Ghana Month: The story of Accra James Town

Jamestown, a popular community in Accra has been a hot bed of political and social activities from the struggle against British colonial rule to date.

The once vibrant community, some have argued, has lost its shine. A resident, Isaac Georges-Mensah says he moved to Jamestown from the Central Region in 1960.

He narrates how bustling and vibrant the community was.

‘’Jamestown was very good. It’s one of the best places to live in Accra here, but the moment they overthrew Kwame Nkrumah things changed entirely.’’

He says a lot of the country’s intellectuals hailed from Jamestown who together with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah valiantly fought for and won Ghana’s independence in 1957.

“If I remember those days, if you talk of this man from Jamestown, yes. But people thought they are vagabonds and those things but that’s a lie. Paa Lutherodt, Black Stars one of the leading players, from Jamestown, Dr. Quarcoopone, Dr. Odoi, and the lawyers thousand and one.’’

Also in Jamestown is the Ussher Fort Prison where Ghana’s first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was imprisoned for about a year. Jamestown was one of the communities in the Accra Central that voted for Dr. Nkrumah to win the parliamentary seat in the 1951 elections.

In spite of its rich political history, there is a debate about whether the town has kept its heritage. Isaac Georges-Mensah who spoke to the news team says the town’s heritage is lost indicating they have lost everything, including factories that kept them going.

‘’Before, we had a slaughterhouse and unfortunately it was broken down, it was demolished by ET Mensah during Rawlings era and they said they were going to build new one, but it was not. Before we have the Elder Dempster Shipping Lines, we have Piccadilly Biscuit Factory, we have Go – Ahead factory, we have so many factories, today none of them, only one factory is alive that is the M and G pharmaceuticals. There is no work here!

Other residents recount, Jamestown, was lit every given Independence Day. But today the story is different particularly with the demolishing of the Sea View Hotel which was the first hotel to be built in Ghana by the British.

‘’So many things were being held there, outdooring, weekend dance and many others…that was where we used to entertain ourselves but we don’t know what happened and the family we learnt sold it to somebody and later on they said they’ve sold it to Latter-Day Saints and it was demolished. Till today, we don’t have anything for entertainment, nothing.” He said.

The residents alleged their leaders have sold everything with just the sea remaining and wonder what they would leave for generations yet to come.

The indigenes say the present Jamestown has lost its shine and the youth also have no interest in education.

Indeed, Jamestown has a rich political history. Even though things might have changed, but some still argue that it remains a political hotbed because during the political season campaign rallies may not be complete without some being organized at the ‘Mantse Agbona’ park, which is in front of the Jamestown Chief’s Palace.

Read also:

Ghana’s independence story

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