Elmina and Cape Coast Castles

I knew today was going to be difficult but wasn't quite sure how I would deal with the stories and history that was about to unfold before me.

Elmina and Cape Coast Castles are two of almost 40 castles that exist along the Ghanaian Coast. The castles were built at various times in Ghana's history by Portuguese, British, Dutch and Danish colonists. Elmina was built by the Portuguese and Cape Coast by the British.

The Ghanaian people have preserved the forts in order to remind the world of the painful, brutal history this part of the world has been through. These two castles are now UNESCO world heritage sites.

The castles have evolved through various guises over the years, from bases for raw materials to be stored and exported to the slave trade and finally to administrative centers for local government.

The dungeons which you can see in the photographs were originally used for storing raw materials. When the trade in people became more lucrative their use was shifted to house people in preparation to be shipped to the New World.

I'd seen pictures of the dungeons before I arrived in Ghana but what pictures don't convey is the heat and stifling atmosphere in the dark holes used for crowding people together. I was in one for about 15 minutes while the guide spoke and needed to get out after that because of the awful atmosphere. It is no wonder a third of captors died in the dungeons.

Apparently 28% of the 12.5million enslaved people who were forcibly repatriated in the New World came from Cape Coast Castle.

The men and women were separated on arrival and the women had different issues to overcome. As you can imagine personal hygiene was almost non existent because of the cramped environment. Women were regularly raped by their captors. Their was a whole system in place for the rape of women and what would happen if the woman became pregnant. Women who gave birth were allowed to nurse their child for the first few months before having their child removed from them and raised by nurse maid in the castle. The women who had given birth were then shipped to the New World, never to see their children again.

At the end of the castle tours we were shown the door of no return. This was the door enslaved people were taken to in order to board the ships and go through the middle passage. Once an individual had gone through this door their identity was gone and they were no longer their own.

The long term result of the slave trade has meant many of those black people who live in Caribbean, USA and Brazil do not know their family history leaving them with a sesne of disconnect from their history.

Cape Coast Castle has created a door called The Door Of Return. This is the other side of the Door Of No Return. The idea is that when people visit to try and discover their ancestry they can walk through the door and know that they are welcome and wanted.

Today was a difficult day but it was enabled by my Ghanaian hosts who bear me no malice and who have been exceptional hosts.

A Prayer:

God of freedom may we never forget the past.

May we learn from our mistakes and repent of our wickedness.

Help us to see your image in those around us so we may not treat one another as commodities to be exploited but see each other as you do, people to be loved and cherished.

We pray for the displaced and disconnected. May they discover their eternal identity in you and walk with dignity and grace.

We pray your peace and blessing on the nation of Ghana. May they walk closely with you and enjoy life in abundance and fullness.

We ask all this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.