Friday, August 8, 2014

ELMINA CASTLE - SLAVE TRADE FACILITY



On our way home from Cape Coast we stopped on the edge of the ocean to see Elmina Castle -One of several stations along the coast of Ghana where the slave trade took place.






We started our tour with a visit to the museum





Our guide gave us great information about how Portugal established trade with Ghana and traded for a hundred years or so before starting to trade in slaves.  

At first they bought those who had been taken prisoner in wars between the tribes but eventually villages were invaded and people taken captive just for the trade value. 

The Dutch took the area from the Portuguese in 1642. Trade went on for nearly 200 years. In the early 19th Century they abolished their slave trade.

Then  in 1872 the British took control from the Dutch. 

Ghana won her independence from Britain in 1957.



The slaves were imprisoned here until they could be shipped out to other countries.



The men who tried to escape were put into this totally empty cell without food or water and left to die.



Water source for the castle


Slave traders lived on the top floor, walked out on the balcony to choose young women from the courtyard to be brought up to them. 


Those women who gave any resistance were shackled to this cannon ball in the courtyard and left.


Of course, all of the prisoners were shackled





The blacks were converted to Christianity much earlier by the Portuguese. 

The slave traders were "Christians" and built a chapel over the women's slave quarters where they could worship. 


What an "example" they were!


Once the time came to ship them out, the prisoners were brought through this final tunnel to
 "The Door of No Return"




Wreaths and memorials were left in one room by descendants of slaves to honor their memory.


It's hard history to know, understand!


GOODBYE TO ELMINA CASTLE,
A SOBERING HISTORY!



1 comment:

Momma Fran said...

Very interesting. Such a sad history.