Destination #2: Cape Coast & Elmina

After calling and being told the Cape Coast bus departs at 9am, we arrived at the station around 8:30...only to be told the bus already left and we'd have to wait until the 12:30 bus...ugh! With all of our stuff (& it being a Sunday morning when many things are closed), we really had nothing to do but wait at the station...so 7 hours later (4 waiting, 3 on bus), we were thrilled to arrive in Cape Coast and finally to Stumble Inn, where we had our own beachfront hut made of sustainable and mostly traditional materials (see photos of hut & beach below). I also included a photo of the road leading up to Stumble... We were told it had rained a lot the night before and it was quite a difficult road to maneuver a car through. This photo shows some of the large puddles, but not nearly the largest which spread across the entire road and was several feet wide. I can't imagine what it would've been like with multiple consecutive days of rain!

The towns of Cape Coast and Elmina (neighboring cities--we stayed in Elmina, but spent time in both) have a rich history, due to the two cities' deep involvement in the transatlantic slave trade during the 18th century. During this time, thousands of Ghanaians were held captive in the dungeons of both Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle (both now UNESCO World Heritage sites) for 3 months before being traded for guns and alcohol and shipped to a life of captive labor (for those who survived the abhorrent conditions while waiting). Below are photos of Elmina Castle and the "Door of No Return," the door through which the slaves boarded the ships. Several years ago, two descendants of slaves were symbolically invited to return through the "Door of No Return," effectively breaking the chain.

In both castles, a sign is posted, which reads:
"In Everlasting Memory
Of the anguish of our ancestors
May those who died rest in peace
May those who return find their roots
May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity
We, the living, vow to uphold this."

Amen. I feel that visiting such sites and sharing the history with others is so important to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself and injustices like this never happen again.