Paradigm of mediocrity: Poverty and risk accumulation in urban Africa - the case of Korle Gonno, Accra

Abstract

This paper examines how poverty has developed in Korle Gonno, an indigenous Ga community in Accra, Ghana, as a concrete challenge. This challenge has gone unnoticed until recently, though several informal studies exist in Ghana. By problematizing vulnerability, the literature is examined within Accra's development dynamics. Through extensive fieldwork, the results show a socially stratified and highly dependent community experiencing vulnerabilities and the residents' diverse coping strategies. Drawing upon the empirical data, it is argued that the lack of recognition of urban poverty (i.e., the raison d'être of slum) means many continue to be exposed to health risks. The paper concedes that the problem demands a multifaceted solution that includes more subjective issues like vulnerability and social exclusion, and objective ones like good urban governance and power relations. Failure to do so can lead to a downward spiral into extreme poverty that can affect the entire society. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.