Gold coast fishermen bringing a boat back

The Gold Coast in todays Ghana in West Africa was first colonized by the Portuguese in 1482 and known as the Portuguese Gold Coast. In 1642 it became the Dutch Gold Coast and in 1871 it became the British Gold Coast.

In 1957 the Gold Coast was given independence as part of Ghana.

The area was renown for trade in gold, grains, ivory and pepper.

The story behind this photograph

To the west of the Gold Coast was an area known as the Ivory Coast and to the east an area known as Slave Coast. Long before the Portuguese arrived slavery and the trade in Slavery existed amount local chiefs and kings.

Today the Gold Coast is one of Ghana’s most popular tourist destinations. The area has several old colonial buildings and fortifications. I visited many and was impressed with the level of preservation there. However, much of the information is based on the history of colonial slavery and not on pre-colonial history nor the trade routes or battles fought there afterwards.

Fishing along the coast is now a major form of food and income for locals. Every morning and late afternoon old fishing boats that look like large rowing boats are dragged from the beach into the sea by the Akan fishermen. The boats are used for net fishing along the Gold Coast. A far cry from big game fishing of yellow Tuna, marlin and big eye fish.

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