Located directly east of the Korle Lagoon, Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts of the Ghanaian capital Accra and emerged as communities around the 17th century British James Fort and Dutch Ussher Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast.
These districts were developed at the end of the 19th century, and following the rapid growth of the city during the 20th century, they became areas of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use. Today, both Jamestown and Usshertown remain fishing communities inhabited primarily by the Ga.
Although in a state of decay, the districts are significant in the history of Accra which replaced Cape Coast as the capital of Gold Coast as a British colony in 1876. The original lighthouse was built at James Fort in 1871 and was replaced in the 1930s by the current tower, which is 28 meters tall. The lighthouse, which is 34 metres above sea level,has a visibility of 16 nautical miles, that would be 30 km. It overlooks the harbour, James Fort, the Bukom district and the Ussher.
Since World War II, a succession of plans to enhance the capital city have come with changes in government — some seeing improvements in Jamestown as a necessary part of the overall plan, and some treating such improvements as competing with the efforts to develop the central business district of Accra further north.
Currently, plans are afoot to re-develop the districts of Jamestown and Usshertown, referred to as “Ga-Mashie” with the inauguration of the 2015 Old Accra Strategy. The Popular Azonto dance originated from James Town. The Local Language “Ga” is often spoken by the natives. Areas of Jamestown and Usshertown include Bukom, known for its boxing gyms, Adedainkpo, former homes of the wealthiest African residents of Accra, Swalaba, Korle Woko, formerly also known as Ripponville, and Akoto Lante. Jamestown hosts as well the annual great Chale Wote Street Art Festival.
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