THE ADAMS BUILDING: NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND by TRUST IMAGES

THE ADAMS BUILDING

NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND

THE ADAMS BUILDING

THE GARDEN CITY ANTHOLOGY

NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUD

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JÖRG HILLEBRAND

T S U R T

S E G A IM

KUMASI, A WEST-AFRICAN CITY IN GHANA THE ADAMS BUILDING The “Adams Building” is an uncompleted multi-storey building in Kumasi, Breman UGC. Breman is a typical residential suburb in the metropolitan area. ASHANTI Kumasi is the capital of an ancient West-African empire: Ashanti. At the peak of its power, this Empire occupied large parts of present day Ghana and Ivory Coast. Kumasi is the centre of the Ashanti culture. This culture still plays an important role in everyday life in Kumasi. As the capital of the Ashanti region and with the Asantehene’s palace in the centre of the city, Kumasi has been a powerful alternative locus of political power to Accra and often a focus of political opposition. INFORMAL CITY Petty trading and informal sector businesses form the base of Kumasi’s economy and they probably represent over 70 per cent of employment in Kumasi. Adaptation and the use of public space is therefore a very common feature in Kumasi. Hawking and street vending is present throughout the city. Small kiosks which house little shops, chop bars (places to eat), sewers, barbers and many more are an urban element of every street. ECONOMIC NETWORK Kumasi is often regarded as the commercial capital of Ghana, with its Kejetia market rivalling Onitsha in Nigeria as West Africa’s largest open-air market. Part of Kumasi’s relative prosperity derives from the timber forest of the surrounding region and natural resources such as gold, rubber, cacao and bauxite but it is also renowned for its local enterprise and artisan skills, particularly in the areas of vehicle engineering and furniture-making, which serve clienteles from surrounding countries. CONGESTION, DISCONNECTION AND POLLUTION Traffic congestion is a major issue in Kumasi. Even outside rush hour, it can take a long time to reach a nearby destination. This congestion coincides with a large amount of smog and air pollution, worsened by the bad condition of the old vehicle stock. Congestion, however, is not the only problem for public transport in Kumasi. Many roads are not paved or well maintained; certainly during the rain season, this creates inaccessibility and disconnection for certain areas of the city. EXPLOSIVE POPULATION GROWTH Kumasi has known an enormous explosion in growth over the last decades. Today, Kumasi has a population of about 2 million people. It is the second biggest city in Ghana. With a grow rate of over 3,5 percent per annum, it is today growing much faster than the capital Accra. CLIMATE The Ashanti region is located in a tropical forest zone. The city therefore knows heavy tropical rainfalls alternated with periods of drought. Deforestation, erosion and frequent floods are important issues in Kumasi. Kumasi is located above an increased soil water level. Many small rivers origin in the area around Kumasi. This makes water pollution, also of the subsoil water, a serious environmental problem.

a precolonial Ashanti building,

THE ADAMS BUILDING: NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND Kumasi 2014 aka the GARDEN CITY is a rapidly growing city in Ghana with approximately two million citizens. The NEW HIPIC (The World Bank debt initiative for highly indebted poor countries) is around. After a long period of constant economic growth Ghana undergoes a massive depression. Nothing works. Corruption and mismanagement rule the country and as it seems more hardships are yet to come. People are tired. The atmosphere is tense. Daily routines for an ordinary citizen are difficult to manage and time-consuming. For 10 weeks I followed the news carefully. Everyday is full of BAD NEWS, SEMITRUTHS and FAKE PROMISES from government and opposition sources spread by the media. Ghana at present is an anarchic democracy, where existing laws don´t apply much anymore and the ruling elites fill their pockets. Badly needed foreign investments ceased to flow into the country. There is high unemployment all over. Many young people are engaged in various hustling activities simply because there are no alternatives. When I came there I encountered a high level of frustration especially among the younger generation. Fairly educated, but with no professional background, they are hardly given any opportunity to build up a professional career. This generation represents a growing subculture in modern-day Ghana. I met Kofi Adams and his friends in 0ctober 2014 and joined them for about a month. They stay at “THE ADAMS BUILDING“ in Kumasi, Breman UGC, which is a typical ghanean residential suburb in the metropolitan area. The house was built by a German „bugger“ (a Ghanean living overseas) some years ago and has been neglected since then. Kofi Adams was hired as a watchman to take care of the building and the attached land. He lives there together with his wife Sallah and their son Francis and uses the land for farming in order to maintain himself and his family. They have access to well water, but not to electricity. Their lifestyle looks like a modern renaissance of President Acheampong´s campaign in the 1970ies, the “OPERATION FEED YOURSELF“, a governmental program aimed at developing self-reliance in agriculture for the rural population. Kofi Adams lives an independent life. He is a self-made farmer in the city and manages the land in a sustainable way. Around 5.00 pm, before „DUMSOR“ (regular power outages which have been lasting for over the past three years) hits the homes and streets and the sound of generators begins to fill the air, Kofi starts to prepare the daily dinner at his fireplace from his home-grown crops. Around that time neighborhood friends join him. The place serves as their local communication centre, where they share food and ideas. The food is rich and affordable, compared to what is available on the streets. Together they live a disillusioned and sort of „underground“ life without getting themselves much involved into the hustle and bustle of the Metropolis.

list of illustrations

The Adams Building, as it is known in the neighborhood, belongs to a ghanean businessman living in Germany. After six years of neglection upon further completion, the rumour is that he lost interest in the building because of his multiple other business activities in Ghana. His nickame is “Dirty Billion aire”. After my return to Germany I was able to confirm his identity, but never talked to him person ally. I delivered Kofi Adams phone number to him, but he has not shown any interest to contact him.

Breman UGC with buildings in various stages of construction

Kofi Adams and his son Francis together with Kofi

The uncompleted house

Apart from Adam´s bedroom all rooms in the building are unused.

Francis with friends, when they couldn´t go to school. Their teachers were on a nationwide three weeks strike.

Two of friends from Adams have permission to do their laundy.

Under the tree

09 Watchman and Akwasman celebrating “one week” after a close friend´s recent death, which is a part of ghanean funeral ceremonies. Akwasman suffers from a splinter shoulderbone-break after a traffic accident. The car sped off. He can´t afford necessary medical treatment. He used to work in Suame Magazine. 10

Adams chats with a neighborhood girlfriend.

Adams weeds the land.

After one week Adams burns the weed for the beginning of a new growing season. A friend lights the fire to mourn over his friend´s death.

Watchman works on a palm tree. He will collect the juice to produce “Apeteshie”, a local hard-liquor.

Adams caught some snails for the daily evening dinner.

Francis´ playground

Gyamfi is the bartender of “Full Circle Pub, a nearby drinking-bar.

Jason coming for dinner and exchange of latest gossip.

Kwame, a neighbour. He is a welder, who works in Suame Magazine.

Yaw, a former black-market foreign exchange dealer

Mr. Watch. He works as a nightwatchman.

Akwasi pounding fufu

Adams kitchen

Sallah, Adams´wife. She works as a street seller.

Aisha, Adams siter, visits her brother from her home village in the Ashanti Region.

Inside Breman UGC

Four young men with their tools looking for work by the roadside.

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A group of young men Area boys

29 Another uncompleted building. A boy offers a pair of shoes for sale. Many of the buildings belong to expatriates. It is common practice to ask neighboring residents to guard their houses in their ab- sence 30

Manuel and his friends at their favorite hangout place. They claim to be internet fraudsters.

Peter, who can hardly be seen without his mobile phone in his hands.

Daniel, an early school dropout.

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A tailors´ workshop during a power-outage, which forces the owner to use his generator and allows others to enjoy the light.

Kofi Adams

Aisha grinds some pepper.

Hiding from the rain while the lights are off. Fufu is pounded.

News from the radio

The fireplace

Aisha came back late from town in her working dress.

Akwasi Oppong´s mansion in Breman UGC. He is one of Kumasi´s most successful constuctors.

George aka “Destroyer”, a nickname given to him by his first teacher. He was born in Maryland, USA. His ghanean mother sent him back to Ghana at the age of 13.

Thanks to Kofi Adams, Prosper Morrison, Sallah, Aisha, Francis, Mr. Aboloway, Mr. Watch, Akwasman, Manuel, Akwasi and all the others who contributed to this work. Kumasi, November 2014 © Jörg Hillebrand

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