ThroughHerEyes #1 — Documenting the human impact of COVID-19 lockdown in Ghana
A photo essay by photographer Fibi Afloe
#ThroughHerEyes is a new monthly column dedicated to sharing the stories and perspectives of under-represented women. Each month, photographers from the Lensational network share their visual work and perspective on Azickia’s website. Azickia are a foundation aiming to support social innovation, solutions-journalism, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
On March 23rd, 2020, a partial lockdown in the cities of Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, brought a halt to economic activity, making it difficult for a large section of the population to cope as the days passed.
Needing to fight for daily survival and to stay safe from contracting the virus, families living in slums, like Nima, in Accra, had to perform the balancing act of limiting their movements, and maintaining social distance in overcrowded households.
Fibi Afloe, a young photographer from Nima, chronicled the daily lives of the people in her community, as restrictions were enforced to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ghana.
“I sometimes feel it is dangerous to be out there shooting. And it breaks my heart to see women and children struggling to survive by the day as economic activities were suspended, and mothers carrying babies on their backs, waiting in long queues for hours for food donations and other essentials” says Fibi.
“We are facing a lot of uncertainties during this time, and most people, including myself, feel powerless. Picking up my camera to document our struggle at this time gives me strength; it is an opportunity for me to tell the story of the people, as they try to cope with the pandemic.”
Considering the risk to expose herself to the virus, Fibi has been trying to follow health guidelines and governmental directives whenever she steps out to document stories.
“I wear a face mask whenever I leave my house and I use my hand sanitizer as frequently as possible. Instead of a handkerchief I use a tissue, instead of a commercial bus I take a taxi. Upon arrival at my house, I immediately wash my hands, take a shower, and clean all of my gear.”
Deserted city
3 April 2020. An empty street in one of Accra’s otherwise busiest commercial districts, as Ghana enforces a partial lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
17 April 2020. A deserted market in Accra.
18 April 2020. A deserted market in Accra.
Many shops, restaurants, and service providers in Accra have tried to introduce alternative solutions to stay in business.
Prevention
After the lockdown was first announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo on March 23rd, 2020, markets in Accra were closed for disinfection intervention.
The workers of Zoomlion, a major waste management company, took to the empty streets of Accra to collect garbage.
Some of the mosques in Nima district were disinfected, too.
Support for the Kayayei
The Kayayei, young women and girls who work as head porters, have been amongst the hardest hit groups, feeling most severely the impact of measures against COVID-19.
The Kayayei usually migrate from Northern Ghana to the capital in the hope to find work and support their families back home. They typically live close to the markets, often in overcrowded shelters.
The imposed lockdown restrictions made life for the Kayayei rather unbearable. Since the lockdown, they have been relying on food donations.
Private organizations and NGOs work to support the survival of the Kayayei. Despite all efforts, some of the head porters were not able to receive food packages due to a shortage of supplies in relation to a large number of women in need.
Challenges for market women
In April, the market around the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) in Accra had to be closed due to non-adherence to social distancing protocols introduced.
Market women who did not observe social distancing were told by the Government they were not allowed to sell at the market until further notice.
Nonetheless, some of the women ignored the order, and came to the market to sell their products. Many are depending on their daily income to feed their families. Police presence was increased to enforce regulations.
Protection
On April, 19th, 2020, the President lifted the partial lockdown. In the meantime, some other measures have also been relaxed, including the reopening of churches, and partly educational institutions, as long as they adhere to strict COVID-19 prevention protocols.
As COVID-19 cases are still rising in Ghana, it is crucial that people do their best to protect themselves and others.
Through these Stories, Azickia aims to highlight social impact initiatives, in France and around the world, while not necessarily adhering to all the opinions and actions implemented by them. It is and will remain in Azickia’s DNA to fight against all forms of discrimination and to promote equality for all.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 France License.
Originally published at https://stories.azickia.org on June 25, 2020.
