“Living in the City, You Can End Up With the City Living in You”: Urban Struggles and Mental Health in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of city life and mental health in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews and focus group discussions, it explores how urban precarity, infrastructural violence, and uncertainty in a rapidly shifting world contribute to mental distress. The findings highlight that urban precarity, passive infrastructural violence, and individual identity—encompassing personality, available opportunities, navigation of these opportunities based on qualifications and support, and perceptions by others—are central to processes leading to mental unease or breakdown. By emphasizing local perspectives, this paper underscores the importance of understanding the unique links between urban living and mental health in African cities. It advocates for a multidisciplinary approach that bridges global frameworks with the sociopolitical and infrastructural realities of urban Africa, offering fresh insights into the mental health challenges faced by those living on the margins of what Peter Sloterdijk has called the Palais de cristal.