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Opinions of Monday, 31 May 2010

Columnist: GNA

A night at Amedzofe

A Ghana News Agency colour by Mustapha Arhin

Accra, 30 May. GNA- Nestled between the highlands of the Volta Region of Ghana is Amedzofe, known by its indigenes as the home of humanity. It holds a lot of fascination and excitement, which one would never know until the arduous yet exciting journey is made to the mountain top. Three hours in a vehicle from Accra would deliver one to the peak of Amedzofe which has a natural beauty of mountainous features manifested in the form of valleys, waterfalls, canyons and cliffs all enveloped in a cool serene climate.

On the long roll of the Akwapim-Togo range is Mountain Gemi and the humming waterfalls on the Ote River as well as the Tefi-Atome monkey sanctuary.

Amedzofe is a compact settlement, 36 kilometres North-West of Ho, the capital of the Volta Region. It is believed to be the highest place of human inhabitation in Ghana and that one can not walk a distance of 20 metres in any direction without descending or climbing a slope. Amedzofe is steeped in Ewe tradition but harbours vital secrets and relics of German colonial rule.

This historic town has a training school which was built in 1880 by Germans Missionaries, a metal cross erected at the summit of Mount Gemi by the Germans, a magnificent E.P church building and the missionary cemetery which have all been preserved till date.

On a clear day, one can view Mount Gemi, the second highest mountain in Ghana and beyond it are the Kwahu plateau and the hills of Leklebi and Akpafu. The expansive Volta Lake stretches at its foot. The scenery at night is exciting; Vokpo, Anfoe and Kpando and other towns can be seen lighted up in the dark. The government house, which legend has it tha t, Gen. Kutu Acheampong once hid from his captors, still stands in Amedzofe. It is an unbelievable and historic site for tourist attraction. A local dance troupe sang, drummed and danced the night away as the dews from the nearby clouds whipped the brows of the visitors which included Mr. Kobby Acheampong, Deputy Minister of Tourism, who had gone there to launch an NGO that would tell the story of this well-endowed community to the rest of the world.

At the end, they shouted:" Weizor!" to wit, welcome, a word they would spend on any worthy visitor who brave the trails through the lush greenery to the mountain top of Amedzofe. 30 May 10.