Cape Coast Castle

In Accra we hired a car and driver at $100 for the day plus fuel. The 56 litres it took to fill up the toyota was about $45 more. Headed west at 09:00 towards the historic town of Cape Coast. The drive is not too interesting because it goes inland to get around the coastal lagoons. Rolling hills covered with cutover brush. It's been cleared and burnt so many times now that it's not very fertile but they must produce a lot of pineapple since the roadside stands were piled high. But a good two lane road, passing village after village. Driver pointed out Kofi Annan's home town and even more importantly Michael Essien's.

Cape Coast is one of those english names that no one really knows where it came from. Since the town went through Portuguese, Dutch and English hands starting in the 15th century who can know? (Internet's out so you will have to look up the details). The existing castle was left by the British. A major slave export location, the place is really spooky. We got in free due to some international museum day or something, pretty cool. Since it was a weekday it was just us and a couple Canadian students looking for a guide.

We first went through the museum which is really well done. My father would have had a word or two to say regarding Angela Davis being on display as an American civil rights leader that's for sure. The highlight for me was the local Fante tribe displays including ceremonial staffs of the local Asafo companies. Originally military units that could be called on by the chief in time of war these are now more social organizations. But as recently an 1999 one company fought another over a perceived insult on their new flag.

Some wonderful old stools are on display here. The belief is that the stools are containers of the power that is granted to the chief who sits on them. The really powerful stools are not seen at all by the public. In the case of a new chief being enthroned that is done behind closed doors unseen to all but a favored few.

During the tour we experienced the darkness and heat and damp of the slave holding dungeons and the walk to the gate of no return where they were loaded onto ships. Seated in the "Palaver Hall" where the sales were made was quite chilling.

The guide wrapped it all up by commenting how there is plenty of blame to go around between the Europeans and the Africans for this outrage. Everyone was in it for the money and the poor captives were the losers.

On a brighter note, the door of no return opens right out into the middle of the very lively fishing village and is really a treat. It can be hard to get in amongst the locals without being disruptive and here you are thrown right in. And the guy selling a print of a picture from 1954 of Kwame Nkrumah and Haile Selassie was quite tempting. Maybe I got that date wrong but quite a connection! Early evidence of Rasta Man!