When tourism development began in Amedzofe, we were told it would create jobs. Years later, I am still waiting to see most of them. A few homestays have opened and there is some work for guides, but nearly everyone here still depends on farming.
Electricity has changed everyday life more clearly than tourism has. Once we had electricity, people could use refrigerators. Soon there were more bars where you could buy a cold drink. That may sound like a small change, but it was something everybody noticed.
Other services remain very basic. At the moment, there are only about twenty-five telephones for the entire community, so most people use public telephone booths. We collect water from the river each day and save rainwater when the season allows it.
Only a few homes have flushing toilets. Most families use pits, which eventually have to be emptied and carried away by truck. We have no proper rubbish collection. Waste is taken to several places in the bush and left there. The poor roads make public transport unreliable too.
When people say tourism will bring development, I think about ordinary things like clean water, good roads, telephones and waste collection.
One thing has remained unchanged: our land and houses are still owned by local people. A visitor from Germany has talked about building a hotel and restaurant, but I do not know whether that plan will happen.
Crime is hardly a problem here. Occasionally, somebody steals produce from a farm, but that is about as serious as it gets.
I also do not blame tourism for every social change. Our traditional ceremonies continue. More couples now live together before marriage, but I think television and contact with people from Accra have influenced this as much as foreign visitors have.
When white tourists first arrived, they were a real novelty. Children followed them through the streets shouting “obruni.” Visitors are no longer such an extraordinary sight, although children may still call out sometimes.
More people leave Amedzofe than move here. Most go elsewhere to look for work. The people who do come often say they like the quiet, the beautiful views and our cooler climate.
I expect tourism to grow. There are plans to rebuild the tourist office, add more accommodation and create construction work. I am not against these developments.
What makes me angry is the situation in the forest. Tourists may enter freely, while local people are told to stay out. I cannot understand why visitors have a right to use a place that is part of our own surroundings while we do not.
You should not make a distinction between visitors and residents, especially when these are our forests.
Tourists come to the waterfall because it is beautiful, but some leave rubbish behind. When their visit ends, we are still here and have to live with what they leave.
I welcome tourism and the jobs it may eventually bring. But development should happen with us, not around us. Please respect our right to the forest, and if you come to enjoy Amedzofe’s waterfall, take your rubbish away with you.