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St George's Castle at Elmina
Another castle that used to be for defence, was converted to use in the slave trade. This is actually the oldest European building in Sub-Saharan Africa, originally built by the Portuguese in 1482. As much as the French I learnt at school was coming back to me, it was still nice to reach an English speaking nation. This is probably one of the main reasons why I found Ghana to be the friendliest country in West Africa. It certainly has the happiest, smiliest people. Even simple tasks like buying bread or asking for directions invariably concludes with yourself and a huddle of local people killing yourselves laughing and vigorously shaking hands before moving on.
It was also nice to bump into other travellers, quite a rarity since Morocco. Although it turned out that most were American Peace Corps or British students volunteering for a month or so at nearby schools and medical centres. Ghana enjoys the highest GDP per head in West Africa so I can't think why there are so many more volunteers here than in the much poorer neighbouring countries. Did I mention that Ghana is English speaking?
After many weeks of desert and scrub it was great to reach rainforests but even better to reach the beach. The coastline of Ghana is brilliant. Deserted sandy bays with great waves for surfing. Inbetween the beaches are lush forested headlands
Young Fisherman at Butre
Don't worry, I pointed out to the eight year old that he should have an adult present when using a machete of that size. and bustling fishing villages. The whole coast is dotted with forts, which, though offering great beach backdrops they constantly remind you of the more sinister past.
The forts were originally built by the Portuguese, Swedes, Danes, Dutch or British in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to safeguard shipping and trade with local rulers. This area of Ghana, or the Gold Coast as it was known, was particularly rich in comparison to other stretches of the African coast. Originally it was gold and ivory that the Europeans sought but later it was people. The forts regularly changed hands between rival European powers and with the onset of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade the storerooms became dungeons.
Slavery in Africa had existed for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of Europeans (and continued long after abolition, right up to the present day). Although the shipping of slaves across the Atlantic was a grotesque practice, it is often said that this should perhaps be seen as an extension of the abundant internal market. However, a large number of the slaves present within Africa had voluntarily gone into slavery, during times of drought or hardship. Or, families would give up children into
Buy your bleach in the Name of the Lord
Another favourite was "Satan Lies Chiropodists". slavery knowing that they could not provide for them. The tradition today of a man offering a large dowry to the family of his future wife is seen as a modern example of this same practice.
Following the establishment of colonies in the Americas, it was soon realised that large profits could be made growing crops such as sugar or cotton. The huge plantations demanded a lot of labour and the indigenous people were deemed too few and too lazy. Hence the demand for African slaves. European traders typically encouraged tribes to attack each other and capture hostages that they could exchange for modern weapons. The hostages were packed into the underground storerooms of the coastal castles before being crammed onto ships sailing for the Americas. Thus developed the triangular Trans-Atlantic trade. Metal goods, cloth and guns were brought from Europe to West Africa and swapped for slaves that were taken to the Americas. The ships were then loaded with raw cotton or tobacco and sailed back to Europe. You would be back home in eighteen months, significantly richer.
It is thought that between ten and twenty million Africans were taken as slaves with only around half actually
View From Cape Coast Castle
The castle was built to guard against seaborne attacks from rival European powers. making it across the Atlantic. The notorious "Middle Passage" could take up to nine months with the slaves being held in appalling conditions. Typically they were chained together by the hands and feet in the unventilated slave holds. To quote John Reader:
"With slaves cramped and chained together, dysentery rife and seasickness taking its toll, not every slave managed to reach a bucket in time. Some did not even try. Heat, perspiration, and the odours of unwashed bodies added to the stench; candles would not burn in the fetid air......A ship's surgeon reported: The deck, that is the floor of their rooms, was so covered with blood and mucus which had proceeded from them in consequence of the dysentery, that it resembled a slaughterhouse. It is not in the power of the human imagination, to picture to itself a situation more dreadful or disgusting." The amount of space allocated per person is coincidently, and quite appropriately, about the size of a modern coffin.
The slave trade was first abolished in 1807 by the British. Ghana's forts were then used to assist the British navy patrols to seize foreign slave trading vessels or as administrative centres in the fledgling
Busua Beach
It was a long, hot climb up the rickety steps but worth it for this view. colony. Some of the forts are now crumbling and being reclaimed by the jungle, others have been converted into houses. A few though are kept as museums lest we forget how the native population of this country were treated in the past.
Depending how you look at it, 2007 is a good year to visit Ghana. This year the country is celebrating 50 years of independance. Indeed in 1957, Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan country to "throw off the shackles of colonial rule". Flags and banners are draped everywhere, huge billboards and bunting line the streets, and large stadiums have been built, often seemingly in the middle of nowhere, all to celebrate this half century anniversary. Unfortunately all this costs money. Of all the places that the government could recoup the spending, they went for power and water. Electricity is rationed to 30 hours in 36, and water seems to be on and off whenever it likes. However, without these cuts I would never have realised how pleasant it is to fetch water from a well then have a bucket shower by candlelight.
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