Visiting the Slave Trade Centers, Ghana

The last few centuries of the previous millennia have been the bloodiest and darkest for the African continent and the civil wars that ravaged most part of this gorgeous land in the last century are just one part of this sad story. The notorious slave trade that depopulated massive parts of the continent is perhaps the darkest chapter of all. This infamous trade that started somewhere in the 15^th century and in one form or the other went on till the end of the 19^th century destroyed the social and economic fabric of Africa.

Most of these slaves were taken to the new world for forced labour in the plantations of the rich merchants of the colonial powers. Many African nations have tried to show their plight to the rest of the world but none has got more attention than Ghana which in the modern days has profited a lot because of its efforts to rightly project itself as one of the biggest victims of the slave trade as thousands of African Americans have invested heavily in the economy of the country.

The coastal forts along the famous Gold Coast of Ghana are the best place to observe the centre of the slave trade and many of them have been given the status of national museums. If you have taken a cheap flight to Accra then visiting some of these forts is worth the time spent as it will provide a deep insight into this difficult era of the African history. The most famous of these forts is the mighty Fort St. George near the town of Elmina. This is one of the largest forts built by the slave traders and is still in a very good shape. It is a favourite destination for many African American tourists to the country.

If you arrive there with a group of tourists then you will be provided with a guided tour of the fort and will be taken to the dungeons and the torture and punishment cells of the fort. The small room in the middle of the fort which in the slave trade era was used for the auction purposes is now home to the fort’s museum which will provide you with complete information regarding the history of the fort.

Another famous castle that was used to be the centre of the slave trade in the cape area is the Cape Coast Castle. This British castle was used for more than 200 years as headquarter of the British colonial office in Ghana. It has a quite large museum which is a lot more elaborate than the one in St. George and contains many artefacts from the slave trade era. You can take a guided tour of the fort during which you will also be shown a video to brief you about the history of the castle and the role it played in the slave trade. While most of these forts are in an excellent shape, not all are open to the public as most of them were converted into guesthouses.