Day in day out, there has been consistent admonition on striving to having quality health in various aspects of our lives as a people. Keeping one’s body in a very good shape is a way of improving the quality standards regarding health. The exercising culture is gradually permeating through the lifestyles of many in Ghana and it looks like Nima has embraced it to the fullest.
It will be very difficult to tell how come such an activity viewed as a luxury among wealthy communities has come to stay in a community generally not perceived to be opulent. Both the young and elderly are always fully engrossed in an activity they believe should be engaged in not less than twice each week. This means the mornings of their weekends are always already booked for that purpose.
An early morning jog from Nima to the sea coast of the Accra Independence Square is the preferred spot for many residents. This choice of destination could simply be due to the prospects of having an opportunity to swim in the sea. This has consequently brought about the emergence of fun clubs for the sole purpose of jogging to the beach and having aerobic sessions afterwards. Many; who are members of the various clubs, allude to the fact that the exercise sessions enhances the heart’s, veins’ and arteries’ ability to effectively circulate blood and oxygen throughout the body. After these sessions, many sit to cite the beautiful scene of the sea and feel its wonderful breeze giving a good tone for proper meditation and relaxation.
But wait! What’s going on along the shore? As I was having a rest, I could see lots of residents surrounding a small scale fisherman. It certainly looked like the fisherman had made some catches. Being that much curious, I moved towards the crowd to see why people in my neighborhood had encircled the fisherman. Upon getting nearer, what I saw marveled me. It was not due to the amount of fishes the fisherman had in his plastic bowl but the heap of rubbish trapped in his fishing net beside it.
Ranging from plastic bottles and polythene bags through to toffee and water rubbers, the filth was just an eye saw. Could this be just a glimpse of how badly managed our seas have been (considering the amount of rubbish I glaringly saw in the fishing net)? It was quite fascinating to realize that, the fisherman went on to sell a hand full of his catch to people around. What do you think will be the implications of eating fish from such polluted sources if not taken through rigorous cleansing processes? Food safety in that regard could definitely be compromised. Lest I forget, a hand full of people in my neighborhood as well allude to the fact that, whenever they go for a swim, spontaneously, they somewhat find themselves swallowing some of the sea water. But guess what, it takes not any effort whatsoever to spot heaps of garbage persistent along the coast.
Is it not due to the exciting activities carried out at the beach that gets people like myself wholly enticed to visit this particular location? Given the current levels of high pollution in our seas, is it not obvious that not only swimmers but also consumers of these fishes are prone to its consequence adverse negative effects? Though there are interventions in play to get the city of Accra generally devoid of such levels of pollution, our governmental institutions responsible for dealing with the sanitary conditions within our communities must reflect on this to serve as a wake-up call to putting in more efforts in salvaging the current situation.
Upon leaving the scene, there was just one phrase lingering through my mind. “What a Contrast”. From leaving Nima early in the morning to ensure having a good health to suddenly encountering such unhealthy conditions leaves a lot to be desired. This, however, shows how complex it is in dealing with various determinants of health among the persons who visit the beach for one reason or the other.
What are your thoughts, Dear!!
Peace