Sorry for cutting short the last post. The slave castle was incredible. We walked off of the bus and the castle was painted white and looked over the ocean. We walked under the archway and a sudden rush of emotion came over all of us. We first went to the museum and learned about the triangular trade, what the slaves went through, and what happened after Ghana became an independent colony. While we were learning about the slave castle, Jill purchased drums for her family and a knife for her son. She definitely knows how to shop!!
Soon after, our tour guide greeted us passionately and began to unravel the tale of the slave castle. He led us down this long dark hallway and we went into a room that held 200 strong men, Mr. Allen said it was about approximately 15 * 20 feet. It was an eerie feeling because none of us have ever actually touched a place were thousands of slaves had crossed through. The fact that we were actually standing in the cells where the slaves had been kept made everything feel so real. The cells were only lit by three small holes in the wall. The air was damp and stuffy. The guide also explained to us that the men lived there for a 3 month periods, there was a white mark about a foot and a half from the ground which marked how high the level of waste in the cell at all times. As our tour continued, we saw a section of the huge underground path that led to the "door of no return" where the slaves were brought out to the slave ships. Furthermore, he explained how the women were treated disrespectfully and how if a women was pregnant the guard who fathered the child could decide if he wanted to keep her, if he did she was free of slavery. However, if he chose not to they were sent back to the holding cell the day after giving birth. The slave castle was a valuable learning experience for all of us mainly because we not only heard about the history, but got to see where it really occurred first hand.
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