Dec. 19 2011
I spent a weekend visiting the city Cape Coast it is a beach town that is about 1.5 hours west of Swedru. It has both beautiful scenery and very interesting sights. Fishing is currently a major industry as you will see from all of the fishing boats. Highlights included visiting two historic castles and a rain forest canopy walk. Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle were both significant trading posts and played a major role in the slave trade between Africa and North America. It was experience that was both educational but at the same time sad and overwhelming.
City of Cape Coast:
City of Cape Coast:
Kakum National Park was beautiful and I was happy to spend a little bit of time away from the hustle and bustle. I am not a fan of heights but it was so amazing to be up in the trees.
Cape Coast Castle housed around 1000 male slaves and 500 female slaves, and most of them would be locked up in the dungeon for six to 12 weeks, waiting for the slave ships to dock. They would be allowed out for fresh air two or three times a week, but apart from that they were imprisoned in dark, dank dungeons that would have been utterly disgusting. The dungeons today are empty, echoing chambers that barely hint at what they would have been like with hundreds of slaves crammed in there, but with only a few barred windows to let in the breeze and a rough channel down the middle of the cells to carry away urine and feces, it would have been disgusting. I would not want to guess the number of people who died in the dungeons.
Cape Coast Castle:
Elmina Castle:
The officials in the castle used this courtyard as a location to bring out women to choose from for sexual encounters. Any children that were created as a result of these encounters were used as slaves in the castle and not traded. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be chosen to like a piece of meat.
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| In the tree tops |
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| Not sure how safe this was, but I made it out alive! |
Cape Coast Castle housed around 1000 male slaves and 500 female slaves, and most of them would be locked up in the dungeon for six to 12 weeks, waiting for the slave ships to dock. They would be allowed out for fresh air two or three times a week, but apart from that they were imprisoned in dark, dank dungeons that would have been utterly disgusting. The dungeons today are empty, echoing chambers that barely hint at what they would have been like with hundreds of slaves crammed in there, but with only a few barred windows to let in the breeze and a rough channel down the middle of the cells to carry away urine and feces, it would have been disgusting. I would not want to guess the number of people who died in the dungeons.
Cape Coast Castle:
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| Michelle Obama's family can be traced back to Cape Coast |
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| This is the door of no return. Slaves past through this door before being loaded onto boats |
Elmina Castle:
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| Love this photo! |
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| Door of no return... much smaller than the last one. |
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| View from the top of Elmina castle |
The officials in the castle used this courtyard as a location to bring out women to choose from for sexual encounters. Any children that were created as a result of these encounters were used as slaves in the castle and not traded. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be chosen to like a piece of meat.
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| Balcony |
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| Court yard where women chosen from |
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| A tribute to all of the lives lost in the slave trade |
You are doing a great job updating! Keep it coming. I see your hair-- braids? Did Kellee take them out? Have a safe next leg!
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