Welcome to SWOPA - Sirigu's arts and cultural hub and eco-lodge. If you're looking for an authentic travelling experience in rural Ghana, SWOPA is an absolute necessity to visit. SWOPA's eco-lodge provides a home for tourists in an area rich with things to see and do, authentic Ghanaian cuisine, and most importantly, as an NGO it supports and helps women in the local area to create truly inspiring
pieces of traditional art. For an ethical, immersive and truly creative experience, come to Sirigu, the painted village and home of pottery in the North-East of Ghana! There is also a bar and restaurant open 24 hours a day to cater to all your needs. Lunch is served daily from midday and is open to anyone. More options are available upon request. We also offer tours of the gallery and local area as well as transportation to other sites of interest and workshops on any of the crafts on show in the gallery. For booking enquiries or more information please contact us at [email protected], call 024 301 2967 or contact us on facebook! SWOPA was founded in 1997 by Madame Melanie Kasise, daughter of a Sirigu woman who used her skills in pottery to pay for her education. Madame Kasise now has become a true success story – having appeared at the UN to talk on women's issues, accommodating former UN Secretary Kofi Anan and heading an organisation that spearheads the fight for rights in the local community. It became Madame Kasise's vision to get more women involved in the artisan crafts that her mother had used to educate her, to educate and employ them. SWOPA now boasts a membership of approximately 400 local women, all trained for free by the organisation who make the incredible arts and crafts you can find in the gallery, here at SWOPA. Since then SWOPA has evolved and provides the one place in Sirigu you can stay, eat, learn and soak in the local culture. Sirigu, the village we are located in, boasts the most unique and stylised wall paintings you can find in the region, and arguably the country. The painted village is keeping arts and crafts alive, and you can come and be a part of that by staying at SWOPA, by taking a lesson and making a pot yourself – or by taking home a piece of traditional, authentic local culture.
