Every Easter weekend, thousands of people from around the world flock to the quiet Ghanaian towns of Kwahu and Atibie for a paragliding festival and Easter carnival that residents hope may establish the West African nation as a hub for extreme sports.
This year marked the festival’s return to its annual schedule after the Covid-19 pandemic forced organisers to postpone the last two years’ events.
Around 400 people registered for tandem flights with professional pilots, rivalling some of the festival’s most popular years, according to Tourist Board figures. Dozens brought their own equipment to fly solo.
Participants hungry for adrenaline strapped into their harnesses and ran off a ridge atop Ghana’s second tallest mountain. As their kites caught wind, pilots and passengers alike were launched into the sky.
Ghanaian paraglider Jonathan Quaye, 40, first flew in 2006, the festival’s second year, as the passenger of an American paraglider. He’s been paragliding ever since.
Having acquired his tandem certification during the pandemic, he is now the only Ghanaian at the festival certified to carry others into the clouds.
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