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I walked down the dark passageway into the ancient dungeon. Behind me the sun disappeared and I scuffed my foot on the grimy, rocky floor. When we reached the center, it was so dark that I couldn’t see my classmates standing next me. All I could see was a tiny light streaming from a small vent near the high ceiling. The damp smell of mold and antiquated horror creeped in to my skull. Get me out.It’s amazing how claustrophobic one can become when placed in the location where hundreds of people died by humanity’s own hand.
The castles at Cape Coast and Elmina are two of the biggest and most-preserved buildings of their kind in West Africa. Elmina is the oldest European building in Africa south of the Sahara. It was built in 1482 by the Portuguese and Cape Coast was built in 1653 by the Swedish. These castles were originally constructed for trade of resources, especially gold. Ghana had a coast line that was very near to large gold deposits owned by the Akan. The amount of gold that was traded during this era dubbed the West African coast the Gold Coast. Other goods that were traded included ivory, cotton and animal hides. Imports included metal bowls, beads, leather, alcohol and guns. The Portuguese were not invasive as most tend to think of colonialism. They built their forts with the permission of local chiefs and seldom ventured beyond these forts. However, the castles passed through many European hands in the 1600s including the Dutch, the Danish, and the British. By the end of the 17th century, the British had become the most economically powerful European nation on the Gold Coast and that was because they decided to switch their trading focus from gold to slaves.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade lasted from the 16th century to the 19th century. It is estimated that between 12 and 20 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic. This forced diaspora displaced millions of Africans. The conditions that these captured people endured during transport and slavery was extremely inhumane. Most Americans are familiar with the cruelties of slavery from the slave narratives of Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth. We learned about the cruelties of the middle passage from Olaudah Equanio. But, we know little about the holding cells that imprisoned these people before they crossed the ocean to become slaves.
I found it hauntingly eerie to be standing where, years ago, many people stood at the beginning of their life as a slave. Our tour guide led us through both the male and female dungeons of Cape Coast castle. There were no widows in any of these cells. Unruly slaves were sent to a separate cell where they wouldn’t be given any food or water. They would remain in this cell until they died. This cell was marked by a skull and bones above the entrance. Women slaves were expected to heed to the sexual advances of the Europeans. The reigning governor living in Cape Coast castle had his bedroom directly above the female dungeon. He would pick out a woman, his soldiers would clean her up and she would be escorted in to the governor’s bedroom through a private staircase connecting the female dungeon to the governor’s bedroom. This staircase was specially constructed for these purposes. The most famous door of Cape Coast and Elmina castles is the Door of No Return. This marked the door that the slaves who survived the dungeons would exit the castle to board the slave ships headed for Europe or the Americas.
My classmates an I walked out of the Door of No Return to see a line of colorful fishing boats sitting along a beautiful ocean coast. Two young kids kicked a soccer ball around in the waves, laughing as they went. The fishermen bustled about, preparing their nets. After a few moments we turned and followed the tour guide back inside, ironically through the Door of No Return. On our way out of the castle we stopped an paused at a plaque – which you can find at both of the castles. It read:
IN EVERLASTING MEMORY
of the anguish of our ancestors,
may those who died rest in peace.
May those who return find their roots.
May humanity never again perpetrate
such injustice against humanity.
We, the living, vow to uphold this.
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