ELMINA CASTLE

Since it was Saturday and since one of my goals is simply to get to know Ghana and her culture, Conrad took me this morning to the Elmina Castle.

This fortress is THE predominant historical site in this part of Ghana. And it deserves to be better known worldwide. 

You see, Elmina Castle was ground zero for the African slave trade. The Portuguese built the impressive structure to establish a foothold in Africa’s Guinea Coast in 1482. 

This was an entire decade before Christopher Columbus’ first trip to the New World!

Here is the main courtyard. The slaves were housed in the dark and claustrophobic lower level while soldiers and the Governor were housed in the more elegant quarters upstairs.