Ghana: Day 6
Day 6: Tears Falling On Stone
The ocean, nature's white noise maker. Slept like a log that had been beaten unconscious. Thus ends the happy part of this report.
The rain that fell half of the day provided the perfect backdrop to our visit to the infamous slave castles. Our first stop was to British Cape Coast Castle, the point of departure for millions of slaves bound for the New World. As we walked through the dungeons where the slaves were kept and punished, it was impossible to imagine what it would have been like for the captives. Sleeping on bare rock, the only cushion available the inches of feces piled up over the 300+ years of the slave trade. Passing through the Door of No Return, knowing that you'll never see your home again. Not knowing how swiftly death was coming for you. But the people here have turned the horror into a chance to teach and learn, to remember and to heal. After passing through the Door, you look back to see a sign that reads Door of Return, marking the end of the slave trade and welcoming the African diaspora home.
Next, we had the opportunity to attend a presentation ceremony with the local chief. He was petitioned by the attendees to be allowed to enter Elmina Castle as part of the Panafest celebration. We watched a priest pour libation as he said the prayers of welcome. Afterward, we visited Elmina castle, which was built by the Portuguese before being conquered by the Dutch and ultimately traded to the British. There, we were treated to a lecture on Elmina history by a retired surgeon who has turned himself in to a local history expert.
And then there was shopping....
Mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27102801@N05/sets/72157627388792174/
Dad's: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27102801@N05/sets/72157627357762812/