The Cape Coast Castle is 345 years old. I couldn't understand everything the tour guide said and I was planning on looking it up and sharing it all with you, but that will take too much time. I'll do it for myself when I get home, but for now I'll give you what I understood. Cape Coast Castle was used to hold Africans who were going to be traded as slaves. They were held in cells that were way too small for three months. During those months they have three small windows way up the wall that gave them ventilation. Water came pouring through these windows when it rained. They had no bathroom facilities so they ate, pooped, vomited and slept in the same building. The filth was four feet deep at times and it would only be washed away when the rain came. Women were held in a different part of the castle in similar conditions. They were punished if they refused to sleep with their captors. The tour guide was careful to withhold blame and said that Ghanaians and Europeans were both responsible for the slave trade. Some Africans caught their own people and brought them to be traded as slaves.
There was another cell called the Condemned Cell where men were sent to die. They would go into the cell that had no ventilation with 30 shackled individuals and they were left there to suffocate to death. The guards would not retrieve the dead bodies until all 30 men had perished. We didn't even have the door closed and we were all having difficulty breathing -- I could not imagine how terrifying that would be for the people who died in that very cell.
The church in the castle was built right over one of the cells so the men could hear their captors worshiping God while they were screaming and fighting for their lives below. It is hard to imagine that human beings are capable of being so cruel. It was really haunting to stand in the very place where such intolerable acts took place. I felt sick to my stomach and so heart-broken. It is unbelievable to think that anyone can think such things are ok. I don't understand how things like that can happen and that the human race is capable of such incredible acts of injustice. The worst part is knowing that things like that still happen all the time. It is horrifying! Standing where so many men and women died or were sold into slavery made me feel so ashamed and humiliated. It was a very difficult experience, but I am so glad we went.
As we were leaving the castle we heard drums and singing and saw a crowd of people by the restaurant. We headed over to see what was going on and watched a dance practice. We sat and watched for about 45 minutes while a group of drummers and dancers performed for a crowd of villagers. It was amazing!!! They are such beautiful dancers! They have so much rhythm and passion -- it was incredible! I was taking pictures of the dancing when some kids came and asked for me to take a picture of them. Right after I took the picture they all crowded around to see it. So we spent about 30 minutes taking pictures of the kids and them showing them on the back. They were howling and laughing and delighted to see themselves. They were adorable! They were all so animated and wanted to point out their brothers and sisters who were dancing. It was so much fun to finally get a chance to connect with the actual people here. After all, that's really why I came!
I'm going to finish off this post with a quote that was on a plaque at the castle. It was put there by some of the Ghanaian Chiefs after the castle was no longer used for the slave trade.
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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