A small slice of life in Ghana's inner cities.

It is interesting to watch Accra wake up. It is around 5:30 AM, and barley light. I sit on the second story balcony of the sanitarium overlooking a very small portion of Accra. The lady across the street is busy sweeping up after the partiers that hung around her little 6X12 shanty where she lives and works. One of her boys is busy bathing himself out at the edge of the street, and soon the younger boy and then the 5 year old daughter. The two older daughters and she are more discreet about their bathing. Where they all sleep in that little shanty baffles me, especially considering the shelving for all the bottles of booze that she sells. Soon she will be busy doing the laundry, she has much laundry as there are six children and her husband. Her husband is rarely there, when he is there, things tend to get violent between them. Another group of partiers is starting to show up and it is not yet 6:15 AM. It is often a good thing they are there as they get in the way of her husband when he gets violent. Out of her little shanty she sells alcohol and tobacco, and things I hesitate to talk about, because they are illegal, although unless someone complains the police will do nothing about it. Even if someone does complain they, the police, are usually paid a small sum and they go away.

Main market in Accra on Christmas eve.