12 DAYS OF GHANA

Cape Coast Castle
Journal Entry…

We slept later today and the tour guides picked us up around 0900 hours.  Today’s itinerary was to tour Cape Coast Castle and the Elimina Castle.  This was about a 20-minute drive from the hotel.  The weather is very pleasant today, as it has been on previous days.  The mornings are cool and a little overcast.  It starts to warm by noon.  The average temperature is around 32°C.  Sunset is around 1900 hours and then it cools off again.  I have not yet experienced any mosquito bites. 

Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region, is one of the most historic cities in Ghana.  It was the center of the British Administration and capital of the Gold Coast by 1700 until 1877 when the capital moved to Accra.  The people are called the Fanti and the language is Fante.  Some say most of the oldest and best schools in Ghana are in Cape Coast.  As we approached Cape Coast, the storefront buildings had an architectural influence of colonial times.  The streets were filled with people. 

We got off the bus and walked up to this door that opened up to the courtyard of a forte.  Actually, this forte was called Cape Coast Castle and it backed up to the Atlantic Ocean, which was not noticeable from the street.  There were cannons facing the ocean and a supply of the original cannon balls used by the British for protection against pirates. 

We met the curator who gave us a formal tour.  There was a charge of 5000 Cedis for still photos and 10,000 for video.  Much of the early trade took place from this coast; gold, ivory, pepper and eventually slaves.  Listening to the curator, as he outlined history for us, was heart breaking.  As I stood on the grounds of the forte, I could almost feel the torment that my ancestors experienced during their capture.  Looking out into the Atlantic Ocean, I starred as though I could see the slave ship as it slowly disappeared on the horizon.  According to the curator, the White men had determined that Africans would make good slaves because, as they said, “they had no souls and they were likened to animals.” 

Initially, the Portuguese bought Cape Coast for 64 pounds in 1464.   In the 15^th century, the Portuguese traded slaves to European nations.  Later, with the establishment of the New World, the slave trade intensified.  In 1657, the Dutch drove the Portuguese out of Cape Coast.  In 1664, the English gained control of Cape