Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea in the belly of West Africa, just a few degrees north of the equator. The name Ghana literally translates to "chiefs' land," gaining independence from the British in 1957 through the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah. Ghana is comprised of ten different regions and six main ethnic groups, totaling almost 18 million Ghanaians who are renowned across the globe for their warm, hospitable nature and rich cultural heritage.

click to enlarge Located in the Western Ahanta Region, Cape Three Points, now home to the Trinity Yard School, is a small fishing village situated on the southern most point of the country. The beaches, rocky points, and vistas along the coastline are some of the most beautiful and pristine in all of West Africa. The beaches are nesting grounds to many species of sea turtles, migrating humpback whales, and dolphins, while the trees along the beach are home to colorful hornbills and Mona monkeys. Surrounded by the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve to the north, steep coastal hills to the west, and a tidal river to the east, the village has existed, thus far, untouched by the development evident in many other parts of Ghana.

click to enlargeNzema people, most of who are fisherman and farmers, inhabit the village of Cape Three Points. Nestled in the picturesque rolling hills and fertile farmland of three rocky points jutting out to the sea, the village is made up of a grouping of mud and concrete dwellings, with no more than 125 homes on the central point.

click to enlargeThe men of the village use large nets and beautiful wooden boats with outboard motors, as well as smaller hand-paddled canoes in their daily trips out to sea. The fisherman return home in the afternoons with their catch to a beach full of women who then take the fish to fry, smoke, dry, or resell. At night, the boats line the western beach of the village, resting in the sand with the goats, sheep, and the many villagers who take advantage of the cool sea breezes. At first light, the fishermen push their boats out into the surf and cast their nets and lines out into the Gulf of Guinea.

click to enlarge The villagers' livelihood is primarily one of subsistence; they grow what they need and trade and sell the rest. The main traditional dish in the area is "fufu," which is boiled cassava and green plantains mashed together into a type of dough and then served with tomatoes, hot pepper, and fish, if its available. At any given household, on any given night you will find the same meal being prepared with slightly different flavors with exception, of course, being festival time. In November of each year, the Kundum festival celebrates another year of harvest under the chief's rule. The normally quiet, clay paths of the village transform into high-energy stages for music, dance, theater, and traditional sermons of thanksgiving lasting for seven days.

click to enlarge There is one main source of potable water in the village, which is a hand-pump, well installed by the non-profit organization, World Vision. In the morning and evening, most of the villagers take their aluminum basins to the well to collect water for cooking and drinking. Even the smallest children carry basins of water balanced on top of their heads, carefully stepping over the rocky paths back to their outdoor kitchens. Food is cooked over open fires of both wood and charcoal, and is served in dishes shared by two or more people using the traditional method of eating with just your right hand, without utensils. It is normal for there to be only one meal a day, so children who are hungry often make traps for crabs and search for snails and clams in the low tides to supplement their diets.

click to enlarge There is no electricity in the village and most families use kerosene lamps for cooking and bathing after dark. The solar-powered lighthouse, rebuilt by the British in 1920's, remains as the only real tourist attraction to the few travelers who make it down the long road to the village. Although Cape Three Points is part of the Heritage Trail that connects historical landmarks in the area, few travelers find their way along the coastal path. The road along the coast from the east, which would logically connect Cape Three Points to Akwidaa, is blocked by a tidal river which cars cannot cross, making travel to Cape Three Points very difficult. The road to Cape Three Points travels inland through a number of villages located on the southern boarder of the forest. The conditions along the road are extremely rough and, during the rainy season, it is impassable after a heavy storm.

Three kilometers to the north of the village is the forest reserve, the last protected primary coastal forest in Ghana. It is sanctuary to many endangered species of birds, monkeys, and butterflies. The 51,102 square kilometer forest, declared a reserve in 1949, is abundant in many varieties of tree species and medicinal plants, with collections dating back to 1780. Though the forest has endured some illegal timber harvesting and gold mining, it remains fairly well protected.

click to enlargeCape Three Points has recently been a focus of attention in a discovery of offshore oil. Rumors have circulated that the village will be moved a few hundred yards back from the beach, and rebuilt with cement housing, electricity, and a new road for the villagers. The current village location would be bulldozed and turned into barracks for oil workers, and the beach that is now home to all the fishing boats would be used for the workers' marine transportation to and from the oil platform. Though there is yet to be clear evidence that this will happen, it is still a compelling reason to establish a thriving educational trades center for the youth in the area, in an attempt to avoid exploitation and create a more sustainable future.