‘I’d Never Come if I knew Life in Accra was Going to be this Tough’

Warning: This is a disturbing peek into the daily struggles of an urban poor man who had migrated to Accra, Ghana's capital city, in search of economic opportunities. Accra's harsh urban environment is taking a toll on the city's youth. To survive in this harsh urban setting, a lot of young people have resorted to hazardous work. A 28 years old urban poor Ghanaian man recovers recyclable materials from the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant Eliah Kodom, 28 years old, had migrated to Accra from Nkoranza (near the center of Ghana) in search of job opportunities. It's been 4 years and he's homeless. "I'd never come if I knew life in Accra was going to be this tough," said Kodom, looking sternly at the ground in a regretful way. Kodom regularly swims in the Korle Lagoon to recover recyclable materials. The Korle Lagoonhttps://www.muntaka.com/korle-lagoon-fishing-plastic-pollution-ghana/ is recognized as one of the most polluted water bodies on earth. And Kodom couldn't have chosen the worst spot — he swam just by an Agbogbloshie e-waste dumpsite where e-waste components and broken CRT TV glass are discarded. The Korle Lagoon — near the center of Accra. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant A lot of the discarded e-waste parts and broken glasses get washed into the lagoon during rainfall events. And Kodom was barefooted. A young Ghanaian man swims in the polluted Korle Lagoon to recover recyclable plastics and cans. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant I spotted Kodom from afar swimming in the Korle Lagoon — near the Agbogbloshie bridge — to recover recyclable plastics and cans. A 28 years old urban poor man recovers recyclable plastics and cans from the Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka ChasantUrban poor man recovers recyclable materials from the Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant I grabbed some shots of him from afar before going closer. Youth poverty in Ghana: A 28 years old urban poor man trudges up from the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon after recovering recyclable materials. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant I then waited for him to come up from the Lagoon. Urban poor man displays cans and plastic materials he had recovered from the polluted Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant "All of this will earn me around GH₵7 (about $1.2)," he said, showing me what he had collected. Waste soda cans and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics. "The middlemen now have very little interest in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, so I go everywhere I can find cans and HDPE. I have been here for four (4) years now. What can I do? What can I do, eh?" Kodom Walked through Broken CRT TV Glass Strewn E-waste Dumpsite Barefooted An urban poor man walks barefooted through an e-waste dumpsite strewn with broken CRT TV glass. Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant Kodom had left his slippers near the Agbogbloshie bridge. He trod carefully through an area covered with discarded e-waste components and broken CRT TV glass. Let's zoom in to check out where Kodom landed his feet: An e-waste dumpsite covered with broken CRT TV glass, Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant Youth Poverty in Ghana Urban poverty in Ghana. Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant No young person anywhere in the world should have to engage in this hazardous work in order to buy food and clothes. Make no mistake — I take no pleasure in these sort of scenes. I'm tormented by them. I'm a part of this society. And capturing these urban realities is a way for me to convey the rough terrain of everyday struggles of people on the fringes of modern Ghana. I do regularly intervene — financially — in these sorts of situations. But my resources are limited. What else can I do? Copyright © 2021 Muntaka Chasant