THE TALE OF AN ANGRY GODDESS

KORLE LAGOON

BY RANDA NAA DEI ASHIE

Once upon a time, traditions, superstitions, taboos and beliefs were a way of life and thus to an extent shaped and controlled the ways we lived and managed situations. Some of these superstitions and traditions protected our water bodies and forests as they were deemed sacred entities.

You are most likely reading this in the 21st century where everything is different, modernization and change is key in every aspect of our lives; maybe for good and maybe for worse. No one cares as much about superstitions and traditions.

Let me tell you the tale of a Lagoon which benefitted so much from superstitions and taboos until government took over its administration in 1961.Before then, the Lagoon I will be telling you about was solely managed by traditional authorities.

Ga oral literature has it that, the Korle Lagoon “the dirty smelly lagoon” situated in Accra, the capital of Ghana was clean and served as the source of water and home of aquatic species many years ago. It supported the people with tilapia, fin and shell fish which provided them with a source of income; fishing, fishmonging and fish trade.

Korle known in Ga culture as Naa Korle, is not seen as a mere lagoon, rather, it is believed to be a powerful female deity or goddess. It is therefore, assigned a dedicated priest known as Korle Wulomo responsible for invoking the spirit and performing rituals to appease it.

The lagoon is believed to be the first female child of the Ga state as it was already in the city before the Gas migrated from Israel through Nigeria to their present settlement, Accra. To establish this, the lagoon is traditionally called Dede Aboyoo; Dede representing the name of a first female child.

Oral history has it that during the Akatamanso war, the lagoon transfigured itself into a beautiful woman and visited the camp of the enemies, the Akans. She prepared a meal believed to be Kpokpoi; the traditional cornmeal of the Ga people prepared during the Homowo festival, served it to the hungry men, and lured them to eat it knowing very well it wasn’t well cooked. The meal she served upset the tummy of the enemies and purged them so much that they became weak and could not fight.

It is also said that before the KorleBu hospital was built, the lagoon covered the entire area where the hospital sits today. Space was needed for the hospital, and the lagoon being a mother who cares about her children listened to their woes. The community woke up one day to see that the lagoon had moved farther back and allowed space for the hospital to be built.

The people revered this deity so much, it was a taboo to do anything that was supposed to go against her likes or demands. Being a woman, she hated dirt, so much so that she was not supposed to be crossed with a corpse. Till today, it is evident that ambulances or hearse carrying dead bodies do not cross the lagoon, they rather divert to the road close to the sea to connect to their destination. It is believed that anyone who would try such would be dealt with accordingly; and no one is willing to incur her wrath which translated into introducing bad-luck into their families. In those times, inhabitants around her territory adhered strictly to her rules; there was no dumping of refuse into her, emptying of industrial waste or any activity termed filthy around her.

Today, it is said that Naa Korle is not happy with her people and wails a lot as she feels she has not been treated fairly after all the sacrifices she has done for her people.

Evidently, this same lagoon that used to be the habitat of all species of fish and fed its people with abundant fish not less than three times a year is choked with so much filth. The lagoon has become the dumping site of end products of human activities. Infact, it is classified as one of the most polluted lagoons on earth.

The essence of Naa Korle was her cleanliness; with her water was used for spiritual cleansing from illness and bad omen. Today, she is embarrassed that people cannot stand the pungent smell that emanates from her breath. Apparently, she is angry with her people for being an ungrateful lot. She fought for them when they needed it most, but they could not return the favour of protecting her physical body when she needed it. This pain and bitterness is believed to be the reason why through the help of her sibling River Odaw, she floods the city and destroys property as payback for the ingratitude showed her.

This assertion could be true, as it falls within paranormal realms. We should therefore not totally debunk it. However, fact based on empirical evidence is; flooding in the city is constantly on the rise in times of heavy rainfall. One of the main physical causes being the overflow of the Odaw river which has a catchment area of about 60% of the city; which is known to be connected to the Korle Lagoon. The Odaw river flows into the ocean through the Korle Lagoon. However, this major outlet has over time become shallow as it is choked with filth; largely plastics and silt, coming from unplanned settlements and industries around it. It cannot contain the filth introduced by inhabitants and industries yet alone double up as an outlet for another.

The result being terrible floods within the catchment areas. The city has no comprehensive storm management plan. Government has tried dredging the lagoon in an effort to regain its once clean state, but is that enough?

When tradition was revered and myths and taboos were believed and adhered to sacredly, people saw the need to desist from anything that went contrary to laid down practices. It was a taboo to throw garbage or any unwanted material into the lagoon; the consequences for such were nothing anyone wanted to experience. This helped with the sanity of the lagoon and its surroundings. However, due to modernization, over westernization and disregard for traditions, people have refused to revere the lagoon as a deity , rather a mere water body which can carry their waste at no cost and as such pollute it.

Just maybe, if with the help of traditional leaders, taboos are reintegrated into society and inculcated into the upcoming generations and measures put in place to enforce it, the lagoon will get better; flooding will reduce, and people will be more at peace when it rains.

Just maybe Naa Korle will be clean again, smell better, eventually forgive her people and stop destroying lives and property.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rebecca Bliklen on Unsplash