You Are Here
Slave Castles
El Mina Castle
Inside El Mina Castle just before the Dungeon Courtyard.
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Courtyard Entrance, to the left Male Dungeons
Door of No Return
The very last threshold slaves would cross in Ghana before traveling to the New World
In order to be successful in the future one must be aware of the past, in doing this it will prevent making the same mistakes in the future. Visiting Cape Coast and El Mina Castle was just a stepping stone to remembering the past and realizing how far humanity has come. Walking down the very halls into the cells and dungeons where many of our ancestors spent their last days in their homeland was astonishing. Darkness and an indistinguishable smell of bodies and ammonia filled the cells and dungeons. The presences of these rooms were eerie and cannot be forgotten by anyone who experiences them. As the tour guide describes the previous setup and conditions the slaves faced, it forces one to relive the past through literature, stories, and movies. Even these forms of interpreting and depicting slavery are ways of remembering the past and helping with the future.
Male Dungeons
Markings symbolize where the chains and shackles were placed on the walls
Rooms built to fit 300 to 400 men with little ventilation and light
There is no romanticism about the slave castles and as bad as the past may hurt at times it cannot be forgotten or ignored. In visiting these two castles, one can and will identify and connect with a piece of information provided from the tour guide, dungeon in the castle, or one of the exhibits in Cape Coast Castle’s Museum. Wherever the connection is made the individual will hold on to that moment and share it with others, which in return will give them insight and secure a brighter future.