I was on a week-long work related trip to Ghana and because I did not have my return flight till the following week, I had to stay back in Accra (the capital) over the weekend. My work done, I decided the hit the roads and visit the historic Cape Coast area in the central region of the country. As is my wont, I read my history before embarking on the journey and as generally is the case; none of what I read prepared me fully for what I was to experience.
Large scale commercial contacts between Europe and West Africa begun in the 15th century (CE) around the time of deep economic decline in Europe. The Portuguese, because of their maritime location and superior navigation skills were among the first to set sail in search of wealth in distant shores of Africa and Asia. Soon they arrived on the coast of West Africa, a land rich in gold and ivory and eventually named, what is Ghana today, as Gold Coast and the adjoining region as Ivory Cost. But eventually they also discovered another resource – cheap labor. The coastal region would, about a century later, also be referred to as the Slave Coast.
Over the centuries, colonial administrators from Europe built up an amazing network of trading posts that comprised trading lodges, forts and castles along the coast. While the architectural design and technology came from Europe, the toil was entirely African. For a period spanning four centuries, these castles and forts hosted European administrators, traders, missionaries and native African servants.
In the earlier centuries the warehouses on the lower floors of the castles were filled with gold, ivory and timber but these were slowly and steadily replaced by a more precious commodity – captured and captive African slaves destined for their torturous transatlantic voyage and eventual auction in the ‘New World’. Slaves were needed in large numbers to work in the rapidly expanding plantations, mines and factories and to fuel the economy in the ‘New World’; the very people who went on to become the ancestors of the present day black populations in the Americas, Caribbean islands and Europe.
The castles and forts in this coastal region and their association with the horrific slave trade embody a colossal human tragedy and betray a deep dark past. At the same time it is saga of great human interest and value – an important legacy not just to Africa but to the world at large. Thus in recognition of its unique place in world history and in light of the lessons we have to learn from these, the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO has designated Ghana’s castles and forts as World Heritage Monuments.
I visited two castles – the Cape Coast Castle located in Cape Coast town and the St. George Castle in Elmina, approximately 15 kilometers from the city of Cape Coast. Over a three-part mini-series, I shall take you on a unique journey with me, as I share my experience and try and relate the legacy that these castles and forts present to us today and for posterity.
The historic town of Cape cost, the erstwhile capital of Ghana is about 150 kilometers from Accra and I hired a car with a driver to get there. I took the motorway from Accra, through the Mallam Junction to Cape Coast, driving past fishing villages, traditional market towns, churches and mosques, and stretches of palm fringed coastline in between. The entire stretch of the road ran roughly along to the coastline.
At places traffic congestion was very high and the one way journey, which should have otherwise not taken more than two hours, took about three. All along the stretch, at junctions and points of congestion I found many ‘chop bars’ or snack bars, in addition to energetic hawkers – men, women and children selling roasted peanuts, fried yams, boiled eggs, fried shrimps, smoked fish, fruit, vegetables, iced water and a range of colorful soft drinks, their wares organized in receptacles of various types, gingerly balanced over their elegant heads.
My driver Michael – a big, middle aged Ghanaian man spoke pigeon English and was friendly. He filled me in with some trivia as we drove along. The population of the coastal region is made of two distinct groups – the Akan and the Guan. The Akan, who are in the majority are further divided into the Fante, Agona, Assin and Denkyira people, I was informed.
The coastal area offered the colonial powers, as one replaced the other, a relatively healthy and safe place to live in, apart from the convenience it presented for trade and commerce. The location on the coast enabled quick and efficient shipment of the bounties across the ocean into the New World. Needless to say, there was also an economic reason for there were substantial gold deposits near the coast, waiting to be exploited and trading in gold was a highly lucrative business in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The forts and castles were built on rock bed that served as a strong natural foundation and most of the stone for the construction were quarried locally, from the predominantly rocky peninsula. Moreover sources of sand, gravel, pebbles and water were also available in plenty. Finally being on the coast gave a sense of security as against being located in the hinterlands, particularly because the colonial powers were also formidable maritime powers in themselves. So in a way, they felt they were on their own grounds, next to the sea.
Between 1490 and 1560, nearly 1,000 kilograms of gold were exported to Portugal from just the town of Elmina in this region. Even by the early 18th century, when the focus had shifted to trading in slaves, gold export was staggering, to the extent that the central region of Ghana came to be known as Gold Coast. The transatlantic trade that involved Africa, Europe and the Americas entailed the exchange of a great variety of imports and exports. In 1700, the exports included slaves, gold, ivory, pepper, mahogany, salt, mats, buffalo hides and hippo tusks.
It is estimated that during the 17th and 18th centuries, an average of around 35,000 slaves were exported from the gold coast every year. On that reckoning, roughly 7 million may have been exported during the period 1650-1850, by all means a colossal figure for sparsely populated region. It is also estimated that only one out of the three captured slaves finally made it to the other shore in the New World. One third died while being held captive in the forts and castles from abuse, starvation, fatigue, shock and disease and one third died in the ship during their horrific trans-Atlantic voyage in which they were packed in the lower decks of the slave ships, like a tin of sardines. Those of you who are interested might want to watch Spielberg’s movie Amistad, based on a true story for a graphic narration of the slave trade.
As Slaves started replacing gold as the most precious commodity, the need for fortification became even higher as did the incidence of brutalities. Human exploitation, abuse and misery spiraled to staggering heights. Between 1650 and 1810, the Gold Coast therefore also became in economic terms a ‘Slave Coast’ and the new ‘slave economy era’ required new, larger, more complex trade and fortification networks. Some of the finest, strongest and most complex castles and forts were therefore built during this later era.
About thirty of the eighty or so forts and castles that once dotted the coastline still remain, out of which about 15 are in fairly good condition, the most well preserved ones being the Cape Coast Castle, the Elmina Castle, Fort Amsterdam and Fort Jago. It is interesting to note that over the entire coastal stretch of nearly 500 kilometers, the distribution of the forts average one fort for every 15 kilometers – the densest concentration of European fortification recorded anywhere in the African continent. Successive colonial powers had also got with them their own denominations of Christianity and hence I found churches of different persuasions of the Christian faith, dotted across the coast.
At the end of our three hour drive, our car pulled over at the entrance of the Cape Coast castle. As I got out, I could feel the old world charm of the place. Without realizing it, I found myself taking a slow 360 degree turn to check my surroundings. To my right was the forecourt of the Cape Coast Castle, behind me were the old Presbyterian and Anglican Churches, to my left was the old Methodist Church and ahead of me was a tarmac road that gently sloped down to a busy fishing village by the cove, beyond which was the vast and deep blue Atlantic Ocean merging into the distant horizon.
As I stood gazing at the fort, I was mesmerized by is beauty, elegance and grandeur. But then as a friend once observed during a discussion “Castles have many gruesome tales hidden in their panoramic vistas and they betray many myths and rumors about their grandeur”. Now if you are wondering what silent tales the mute cold stones of the castle have in store to tell us, join me in the next episode in which I shall take you on a tour of the Cape Coast Castle.
(To be continued)