Stories from the Ghanaian Coast // fringe ensemble

Stories told by locals on the Ghanaian coast are often about fishing, processing and selling fish. No wonder, as fish is the main source of food for large parts of the population and traditional fishing is the livelihood of around ten percent of the people who live here. For a long time, the Ghanaian coast was one of the richest in fish in Africa. However, the country now has to import the protein-rich food from abroad - for its own population, who can hardly afford the high prices, if at all.

The lives of Ghana's local fishermen have become precarious. In addition to overfishing by international companies, the consequences of environmental pollution and the climate crisis are threatening their livelihoods. Storm surges and rising sea levels are destroying their living and working space.

"Stories from the Ghanaian Coast" lets the indigenous fishermen and their families have their say. In the fishermen's songs, which they sing during their work, especially when hauling in the nets, they talk about their current situation, their life on and from the sea.

For our performance in Cape Coast, we are working with the songs, film footage and the stories told to us in interviews. The ensemble includes some of the fishermen, Ghanaian actors and musicians.

In Bonn, we are using the edited material for a lecture performance with a German actor and two Ghanaian artists living in Germany.