HCN’s first workshop in Africa has been commemorated in a poem entitled Arise and Build, written by Samuel Ohene, an 18-year-old participant from Akim Oda, Ghana. In part he wrote:

His poem demonstrates the enormous enthusiasm generated by workshop participants from Ghana and the U.S. as they worked together to conserve two sites. The first was the Ablekuma House, a former chief’s house in a village on the outskirts of Accra; and the second a colonial-era residence in the James Town historic area near the Accra harbor. One week was devoted to each site. HCN partnered with University of Georgia (UGA), Home Tours of Accra, Ghana and the Tour Operators Union of Ghana, and was joined by students and staff from the University of Ghana and local residents. A gathering at the invitation of the King of Accra, as head of the Ga Traditional Council of Accra, provided a regal start to the project.

The first week focused on the Ablekuma site. Twenty-six people joined the effort that week, a group comprised of students, professors, HCN participants & partners, local residents, and a member of the Ghana Museum and Monuments Board. They worked under the guidance of local architect George Tetteh, who is a strong advocate for use of traditional local materials in historic and contemporary buildings. The Ablekuma site consists of a one-story stone house and adjacent cemetery; its history has emerged in small fragments from chiefs, healers, and neighbors. The locals explained that Asufu, or Ablekuma Kwaku, a well known herbalist and healer, first occupied the house in 1828. Following his death, he was buried within the stone house as were other members of his family, a tradition believed to create a sustained connection between the family and their ancestors. Once this practice was no longer allowed, the cemetery was established outside the house for burial of local royalty.

The two objectives for the week were to rebuild the east wall of the house, which had collapsed earlier in 2007 and been replaced by a concrete block wall, and to clean the cemetery grounds, mark known graves, and begin construction of a wall to mark cemetery boundaries.

The house had been built by layering local stone on mortar mixed from equal parts of clay and sand with water. A pattern of horizontal banding resulted, with larger stones layered at the base and spaces chinked with small rocks. The first task facing the team was to carefully deconstruct the concrete block wall so that the blocks could be reused elsewhere in the village. Volunteers then sorted stones for the reconstruction by size and mixed mortar from readily available local materials. Participants quickly learned about proper masonry constructions techniques when the base of the wall began to bulge and had to be rebuilt. By the end of the week, however, they had completed the wall up to the windowsill level. George Tetteh will complete the wall with the help of local masons. Cemetery clean-up went well, and the group developed design guidelines to guide future work at the site and to help control development infringing on the site.

During the second week of the workshop, a group of five volunteers began preparing a condition assessment for the Naa Laingoye House, built c. 1890. Inspection and research revealed that the building was originally a residence, was at one time used for storage with a small living quarters for the workers, and more recently was used as a maternity home. The architecture is typical of colonial era buildings in the region, with an overhanging porch and open courtyard. Frederick Amekudi of the Ghana Museum & Monuments Board led the work. Participants worked out of Board offices at the partially restored Usher Fort. They identified the building’s major problems, and in addition, learned about the challenges faced in gaining support for building conservation in Ghana. It is hoped that this building will be the focus of hands-on conservation work next year to provide a positive example of the effective re-use of historic structures and pave the way for additional preservation work in James Town.

We would like to thank UGA students for preparing a thorough report of the Ablekuma project, and Sarah Hatcher for serving as HCN’s representative. Special thanks goes to Sam Baddoo of Home Tours for his determination in making this project such a success. Sam’s intense desire to save his country’s heritage continues to be the inspiration for this ongoing project.

more participant
comments...