Pictured in this post is the Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana. It was originally built by Sweden in the 17th century. Over the years, many countries took possession of it until the 1660s when the English took over. While being there, we toured the entire castle, viewing where the Europeans would hold enslaved Africans they captured from Mali and the northern part of Ghana. Hundreds of them were held in dark, cold, unsanitary dungeons piled on top of each other. One of the dungeons was directly below their church, so while the Europeans claimed to be worshipping God, they were ignoring the cries of the enslaved people just below them. We also viewed the governor’s living quarters, which had a plethora of space and spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. It was very sad to learn how the enslaved people were treated and see the last place my ancestors would have been before enduring the gruesome journey to the “New World”. The last photo shows a sign that says “Door of Return”. This was added for the tour, but on the inside of the castle, it says “Door of no return”. It was the final point that the enslaved people would go through before getting on the ship, never to return to their homeland. This was such a heavy-hearted yet very educational experience, and I think everyone should take a tour of the castle at least once in their life to remind us of the harsh realities of our past.
