Cape Coast

Today we traveled by tro-tro from Kumasi down to the Cape Coast. We were lucky enough to be able to take tours of both the Cape Coast Slave Castle and the El Mina Slave Castle. Ghana's Coast, also known as the Gold Coast, offered a dramatically different atmosphere from the interior region of Ghana where we spent most of our trip. The breezes coming off the water were well received after spending several days in 100 degree weather. The Cape Coast Castles offered an interesting juxtaposition of concepts, the castles themselves were incredibly beautiful, but the transactions that they housed were abominable. Our tour guides were fantastic and told us about the entire history of the castles, including what years they changed hands, the number of slaves held at each of the castles at any given time, some background information on who the key drivers behind the slave trade were, and the routes that soon to be slaves were forced to travel on their way to the castles. We also got a chance to eat lunch at a great seaside restaurant, where we were able to look out over the ocean while we enjoyed ground nut stew, fried plantains, and jollof rice. After our time on the coast we packed back into the tro-tro and headed to Accra, after about four hours we arrived at Bob Nanes' residence where he provided us with pizza and a wealth of information concerning Ghanaian agriculture. Now we're off to bed!