Cape Coast Castle

Born and raised in Ghana, I had no way I could escape the history of the country. We were taught Ghanaian history right from Elementary School which we call it Primary School. From Primary school to University, one must know the concept of Ghanaian history, and Cape Coast Castle which is based in the Central Region of Ghana was the most interesting of it all due to Slavery. Before our Independence in 1957, Ghana was initially called the Gold Coast due to the mineral resource we had. These mineral resources attracted European countries to our country. The first country to set foot on our home soil were the Portuguese around the 15th century. As they settled in, they demanded human labor which later turned into slavery. They used the castle to keep slaves and as well trade them to the Americas and Caribbean. Majority of West African slaves were shipped to other countries as well but didn’t make it at sea during the middle passage. When a slave was being shipped, and they end up being sick, they are thrown into the sea to perish. The castle was the final stop in several ways. Most slaves who were being shipped like cargo experienced the castle as the last place they stepped foot on the grounds of Gold Coast. While the Portuguese continued to use the Castle as a trade lodge, the Swedish people took over by constructing a permanent wooden fortress for trade in timber and Gold. The Danes took over ten years later by practicing the same act as their predecessors. As the British took over the Danes, they registered the castle as their headquarters colonial governor. About 1,500 slaves were packed in the castle dank. These danks were badly ventilated, less room to lay down, people sleeping in their mates’ waste which caused a lot of illness. Majority of women were raped by these colonial masters which were very terrifying. As Gold Coast fought for their Independence under the British Colony, they became the first African country to regain their Independence since slavery was eventually stopped because of the British ban on the slave trade. As for now, The Cape Coast Castle is now a tourist attraction where people go to see a lot. It has attracted well-known people to visit such as Ex. President Obama and his family.