The unique floating village of Nzulezo in Ghana

The floating village of Nzulezo is located on Lake Tandane, in western Ghana. The village's name originates from a local word, specificallynzema- meaning "water surface". Located 300km from Ghana's capital Accra, this village has coexisted with nature and is a perfect symbiosis between humans and Mother Earth for centuries.

Currently, more than 500 people live in Nzulezo, where everything from preparing meals to children going to school takes place on the water.

According to John Arthur, an elder in the community, after a war for fertile land and gold with the Mande people in West Africa, the first inhabitants of Nzulezo migrated from Mali to the area in the 15th century. Legend says that the ancestors of the Nzulezo people were guided to Lake Tandane by a deity who appeared in the form of a snail and advised them to build houses on the water for safety and security.

stilt house tourism

For centuries, the inhabitants of Nzulezo have lived in houses built from raffia palm branches.

According to local guide David Blay, nowadays each family in Nzulezo owns its own street, named after the head of the family. Furthermore, because dugout canoes are the only means of transportation here, each family member typically has their own canoe. For example, a family of three might have three canoes.

One of the factors that attracts tourists from all over the world to this village on the water is the local gin called Akpeteshi, made from raffia palm.

Blay shared: "Tourism here started about 20 years ago. Most people come to explore different towns in Ghana and stop by here to sample our wine. They find it different and tastier than wine from other places."

Included in the list of prospective World Heritage sites, Nzulezo is also known for its many extremely rare species of turtles, monkeys, and crocodiles.

In particular, locals often benefit from the charitable contributions of tourists. Blay said, "Visitors often buy food and souvenirs. Many also bring gifts to support our community."

Ancient customs and the modern world

Over the centuries, while maintaining a traditional lifestyle, the people of Nzulezo have gained access to modern amenities such as electricity, meaning they no longer rely on kerosene or lanterns. In addition, the people of Nzulezo are petitioning the local government to build them a 24-hour healthcare facility.

Eckah Ebuley, one of the few nurses caring for the sick in the village, said that people often have to travel 5km by boat whenever they want to see a doctor. He said, "Women in labor need to go to the health station to give birth. But we also have to tell them not to wait until then to go to the health station, because that would be too late."

Transportation was also a problem. Ebuley said, "Sometimes we had to wait at the dock and no boats came, other times the boats were late. And when we were late, the patients got fed up with waiting and went home."

insufficient teachers

Because it's located on the water, recruiting teachers for the children in Nzulezo is extremely difficult. Evans Cudjoe, the headmaster of the village's only primary school, says that new teachers recruited by the government never return to the community after their first visit.

He said, "After their first visit to our village, they never returned because they were afraid of being adrift on the lake."

Cudjoe has been teaching in Nzulezo for nine years, and he believes those teachers lack the motivation to stay. He said, "There are no safety subsidies or protective equipment here. If the government could provide those things, they would be willing to come here to teach."

According to Cudjoe, despite facing many difficult challenges, some of his students left Nzulezo to pursue higher education, even attending university and having bright futures.

However, although the residents of Nzulezo are willing to meet some modern needs, they still feel the need to maintain their traditional way of life.

John Arthur shared: "Our life here is very comfortable. We cook, live, and have plenty of our own recreational activities, and so do the children. We lack nothing that we have on the mainland. We want to stay with this lifestyle and this village."

Hai Anh