3rd place
bronze star award
Muntaka Chasant
ghana 
title
On the Banks of the Korle
These photographs portray the margins of the lagoon not only as toxic landscapes but also as sites of spatial injustice, where everyday practices expose urban poor children to hazardous materials.
Children use their bare hands, rocks, and hammers to dismantle e-waste on the Korle's banks. This exposes them to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals.
For instance, high levels of exposure to lead are known to cause irreversible brain damage in children, including reduced IQ. This takes away their capacity to become productive members of society, casting a shadow over their future.
Many young adults swim in the grim lagoon — alongside floating human remains sometimes — to recover plastics and other recyclable materials.
Seen as some of the hidden geographies of Accra's socially marginalized youth, the margins of the Korle Lagoon illuminate how urban marginality is experienced.
https://www.muntaka.com
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entry description
The Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, is recognized as one of the most polluted water bodies on earth. It is not only a reservoir of pollution and waste, but also a place where vivid memories, dreams, secrets, and struggles all come together. The harsh realities of urban life have pushed many young people to its banks, where they engage in hazardous work.These photographs portray the margins of the lagoon not only as toxic landscapes but also as sites of spatial injustice, where everyday practices expose urban poor children to hazardous materials.
Children use their bare hands, rocks, and hammers to dismantle e-waste on the Korle's banks. This exposes them to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals.
For instance, high levels of exposure to lead are known to cause irreversible brain damage in children, including reduced IQ. This takes away their capacity to become productive members of society, casting a shadow over their future.
Many young adults swim in the grim lagoon — alongside floating human remains sometimes — to recover plastics and other recyclable materials.
Seen as some of the hidden geographies of Accra's socially marginalized youth, the margins of the Korle Lagoon illuminate how urban marginality is experienced.
about the photographer
Muntaka Chasant is a researcher and professional documentary photographer based in Accra, Ghana. His research interests straddle human geography and environmental sociology.https://www.muntaka.com
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