canoes. They have been fishing all night long. You would witness men bringing their boats slowly to shore, loaded with fresh fish - tilapia, catfish, and much more.
Not long after the fishermen land, some of the women would arrive. They arrive bearing large bowls and baskets (either carried on their heads or held by hand), and with many children (some to help, some just to follow). They will begin to sort the fresh fish and clean on the side of the lake. A procession of fires will be built and a few women are use traditional smoking methods to smoke the fish. A mix of smoke and fish fills the air.
It is not strictly about selling fish. It is a whole system. Some women who go there are buyers, some are sellers, some just smoking the fish, and some women just carry fish to the main market in town. Everyone around understand their roles and move solidly and quickly with a sense of pride. There is not so much noise, but there is constant movement. You will hear people talking, laughing, and helping others to move their goods.
Some children will be running around while some others perhaps will be filling water jars for the women, and others just sitting near their mothers, watching, and learning like children do. By mid-morning the place will be alive. There are fish bowls everywhere with fresh and smoked fish. The buyers from nearby town have come to stock their stores. Trucks are pulling up to transport fish to larger marketplaces.
All of this happens around the lake. On such occasions everything feels normal. There is no big companies around to run things just a collection of people...working, sharing, taking what the lake has provided. On that day I began thinking differently about the lake than just generating hydro power. There was food, family, working people, survival as a lifestyle on that lake.
The same water that is turning the turbines at the dam is moving with most canoes filled with hope. Akosombo is not just a place of power generation, it is a place of life where life moves as work moves every day...especially on market days. It's a nice town to visit if you happen to be in Ghana. Don't just vist the the dam if you go there but go to the lakeside, meet the people and feel the rhythm. That is where the story is.