The Real hidden City on Anlo Land, Alakple and its Significance to the People of Anlo
It is believed that the people of Alakple who are from the Amea clan arrived in Anloland before Torgbi Wenya's arrival in Anloga. The founder of the Ameawo clan was Mahu Ahafia. Alakple had a large influx of Ga Dangme refugees who escaped the Akwamu wars of the 17th century. Majority of the refugees migrated from Lakpleku .The migrants gave the name Alakple to their new settlement in reference to their old settlement of Lakpleku. Lakpleku is related to Ladoku, Labadi and Larteh Akwapim.
The totem of the Ameawo clan is Avutsu (male dog). This was a fetish that was given to the people of Alakple by Tsali (a mystic man from Tsiame and founder of Tsiame Clan) to protect the people from the attack of wild animals.
It is a taboo for the people of Alakple to shout loud with the intention of drawing attention to ones woes. It is a taboo to whistle in Alakple town. It is a taboo to fry fish with palm kernel oil. The Amee clan members do not eat smoked crab. Amee clan members do not eat crocodile
It is a taboo to bring or rear or keep a dog in Alakple. Amee clan members are not to be touched by a dog; when touched, they have to touch back with their feet otherwise they suffer from a dreadful skin disease.
It was reported that people of Alakple took part in the slave trade which transpired in Anlo hence as the terms of peace signed by the Danes with the Anlo on 18 June 1784, after the Danes had burnt Anlo settlements like Atokor, Whuti, Alakple, Anloga, Woe and Tegbee, the Danes inserted a provision which required the Anlo "to deliver up to ten sons of their principal people as hostages to assure the carrying out of the terms, the hostages to be sent out of the country as slaves in the event of the breach of the treaty."
The natives are noted for their fishing activities in the Keta Lagoon and in the creeks which enter the lagoon such as the Todzi. They are also important crafts men noted for their entrepreneurial skills. Poultry farming and bird rearing are undertaken in almost every household which are sold in Anloga and Keta Markets. During the dry season the women take part in weaving of straw mats for sale in the Keta Market.
Hon Clement Humado was a Member of Parliament of the Anlo Constituency. He was born in 1953 in this town since his parents are natives of Alakple.
Torgbi Kporku III is prominent in business and consultancy and is the Dufia of the town. He was the consultant for the Keta Sea Defense Project.
He was the Ambassador to Japan during the reign of our late father Lt.Jerry John Rawlings.. May his soul rest in peace.
Lt Col Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka is another icon of the town. On 24 February 1966 he led the overthrow of the Kwame Nkrumah's government of the Conventions Peoples Party (CPP).
Bomiklo an influential, wealthy slave trader of Anlo in 1850.
The dancehall artist Setekle Etse Livingstone popularly known as Stonebwoy is also from Alakple.
The African traditional religion is very strong in this town. Most of the homes have shrines housing small gods which the people worship. The Catholic faith was the first Christian denomination in the town. The St Joseph Catholic church was established in 1930 by the Portuguese missionaries. Other churches have since followed.
Located in the Kome area, the place is part of the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site. There are many ferns and lichens which are of great significance to the ecology of the area. The area houses the swampy areas for black fish and crabs. The great Anlo god Togbi Nyigbla is the most outstanding deity among the southern Ewe people of Ghana. Nyigbla is a deity of the skies but it is also a deity of war for the Dzevi clan of Anlo. According to Greene Nyigbla ‘came into eminence during the 17th century when tribal wars were frequent and the people needed a war god to lead them to defeat their enemies.
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