Noise For Sale In Accra

It is excessive, outrageous and unbearable.  It is also harmful and embarrassing.

These are the reactions of people to the kind of noise that prevails in Accra, the nation's capital.  It is mind-boggling that such a horrible situation exists here where absolute discipline should be enforced and maintained as the order of the day.

Comparatively, some cities in other countries of the world are well managed, controlling and keeping noise at minimum level, since it cannot be eliminated or avoided. 

One  dares not create an unnecessary noise like tooting a  car horn or playing music loudly, and one faces the full rigours of the law on environmental pollution. 

Residents live in a cool, calm and comfortable atmosphere as much as possible.

But the situation is different in Accra.  A stroll along the principal streets brings you face to face with the noisy scene. 

It is  more acute in the central business district, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Kaneshie Market centre and similar places.  The noise is even being extended to  reserved areas such as the Ministries and the Accra International Airport.

The noise in the metropolis is created by various groups of people.  There are the religious bodies – pentecostal churches and mosques – whose  worships are done with powerful sound systems and musical instruments.

On Sunday mornings, in the late night and dawn hours of the day, the vicinities of the churches and mosques explode with noise until the worshippers close from service, much to the inconvenience of people at home.

Another group is the gospel preachers who position themselves at strategic points in the streets with their microphones and loudspeakers, creating noise through  preaching. 

Ostensibly, they are out there to spread the word of God; that is, evangelization, but in reality they  ask for money to fend for themselves.  In recent times, gospel preaching has become a lucrative business.

Then come the peddlers who go round in vans to sell herbal medicines.  They  have mounted loudspeakers on their vans, playing  music so loudly to draw  potential buyers. 

They are ubiquitous all over the place.
The more obnoxious noise makers are those who play music to sell to the public.  They operate  in kiosks, shops and stores located at the corners of streets, blaring noise from powerful loudspeakers placed in front of their outlets.

A recent development is the sale of music on wheels.  Pick-ups and open deck vehicles equipped with  music players  move along with a squad of boys holding packs of DVD and VCD players,  flinging them for pedestrians to buy. 

At strategic locations they stand-by and keep the music on, while the sales boys go up and down to sell the products. 

Some have made such  strategic places their  base  where they park  everyday and make brisk business.

In all, the noise makers have turned Accra into a hell of a nuisance with far-reaching consequences. 

First, the piercing noise is harmful to the sense of hearing.  Meanwhile  reports from the hospitals and clinics  indicate  an increasing number of patients who have problems with heir ear-drums.

Their treatment is more painful in view of the delicate ear organ.  Thus a patient  stands the risk of becoming deaf in the process.

Secondly, offices within the vicinity of the blaring noise can hardly work; they are compelled to suspend work till the noise makers  leave the scene, a situation which results in low productivity and loss of revenue.

Thirdly, to tourists, the excessive noise in the Accra metropolis is a great scare.  Strolling along the streets, they  are bombarded with noise which they cannot cope with. 

Some pack and leave sooner than expected, haunted by the experience of unpleasant noise. 

This is embarrassing and detrimental to tourism promotion in the country.

Mindful of the dangers and disadvantages of the state of noise, the authorities can no longer stand and stare at the activities of the noise makers. 

They must act swiftly and firmly to stop the nuisance on the ground.

To sum up the public reactions on the situation, it is UNDESIRABLE.