Back to Accra
As we left Kumasi, we went to the Cultural center and picked up some gifts for friends and family at home, all those who have been taking care of all our families and patients while we were away. We had a long bust ride to the Coast. We did make one stop at the site of the Last Bath. This was where slaves from West Africa were washed before they were taken to the castles on the coast. No one knows how many Africans were sold into slavery or the number who died before being sold. Our guide left us down to the water. As it is the dry season, the water was far below the bank. Also at the site are the re-interned remains of one woman slave from Jamaica and a man from the United States. Both were reentered her in 1998. On Sunday we visited the slave castle at Elmina, the oldest European castle on the West African coast. Four hundred men were housed in one small square space with only a few small windows. No food, no water, little sunlight. They could be there for months. There were also one hundred and fifty women in a smaller room. When the boats arrived, they were shacked together in groups of ten and loaded onto boats. Originally the castle was for trade in gold and other items, and then it was used exclusively for the housing of slaves. After the abolition of slavery, the castle was used by the British for administrative purposes and was also used for training Ghanaians to fight for the British in the world wars. The Castle is now a museum. We spent about an hour there before leaving for Accra. It was a very moving tour and as our guide stated- it is not old wounds we seek to open but to speak to the enduring strength of the African people and to ensure that such a horrible event never occurs again.
~Stephanya Shear
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