(These next few entries will recap the last 9 days since I didn't have internet while on the road.)
Last Friday 19 students, 2 Professors, and 2 NYU Accra staff boarded a bus and departed for a 9 day road trip touring Ghana. We started at Accra and drove west to Cape Coast (Central region), then headed north to Kumasi (Ashanti region), and continued further north until we hit Tamale (Northern region), before driving 12 hours back down to Accra.
Our first stop was Cape Coast located in the Central region of Ghana, about a 2 and a half hour drive outside of Accra. We checked into the Coconut Grove Resort and ate breakfast alongside an amazingly beautiful beach.
Cape Coast is home to the Elmina Slave Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First built as a trade settlement, today the Elmina slave castle is recognized as one of the oldest establishments involved in the West Africa Atlantic slave trade during its peak in the seventeenth century. It was at this castle that slaves were brought and held captive before departing through the 'Door of No Return' where they were escorted to boats and shipped off to Portuguese or similar colonies and never seen again.
There was one room in particular, the women's cell, that smelled a bit funky upon entering. I remember our tour guide Atto told us "I always see people hold their nose in here, but I tell them to imagine how horrible it smelled with people dying in here during the slave trade." And its true. As funky as it smells today, and I can only imagine why a pungent smell STILL lingers, its horrible to think about the hundreds of women who were held captive in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions fed only enough food to keep them alive. Mothers were separated from their children, and perhaps even had to watch their child traded together with another weaker, older woman to equal one 'normal' female slave.
There was one room in particular, the women's cell, that smelled a bit funky upon entering. I remember our tour guide Atto told us "I always see people hold their nose in here, but I tell them to imagine how horrible it smelled with people dying in here during the slave trade." And its true. As funky as it smells today, and I can only imagine why a pungent smell STILL lingers, its horrible to think about the hundreds of women who were held captive in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions fed only enough food to keep them alive. Mothers were separated from their children, and perhaps even had to watch their child traded together with another weaker, older woman to equal one 'normal' female slave.
Flowers in honor of the peoples of West Africa. Before leaving the castle we paused for a moment of silence and vowed to do everything in our power to prevent slavery or any act of human cruelty from ever repeating again.
The men's chamber leads to "Slave Exit to Waiting Boats"
View from the top of the slave castle, which is actually quite gorgeous.
Despite Elmina's unfortunate past, the present-day Elmina is a fishing hub teeming with life and productivity. We had an unforgettable experience visiting the fisherfolk community surrounding the Elmina slave castle and speaking with members of the Ghana Inshore Fisheries Association. With much help from an interpreter we engaged in an interactive conversation with fisherman about challenges they face regarding food security in the Elmina community. To have the opportunity to speak directly with fisherman themselves, hearing about their lack of resources from the government, understanding how profits are split between fisherman, and even answer questions they had for us about the how the fishing industry works in the US was a humbling opportunity.
Walking through the local Elmina fishing community, immersed in the hustle and bustle and witnessing their daily productivity was beyond eye-opening. Everyone in the village was focused and consumed in that day's chores - from women selling recently caught fish, women frying fish for their families, or transporting items on their head with clear purpose and direction. Away from the hawkers surrounding the Elmina slave castle, a local fisherman presented an inside look at every day life in Elmina. He proudly showed us their boats waving their favorite country flags (similar to how we choose to represent a sports team) while children were stricken by the magic of a camera. We walked to the back of one house as women demonstrated how she smoked fish.
After a long hot day in the sun and smelling like fish and smoke we ended the night with a bonfire, palm wine, and night swimming in the ocean. I took a photo of the sand because I'd never seen sand this color! It was extremely coarse and looked like brown salt.
Cape Coast at sunset. (It's not Lanikai beach, but it'll do!)
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