Visited Elmina in the southern part of Ghana a couple of weeks ago. It's a small town famous for its castle built by the Portuguese. The castle is indeed awesome! From a distance you can see its white facade gleaming under the bright rays of the sun. But beneath its pretty walls lies a dark past. For over 200 years, it was used first by the Portuguese and later the Dutch as a centre for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The living conditions that the slaves had to endure is horrendous. Typically, a few hundred people will be crammed into a small, dark, damp dungeon and made to eat, shit and sleep there while waiting for the ships that is to take them to the new world. It could take up to 3 months waiting for those ships. Countless died in those dungeons. Many more during the journey. Those that left would never ever see their homeland again.
It never cease to amaze me the kind of brutality that Man are capable of. The trans-Atlantic slave trade is but one of them. Terrorism, genocides, wars and the list goes on. During this festive period, while we are enjoying ourselves, let us all not forget that somewhere out there in this world, there could be a mother crying over her dying malnourished child or a father weeping for his fallen soldier son.
Entrance to the dungeons
The dungeons
Through the 'Door of no return' - so named as all the slaves that passes through the door will never again see their homeland again
Never again
The branding room - this the place where the slaves are branded with a hot iron to allow the traders to identify which slaves belongs to them
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