Take a close look at the coast of Ghana, and you will find myriad ancient castles and forts. Marking the beginning of the slaves’ perilous journey during the era of the slave trade, these fortresses were the last memory slaves had of their homeland before being shipped off across the Atlantic, never to return again.
Between 1482 and 1786, clusters of castles and forts were erected along the 500 kilometer-long coastline of Ghana between Keta in the East and Beyin in the west. Back then, Ghana was called the Gold Coast due to its vast quantities of gold, and these strongholds served as fortified trading posts offering protection from other foreign settlers and threats from the African people. The castle’s involvement with slavery eventually stopped as a result of Britain’s ban on the slave trade. Cape Coast Castle went back to its previous function as an essential site for (non-human) commodity trade, after which it was turned into an army training facility. In 1957, when Ghana became the first African state to regain independence from British colonial rule. |