Elmina Castle.

Today I had the opportunity to visit Elmina Castle. It was one of the 50 places where Africans forced to leave Ghana as slaves. It's dungeons held 100's of people at a time. It's horrific the way they were treated. They were basically treated like animals, staying in the dark dungeons for up to 2 months before they were put on ships for the Americas and the West Indies.

Walking through the tunnels that lead to the ships, although they were cleaned, still smelled of the suffering and the death that occurred. The vision of wailing and frightened women and terrified men was easy to feel and hear.

Above the dungeons, are both the church and the owner's quarters. There were many peep holes looking down into the dungeuon and the court yard to view the people held captive (as they were walking into church)

A large amount of Africans that were enslaved came from the Ashanti region of Africa, and Northern Ghana. They were also from Burkina Faso and Togo. They were captured and made to walk for months to get to the Coast of Ghana. Many , many died before they reached the coast and many died as they stayed in the castles. They were shackled and chained.

I can only imagine the fear of this experience. To be taken away from what you know, be beated and raped, if you were a women, to force to walk hundreds of miles to the coast. Once you get to the castle, which is huge and very different from any african dwelling, made to be in a dark, smelly room, where people are speaking different dialects of African and having guards bark commands at you in a strange language. People are force to deficate where they have to sleep and eat,crammed in a 'cell' about 15 feet by 2o feet with 100 to 150 people.very little ventilation.

What was it like to wait in those dungeons? You don't know what's going to happen. Do you think life is over? Do you wonder if you'll ever go back? It must have been terrifying beyond belief. To witness, the death and suffering of others must have been unreal.

Finally,one day you are forced to go through a long tunnel, through a 4 foot tall, 2 feet wide 'gate' onto a small boat that lead to a big ship. These folks were in land people. I'm sure just the oceans surf was terrifying.


Knowing just a bit more of the African slave experience, makes me even more respectful and admirable the strength of the African spirit.


On sale at the Elimina Castle you can buy a t-shirt that says Never Forget.

I first heard that saying when I was at the Holocaust museum in DC.
The treatment of African slaves in history should never be forgotten,so history doesn't repeat itself with any group of people.
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