A popular Ghanaian travel vlogger has ignited a heated debate about race and tourism after alleging that he and other Ghanaian visitors were stopped from taking photos and videos at Kakum National Park while foreign tourists were allowed to do so freely.
Benjamin Kojo Mensah, widely known as Goshers, shared his experience in a social media post that quickly gained traction online, with many Ghanaians expressing outrage over what he described as discriminatory treatment at one of the country’s most iconic tourist attractions.
“What’s happening here at Kakum National Park is so bad and so wrong. When we got to the entrance they allowed us to enter, but once we got in, some people were taking pictures and videos with their phones while we were not allowed to,” he said.
He did not mince his words about what he believed was driving the disparity.
“What’s the point? Why will people show up here for a tour and not be allowed to take photos and videos of the experience, but white people going on a tour are allowed to do so?” he asked.
For Goshers who has built a following by promoting Ghana through grassroots travel storytelling, the incident struck a deeper nerve.
“Let’s be very mindful of how we treat ourselves as Blacks, as Africans and Ghanaians, and how we treat Europeans. It is so bad, wrong and disdainful,” he said, calling for reforms in the management of the park to improve visitor experiences and protect Ghana’s tourism image.
The park pushes back
Kakum National Park has, however, rejected Goshers’ account entirely, offering a starkly different version of events.
According to park management, Goshers had not simply arrived as a regular tourist — he had come specifically to record videos and had claimed to have authorisation from the Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority to do so. When staff asked him to produce the authorisation, he was unable to provide it.
The park further stated that he was stopped not because of his race or nationality, but because staff noticed he was using equipment associated with professional photography and videography — which requires a paid permit — rather than a personal mobile phone.
Goshers stands his ground
Goshers has since released a second video disputing the park’s claims, insisting he has never used professional cameras in his content creation work and that he only ever uses his phone and a small camera he recently purchased.
The back-and-forth has left the public to decide who to believe — but the underlying question Goshers raised, about how Ghanaian tourists are treated at their own country’s attractions compared to foreign visitors, has clearly struck a chord that the park’s response alone may not easily quiet.
