Peter DiCampo

Multimedia: Life Without Lights

Wantugu, a rural farming village of 4,000 people in Ghana's Northern Region, has had power lines in place since 2000, but government officials have yet to connect them to a power source. Blame within Wantugu is widely placed on their district government, whom the villagers claim only care about development when it can get them reelected. Every election year, electricity is promised and work on the project is resumed, but once elections are over, government officials again lose interest.

Despite their lack of electricity, the inhabitants of Wantugu are active at night, taking part in a number of activities they deem important for reasons of education, entertainment, culture, and, at times, necessity.

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