“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Today was devoted to exploring Cape Coast Castle with my pal Sonia. The castle was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century, but eventually ruled by the Dutch and was originally used for trading timber and gold. However, ultimately the castle was utilized for keeping and transporting slaves as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Stepping foot in a piece of history is a powerful experience. Specifically stepping foot inside of slave dungeons is not only powerful, but rather haunting as well. 
A tour of the castle leads to the dungeon areas, the tunnel through which slaves traveled to their departing vessels, and various cells for punishment. One such cell was reserved for what were called the “freedom fighters”, which were slaves who literally tried to fight for their freedom and as a result were punished. The cell is a closed in room, about ten feet by ten feet with absolutely no lighting. Men were left there to die because they chose to fight rather than completely surrender.
On the opposite side of the castle was the “Door of No Return” where slaves crawled through, while shackled, to board westward-bound ships. Passing through this door led the slaves to a new life with a new name in a faraway land. Each dungeon had shallow canals running down the middle of the floor and along some walls where feces and vomit would drain to. When it rained, water rushed through the windows at the top of one wall and supposedly rinsed out these tunnels, all while dead bodies rotted and suffering slaves moaned in agony. Ironically, a church was set just above the dungeons. Beyond the structural features of the slave castle, the more daunting aspects of the tour are the feelings conjured up while walking amidst the horrible ghosts of humanity's past. The pain and unnecessary suffering endured within those walls is unbearably sad and truly overwhelming to even imagine. People can be so unbelievably cruel and heartless, and to know that my own race contributed to an injustice such as slavery makes me feel a little ashamed.
A tour of the castle leads to the dungeon areas, the tunnel through which slaves traveled to their departing vessels, and various cells for punishment. One such cell was reserved for what were called the “freedom fighters”, which were slaves who literally tried to fight for their freedom and as a result were punished. The cell is a closed in room, about ten feet by ten feet with absolutely no lighting. Men were left there to die because they chose to fight rather than completely surrender. On the opposite side of the castle was the “Door of No Return” where slaves crawled through, while shackled, to board westward-bound ships. Passing through this door led the slaves to a new life with a new name in a faraway land. Each dungeon had shallow canals running down the middle of the floor and along some walls where feces and vomit would drain to. When it rained, water rushed through the windows at the top of one wall and supposedly rinsed out these tunnels, all while dead bodies rotted and suffering slaves moaned in agony. Ironically, a church was set just above the dungeons. Beyond the structural features of the slave castle, the more daunting aspects of the tour are the feelings conjured up while walking amidst the horrible ghosts of humanity's past. The pain and unnecessary suffering endured within those walls is unbearably sad and truly overwhelming to even imagine. People can be so unbelievably cruel and heartless, and to know that my own race contributed to an injustice such as slavery makes me feel a little ashamed.
At the end of the tour, the guide showed a plaque that is posted encouraging visitors to spread the word about the history of the castle in the hopes that such practices of cruelty will never happen again. In theory, a noble idea. But look at the world today! In the 1990s, blacks were owned by the Arabs in the Sudan and traded for $15 a piece. In India, children are taken from their homes and forced to work on looms in exchange for food. Young girls are sold into prostitution in Thailand. The world is a seriously messed up place. Unfortunately, the notions of servitude and slavery are still going strong in many cultures today, not only Africa. Sadly, I see it every day at my college where young people are expected to work and work and work with no compensation. Free labor for the teachers. It’s wrong wrong wrong.
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