On Teshie’s beach in the early morning, crews push wooden canoes into the surf as they have for generations. A few kilometres inland, carpenters are shaping a coffin into a giant fish, and at the edge of town soldiers march on a training ground. Teshie, on the eastern coast of Accra, is a traditional Ga town that has absorbed the city without losing its identity.
A Ga fishing town
Teshie is one of the six traditional Ga towns of the Accra coast, alongside Ga Mashie (central Accra), Osu, La, Nungua and Tema. It has its own chief, the Teshie Mantse, and its own customs and festivals. According to tradition, Teshie was founded by people who moved from La, and the two towns still share close family and ritual ties.
Fishing remains important. Canoes land their catch on the beach, where women buy, smoke and sell the fish. The fishing economy faces pressure from declining fish stocks and competition from industrial trawlers.
Homowo and the coffin workshops
Teshie celebrates Homowo, the Ga harvest festival, with its own rituals, a ban on drumming before the festival, and a procession and feasting during it. Kpokpoi, the festival dish, is shared with family and visitors. Teshie and Nungua often celebrate together. Teshie is famous for fantasy coffins, figurative coffins shaped like fish, cars, aeroplanes and other objects. The tradition is associated with the carpenter Seth Kane Kwei and his successors, and workshops can still be visited along the main road.
The military, local government and growth
The Teshie area hosts military facilities, including the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the military academy. The army presence has shaped parts of the town’s economy. Teshie falls under the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly, often called LEKMA, which covers Teshie and surrounding areas. As Accra expanded east, Teshie absorbed new residents. Estates, shops and schools spread around the old town. Traffic on the Teshie-Nungua road has grown heavy.
Challenges and the beaches
Teshie faces challenges common to coastal towns: coastal erosion, flooding, crowded housing in the old town and youth unemployment. Land disputes between families and chiefs also occur. The coastline includes beach resorts and spots popular with locals at weekends. Teshie is now part of greater Accra, yet it still runs on its own calendar of festivals, fishing seasons and family obligations. That double life is what makes it one of the city’s most interesting towns.
