Where it begins....

Entering the Castle

Hello family, friends, and interested readers,

Welcome to Cape Coast, where we are reminded of the deep and dark colonial history that continues to carry long-lasting implications throughout Ghana and Africa. From Accra, we traveled in our van for about 3.5 hours through the urban city scape to lush rainforests and ocean views until we arrived at the heart of the transatlantic slave trade, Elmina. The town of Elmina is primarily economically sustained by fishing and tourism in present day, which we picked up on while driving through to get to the grand castle. Fishing boats line the main channel with various market shops perched facing the streets. As we pulled our hot and tired limbs out of the van, we were quickly greeted with local sellers of African art, jewelry, and shells, eager to say hello and get our names. We eventually made our way to the tall white walls, stopping to acknowledge our reason for being at the castle: to learn and understand the slave trade, and its continued impact on the country.

The Church

Our hearts ache experiencing this space. As we were lead through dungeons, small locked rooms for those cast out, and then the governor's room, we could smell the pain and terror of those who were forced through or died here, possibly at our very feet. In this beautiful and grand building from outside, it is difficult to picture all the things that went on within its walls, a church built standing in the middle of it all.

Originally built by the Portuguese traders in 1482 for the gold trade, Elmina castle was captured by the Dutch in the 1600s to serve for the slave trade, and who later sold it to the British in the 1800s. It was the first point of European contact and first slave trading post in all of sub-Saharan Africa. For nearly 4 centuries, millions of slaves were traded through Elmina. I can see the 150+ women crammed in the dungeon, no space to even lie down. Outbreaks of diseases like malaria and yellow fever were common. 

Door of no Return

A staircase exists directly from the governor's chamber to the women's dungeon below, to ease his ability to sexually exploit the women. Those outcast by the governor or guards were left to die alone in smaller chambers or in the women's dungeons, chained in the sun. Our tour guide led us through "the door of no return": the well-known gateway through which slaves boarded ships to the European colonies in the New World. We peered out to the ocean through the opening and took in this reality. Their only connection to home were marks on their face called traveling marks, connecting them to their home village and representing where they are from to others.

The slave trade overall continues to impact the institutional, economic, social, and political climate of Africa. When slaves were being selected, it was often the strong farmers in Northern communities that were taken because of their capacity to do the hard work that was desired. Estimates suggest that Africa's population was half of what it would have been in the 1800s, had the slave trade not occurred. Poverty is prevalent throughout Ghana. Many countries from which the highest amount of people were taken are some of the poorest today based on economic development. The slave trade shapes the current climate of ethnic diversity, prevalence of conflict, and social development of communities, forming the fabric of present African society.

View from the Courtyard

In an attempt to capture the feeling of being in this space, we share these words:

Big white walls
500+ years standing and preserved
Shackles and chains haunt the corridors, that once entrapped lives
We pass through freely with our cold water and cameras, our privilege
Try to take it in
Heavy weights and buckets of pain
Unsettling suffering in the air
Stepping into rooms that were filled with thousands of souls, pails in the corners
Sun beaming, sweat drips down backs
Women were raped here
Humans died here
Faces were shipped off to the new world
For what
Why
European power, colonization, and universal greed
Power and privilege foster systems of oppression
Why why why why
What do we do now

The Church and Courtyard

A soft breeze began to blow at the end of our tour. Mixed emotions flooded our hearts and minds, and eerie silence lingered among our group. Nana, our guide, with wisdom and softness, stated, "these things are not told to bring shame or guilt. They are told as part of our collective history, to prevent such things from occurring in the future". Likewise, this is where we end too. On a note with which we may build a brighter future: hope. May these words not harden your heart or bring shame and guilt, but lead you to love with greater perseverance for a better tomorrow.

The Breeze

Katrina and Sophia-Grace, 4th Year BSN Students