We saw well-appointed sleeping quarters, large dining quarters, kitchen facilities, meeting rooms, and even a church area and prayer rooms for the Europeans. I give thanks, praise and honor to my ancestors for the sacrifice they made and sufferings they endured. At the same time, I felt angry and enraged over knowing European people did this to MY people! Cape Coast Castle, Ghana © Andrew Moore Up to 1,000 male and 500 female slaves were shackled and crammed in the castle’s dank, poorly ventilated dungeons, with no space to lie down and very little light. Upwards of 12 million slaves were shipped out of Africa to supply labor to the New World, and several million died along the way.
very well, then, i contradict myself; (i am large--i contain multitudes. 95 Seeleute aus der Mannschaft von Bartholomew Roberts wurden der Piraterie für schuldig befunden und verurteilt, 52 davon zum Tod durch Hängen. I was eager to see another geographical area of Ghana, and to fulfill As we rode through bends and turns in the road – this huge white castle emerged in the distance up on the hill – overlooking the village and villagers. Watch Queue Queue My mission and purpose became further clarified in that very moment. Cape Coast Castle was also where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the Middle Passage. Cape Coast Castle and Slave Dungeon. Cape Coast Castle in 1682. Portuguese construction of Elmina Castle began in 1482, making it the oldest European structures south of the Sahara.
The history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade is undoubtedly the most familiar narrative Americans have of Africa. Geography Topography. All praises due to the Most High!The dungeons were deep caverns with very high ceilings and one small window at the top for light and ventilation. The Cape Coast Castle Dungeons. As bad as the conditions were in the dungeons, it was far worse on the slave ships – where only 2 in 4 Africans survived. It’s been over 20 years since I visited Cape Coast Castle in Ghana but to this day the smell of the female dungeon still haunts me. )always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.one's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.why are there trees i never walk under, but large and medodious thoughts descend upon me?if you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?librarian, writer/editor, floundering guitarist, breakfast addictmobile software developer, dog owner, hiker, adventure racer, enemy of bureaucracy Elmina and Cape Coast Castles revisited – MisBeeeWrites It’s been over 20 years since I visited Cape Coast Castle in Ghana but to this day the smell of the female dungeon still haunts me. The rebellious ones were chained to a ball and chain in an open courtyard with extreme sun bearing down on them and would be left there until thirst, hunger or extreme heat forced submission, or death overtook them.Again, and again the anger was burning inside of me, the pain was radiating through my chest, the tears were flowing down my face as I shuddered in agony, envisioning my ancestors – my long ago grandma’s and grandpa’s suffering at the hands of these captors. "History in the Dungeon: Atlantic Slavery and the Spirit of Capitalism in Cape Coast Castle, Ghana". By now the others in our group had went ahead, and a flash came across my mind of being lost and left behind in here – so I hurried out of the room to find our tour guide and group.In several of the dungeons there was an art installation “A windowless and airless room next to one room in the dungeon where rebellious Africans were put to suffocate to death.There was a well for washing the African women who were chosen by the Swedish, Dutch, or British rulers as their latest sexual victim. Cape Coast Castle/Dungeon was first constructed as a fort by the Portuguese in 1653, then taken over by the British and developed it into the status of a castle in 1665. I needed to have a moment alone in these death holes. As if all that is not horrible enough, these men and women did not even understand why they were being held captive, nor were they aware that they would soon cross the ocean in a similarly inhuman condition only to be sold to another human being on the shores of the Americas.Even as our hearts were heavy with the lessons and history of the slave trade, our tour guide, Frances, was a bright spot and ray of hope. Yet, no matter which nation held the Castle, control over trade was the primary mission of this outpost. Cape Coast Castle, Ghana is also known as (Swedish: Carolusborg) is one in every of approximately forty "slave castles", or massive industrial forts, constructed at the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) via way of means of European buyers.
I left an offering at the altar along with a prayer, and filled a small bottle with some of the remains on the floor – sand, dirt and graveyard dust to represent the connection between me and those who walked through these doors and chambers many generations ago.My ancestors were taken from this dungeon on these shores and put in ships with the thought that they would never return again – but I their daughter, sister, and descendant returned in the year 2017. What's the best way to see Cape Coast Castle? So through me, my ancestors live!!! The area is dominated by batholith rock and is generally undulating with steep slopes. Cape Coast Castle was rebuilt in the late 18th c. by the British. In Cape Coast Castle, the underground dungeon was a space of terror, death, and blackness. Then a slight panic set in. There was a foul, damp smell of filth, decay and mildew, with the pungent stench of death permeating the air! An estimated fifteen percent of slaves died on the journey of malnutrition and disease.