Alakple is a town in the Keta Municipality of the

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. This town is situated along the south western part of the Keta lagoon. The bust of the prominent African American boxer

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

is planted at the junction along the

Anloga Anloga, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a town in Keta District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana. It lies east of the Volta River and just south of the Keta Lagoon. Education * Keta Senior High Technical School * A ...

and

Dabala Dabala is a town in the Volta Region of Ghana. The town is known for the Dabala Secondary Technical School. The school is a second cycle institution. Dabala is also known for its strategic market known as the Dabala Market. This market is highl ...

road. That road leads to Alakple. This town is prominent for the historical role it plays in the area. It is the home of the Nyigbla, 'god of war' who rode on horseback. The major clan in the town is Ameawo who are the custodians or clan responsible for nugbidodo 'settling disputes'. They are also believed to have control of all palm trees in Anloland. As custodians of Torgbi Nyigbla there are many taboos related to their dressing and

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

. for instance they are forbidden to wear shirts or blouse and sandals within the

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

History

It is believed that the people of Alakple who are from the Amea clan arrived in Anloland before Torgbi Wenya's arrival in Anloga. The founder of the Ameawo clan was Mahu Ahafia. Alakple had a large influx of Ga Dangme refugees who escaped the Akwamu wars of the 17th century. Majority of the refugees migrated from Lakpleku. The migrants gave the name Alakple to their new settlement in reference to their old settlement of Lakpleku. Lakpleku is related to Ladoku, Labadi and Larteh Akwapim. The totem of the Ameawo clan is Avutsu (male dog). This was a fetish that was given to the people of Alakple by Tsali (a mystic man from Tsiame and founder of Tsiame clan) to protect the people from the attack of wild animals.

Taboos

* Wearing of shirts, blouses/tops and sandals is prohibited within the Torgbi Nyigbla shrine * It is a taboo for the people of Alakple to shout loud with the intention of drawing attention to ones woes, * It is a taboo to whistle in Alakple town * It is a taboo to fry fish with palm kernel oil * The Amee clan members do not eat smoked crab * Amee clan members do not eat crocodile * It is a taboo to bring or rear or keep a dog in Alakple. Amee clan members are not to be touched by a dog; when touched, they have to touch back with their feet otherwise they suffer from a dreadful skin disease

Slave trade

It was reported that people of Alakple took part in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

which transpired in

Anlo The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana; meanwhile, a majority of Ewe are located in the ...

hence as the terms of peace signed by the Danes with the Anlo on 18 June 1784, after the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

had burnt Anlo settlements like Atokor, Whuti, Alakple,

, Woe and Tegbee, the Danes inserted a provision which required the Anlo "to deliver up to ten sons of their principal people as hostages to assure the carrying out of the terms, the hostages to be sent out of the country as

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in the event of the breach of the treaty."

Occupation

The natives are noted for their fishing activities in the Keta Lagoon and in the creeks which enter the lagoon such as the Todzi. They are also important crafts men noted for their entrepreneurial skills. Poultry farming and bird rearing are undertaken in almost every household which are sold in Anloga and Keta Markets. During the dry season the women take part in weaving of straw mats for sale in the Keta Market.

Prominent people from Alakple

* Hon Clement Humado is the Member of Parliament of the Keta Constituency. He was born in 1953 in this town since his parents are natives of Alakple. * Torgbi Kporku III is prominent in business and consultancy and is the Dufia of the town. He was the consultant for the Keta Sea Defense Project. He was the Ambassador to Japan during the reign of our late father Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.. May his soul rest in peace * Lt Col

Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka Born (26 September 1926 – 17 April 1967) was a Ghanaian military officer who was a member of the ruling National Liberation Council which came to power in Ghana in a military coup d'état on 24 February ...

is another icon of the town. On 24 February 1966 he led the overthrow of the Kwame Nkrumah's government of the Conventions Peoples Party (CPP). * Bomiklo an influential, wealthy slave trader of Anlo in 1850. The dancehall artist Setekle Etse Livingstone popularly known as

Stonebwoy Livingstone Etse Satekla (born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 201 ...

is also from Alakple

Religion

The African traditional religion is very strong in this town. Most of the homes have

shrines A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

housing small gods which the people worship. The

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

faith was the first Christian denomination in the town. The St Joseph Catholic church was established in 1930 by the Portuguese missionaries. Other churches have since followed.

Tourist attractions

Located in the Kome area, the place is part of the Keta Lagoon

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus, fungi species in a mutualism (biology), mutualistic relationship.ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

of the area. The area houses the swampy areas for black fish and

crabs Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

. The great Anlo god Togbi Nyigbla is the most outstanding

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

among the southern Ewe people of Ghana. Nyigbla is a deity of the skies but it is also a deity of war for the Dzevi clan of Anlo. According to Greene Nyigbla ‘came into eminence during the 17th century when tribal wars were frequent and the people needed a war god to lead them to defeat their enemies

Population

Population growth and

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

are important factors in the area. In 1784 it was reported that the population was 100 people. There is emigration from the town and many of the coastal fishing villages have been worst hit. Alakple also suffers as a result of poverty of the lagoon waters surrounding it Maxwell Owusu Edited (1979) Colonialism and Change: Essays Presented to Lucy Mair. Mouton Publishers. The Hague The natives migrate to

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

and

Sekondi-Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

. Others have traveled outside the country for fishing expeditions. Currently population is estimated at 530 to 600 inhabitants. Reading List * Dr. A. Kobla Dotse (2011), The Origins and Brief History of the Ewe People * Rob Van Ginkel Ed(1989),MAST Maritime Anthropological Studies 'The Anlo Ewe and full-time marine fishing another view by G. K. Nukunya'. * Senyo Adjibolosoo (2012)Journal of Gleanings from Academic Outliers Vol 1, No 1. . ' The foundation of principled centered intellectual community: searching for solutions by Senyo Adzibolosoo'

References

(14) Felix Kuadugah - contributor . History of Alakple {{coord, 5, 52, N, 0, 53, E, display=title, region:GH_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in the Volta Region