I just received the following comment about coverage of Larabanga in the Bradt guide, which I’m posting anonymously in case the writer would prefer it that way. My response is added as a supplementary comment…. PB
“I feel compelled to talk about some reviews of Larabanga, actually all the reviews you publish, which absolutely DISGUST me. You are supposed to be a travel guide about ethical travel yet you never stop to explain why all the children mill around tourists or why you have to pay to view the Mosque. You publish stories of people who say, don’t go there, and who actually leave without donating anything. I work with a foundation in Larabanga, started by a university student who grew up with no food, whose parents couldn’t afford to pay for his education. He told me he found foster parents from Accra by following tourists around. These people sent him money to finish school and go to university. Without them, he would have no future and wouldn’t have been able to help other, incredibly poor, hungry children in the village. The children are “bugging you” so you will help them. If you are so selfish that you cannot see their bony bodies or understand that the village is trying it’s best to find eco tourism dollars, then I don’t know why anybody would even go to a developing nation. The next time someone complains about Larabanga, perhaps you could set the record straight? The people there have nothing! Anyone who goes to Ghana can afford an expensive holiday, so why don’t you part with a few Cedis to actually make a difference in the lives of a child? You should feel uncomfortable when you go to Larabanga- because you have so much and these people have nothing. They are miles from schools and hospitals, they have limited access to clean water, and their children go to school hungry everyday. See past your own selfishness and DO something. PLEASE! That goes for your guide, and your updates and your website. If you really believe in ethical travel then you have a duty to explain the situation at Larabanga, and put the “bothering” children in the right context-they’re nearly begging, because they need food and water and clothes and schooling, and they know that tourists have all of those things and money to spare.”
Bradt Ghana Travel News 
Thanks for your email,
There is a lot of truth in what you say, but the simple fact is that Larabanga gets more negative feedback than any other place I write about in nine different African guidebooks. Blaming this purely on local poverty and lack of sympathy of behalf of travellers is a little patronising – if it were that simple, then everywhere in Ghana and most other places in Africa would be the same.
The problem at Larabanga, as I see it, is that there a very small number of very annoying young men who hang around waiting to latch on to any passing foreigner, subject them to banal small talk with transparently mercenary motives, and often get rude or abusive if said foregner doesn’t humour them. In my view, this is unacceptable behaviour, whatever excuse you choose to make for it, and most Ghanaians and other Africans would feel exactly the same way.
Contrary to what you suggest, I feel that the core reason for this is that the village has never organised itself as a proper ecotourism unit in the manner of, say, Tafi Atome or Amedzofe. So there is no community control over how a small but vociferous clique of self-styled guides approach tourists. If these ‘guides’ become sufficiently annoying, unfortunately that will affect how travellers respond to the village, and many will choose to spend their time and money in a village whose inhabitants don’t display this sort of behaviour, and will adbise other travellers to do the same.
Of course every traveller to a country like Ghana recognises and sympathises with the poverty that surrounds them. I don’t feel that the typical traveller or volunteer is so stupid or heartless that it requires me to point this out. However, there are only so many allowances most people are prepared to make in terms of personal interaction, and for many travellers, certain aspects of what goes on in Larabanga cross that line.
To take a more extreme situation, it would be easy enough for a guidebook to contextualise crime against travellers in terms of material poverty and disparity of wealth. Most travellers, however, would rather be warned about crime than subjected to it. To a lesser extent, the same goes for places where travellers are subjected to inordinate hassle. We all understand the reasons why. Mostly, though, we’d just rather go somewhere more pleasant!
Still, who knows, if you are working in Larangabga, perhaps you can help address the issues that turn so many travellers against the place.
I was in Mole and Larabanga a couple of years ago and had no real hassles.I asked permission from the Chief to see the mosk and gave him and the kids a bit of money.As a matter of fact i changed money for them as tourists had given them euro coins which are absolute useless overthere.How more tourists how more kids are going to be running around for money i guess.How would you be if you have to struggle for a meal.In Mole the servants are unhelpfull i know,but usualy i shout them a beer or a meal and everything changes.I know from a backpackers point of view this might be out of their budget,but then again Mole is a cheap way to see elephants in the wild.I had them nearly in my bedroom!I’ve travelled through 3/4 of Ghana and was not realy hassled anywhere.Except once with the police near the white volta but i ended up getting a bottle of gin out of the car and we all drunk it and that was it.No fines.Just don’t get angry,talk your way out of it.Ghana is not that bad,its OK.As a matter of fact i’ll be there again in two weeks so i’ll let you know how it changed.
As much as i agree that there should be a proper structure put in place to manage and promote ec0-tourism in larabanga; there should not be concerted efforts like yours putting larabanga in a negative light.Hundreds and perhaps thousands of tourist will attest to the fact that the people of larabanga are hospitable and welcoming.As a native and youth of larabanga, i have alwasy advocated for a proper and well planned way of dealing with streetism, but those toursit who give you the ”feedback” are those who have prejudicial minds before coming to larabanga.They turned to be rude to the young guys on the street as well.
It is perplexing to note however, that you said the negativity of larabanga can not be compared to the number of african countries that you cover.I find this, not only a pure false, but a concoction of unimaginable magnitude.I guess you have being to capecoast, elimina,the art centres, the beaches etc.There is no truth in what you write out there.Besides, i do not blames yo at all.
Thanks Kamara, but the fact remains that I get more negative feedback about Larabanga than any other single place I write about in Ghana or nine other African countries. And I personally think that anybody living in Larabanga and concerned with addressing these issues might be better of doing so at root than ‘shooting the messenger’!