Elmina and Cape Coast: Part I

Since this experience was so special to me I’ve decided to describe it in two different posts. I want take my time to inform my readers about everything that went on during the tours and give my own reflection. This blog is not only for me, but all those who are experiencing Ghana through me.

This past weekend was one of the best experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to travel to the Central region, which is the home of Cape Coast, the former capital of Ghana. It is a beautiful region and the scenery along the coast of the Atlantic is amazing. On Saturday, October 27^th I visited Elmina and Cape Coast Castles. For those who don’t know, Elmina Castle was the first European slave-trading post in all of sub-saharan Africa. The Portuguese originally built it in 1482 as a trading post for gold and other commodities, but it later grew to include human capital. The slave capacity was 1,000, 6oo men and 400 women. Today it is 530 years old.

Cape Coast Castle is the youngest of the slave castles in Ghana. The Swedes built the Castle in 1665 in the midst of the slave trade. Its slave capacity was higher than that of Elmina at 1,300: 1,000 men and 300 women for 2 or 3 months at a time. The interesting thing about Cape Coast Castle is that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama toured the castle in 2009. There is a plaque on the wall of the castle acknowledging their presence on that day in history. Today it is 347 years old. Both castles are designated as a World Heritage Monuments under UNESCO.

Each tour told similar stories about how slaves were brought from all over Africa to be bought and sold. They were shackled, branded, and thrown into the small dungeons that housed 200-1000 people at a time, with little or no light from the outside world. They were left to toil under horrible conditions in their own waste and only given enough food to survive. Any slaves who tried to rebel against the Europeans, those we like to call “Freedom Fighters”, were thrown into a small cell and left for dead, with no food, and no water. We saw the Governor’s huge living quarters and learned about how he would have the women set up, and then he would stand and choose one from the group to sexually abuse. We saw the staircase in both castles leading from the dungeons to his place of residence.

Walking in the dungeons of Cape Coast Castle we could easily see how the floor had changed and risen inches above the original level due to all the waste. There were even trenches carved in the floors for some drainage. One dungeon was excavated in 1974 by the University of Ghana is order to reveal the bricks once again. In both castles we experienced the lack of airflow and the horrible stench. We also saw the small squares carved into the walls that were meant to be windows. There were also instances where we were all put into a dungeon or chamber at once with the door closed and no light. Just for that moment I was given a small glimpse of what it was like.

Both tours ended with passage through the “Door of No Return”, the place where each slave would pass onto a ship to journey across the Atlantic known as the Middle Passage. The worst part was that the slaves had no idea where they where headed when called through that door.  Once they crossed the threshold I’m sure they realized that they would never walk through it ever again.

What I loved most about Cape Coast Castle was that on the other side of  The Door Of  No Return there is now a sign labeled The Door Of Return that will forever stand as a symbol of African reemergence. Every member of the black diaspora that was on the trip in my CIEE group decided to share a picture in front of the door to take pride in how far we’ve come. I will leave you with the mission statement that is now carved into the wall of each castle.

*Each photo with the exception of the group photo were taken at Elmina*