During my stay in Kumasi, I hired a driver for the day and we went on a tour across the surrounding countryside. There are a couple of interesting craft villages to visit. There you can see Kente-weaving (in Adanwomase) or the dyeing of Adinkra-cloth (in Ntonso). To satisfy one of my WHS goals of this trip, we also included the Besease shrine. It is located near Ejisu, 20 km east of Kumasi.

The building is whitewashed on the outside and includes a very steep thatched roof. It originally dates from ca. 1850, but it was fully restored in 1998. There’s a 2 cedi’s entrance fee, collected by a caretaker who didn’t seem to speak English but clearly loves guests and being photographed. After the restoration, the building was turned into some kind of museum. There are photographic displays on its walls of other traditional buildings, and good explanations in English.

The whole compound is quite small, so it is kind of an underwhelming experience. You’ll have to try hard to spend more than 10 minutes inside. Don’t overlook the fetishes that lie around in the courtyard: there’s a tortoise for example, and strings of sheep and goats’ vertebrae (from sacrificed animals). Women who can’t get pregnant are said to still visit the shrine. The shrines obviously are part of a living tradition that now almost has gone. However, they have been included in the World Heritage List for their vernacular architecture. A wonderful feature is the symbols carved into the clay of the interior walls.