Below the Threshold

August 2023. I am in Ghana for an international theatre conference, and I am staying a little longer to travel. 1 Tourism outside of the big cities is not a big business yet; there are only a few low-key places to stay near the beach. One of them is an eco-camp in Dzita, in the Volta Region, near the border to Togo and close to one of the many European slave forts along the ancient Gold Coast. The camp works as a non-profit cooperative with the local community, is sustainable, and sells clothes which are made by the women of the village. The beautiful beach next to it appears to stretch out forever. Naively longing for beach romanticism, I set out for a walk outside of the camp's grounds. However, as soon as I reach an area out of sight of the hotel, my beach romance is over. I encounter a wasteland of plastic debris which stretches out as far as I can see. Then, I remember seeing a sign at the camp bar, offering a free cocktail to anyone who brings back a full bag of plastic trash. That makes sense now.