I stayed in Ivory Coast for four years. My stay there is a book of untold stories.

Today, I share a paragraph. About my hobby.

Where I lived was called Gonzagueville, in-between a Ghanaian community called Anani and a key port suburb called Port-Bouet, where the airport is also located.

What is unique about where I lived is that it is part of a chain of suburbs lined along the coast: Grand Bassam and Modeste.

And these are communities that have put efforts into beautifying their beaches. The best beaches in Abidjan are located in these belts.

Abidjan is a business hub so it’s normal to see people sweeping the beaches and charging tourists a little fee before allowing them to spend some time there.

My house was about 15-20 minutes walk from the beach and every morning I went for jogging on the coast.

I love jogging barefooted on the coast. I can jog for over an hour, going far, reaching parts of the beach no human could be sighted.

While jogging, I think about so many things. How things have turned out since I arrived. About my home country Ghana, the family and friends back home, and especially about mistakes of the past.

At a certain point in my jogging turned wandering, I begin to fear for my life as I feel alone out there, with no human in sight. I turn and start jogging the long journey back home. I am forced to stop jogging because of the pain in my chest and limbs and I start trudging.

It is this slow walk that make me pay attention to many things I initially overlooked. Like the fishermen working on their catch, the women at the beach to buy some fish for their trade, the wooden huts by the beach serving as meeting places for lovers on heat.

I notice some adults defecating on the beaches, in broad daylight, with no sense of shame. I notice things the sea vomits on the beaches, like various plastic wastes and products from far away places.

Once I spotted products from Ghana my beloved country. These were prodcuts which were not sold on the Ivorian market. I spotted products from Guinea, Senegal and Mali. Some were processed foods still in plastic containers. Others were shoes and sandals, while some were hair products.

I even found contraceptives. And many more.

There were all kinds of waste on the beaches. One time I even saw the carcass of a lamb. Seems someone came to make an offering to some spirit of the sea.

I think Ivorian beaches are relatively neater than Ghanaian beaches. I used to live beside the Regional Maritime University in Ghana and the beaches around that place were terrible.

One could hardly stand there and be able to inhale fresh breeze because the breeze would be mingled with scents you wouldn’t have the courage to find out the things that inspired those aromas. Nasty indeed.

I hope someone has tried to improve those beaches.

It is sad how God creates a beautiful world and we pollute and do all within our means to destroy it.

This our world is such a beautiful place. I always believe Heaven is right here on earth but we have insisted on creating a senseless hell here for ourselves.

The beings that have the brains to make the most of their environment are the very ones using their intelligence to destroy everything around them, something even the animals wouldn’t do.

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