Elmina castle 2

Active Christian worship was observed. The Catholic chapel, built to meet the needs of the Portuguese was converted to an officers’ mess by the conquering Dutch, who then created their own Protestant chapel. 

The first church- now housing the information exhibition.

Parallel kitchens were built, first Portuguese, later the Dutch, with differing layouts, hearths and ovens.

The views from the ramparts indicate the important strategic positioning and the useful permanent rocky coastline for anchoring ships.

The remains of a jetty can be seen like stepping stones. Today, traditional wooden fishing boats are crafted in the yard below the castle walls.

The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1814:- Britain having banned the Atlantic Slave trade in 1807, following the Danish, who were the first to effect such legislation in 1792, the economic benefits of trading in human cargo began to diminish. The British Royal Navy, which then controlled the world's seas, moved to stop other nations from continuing the slave trade and declared that slaving was equal to piracy and was punishable by death. 

In 1872 the Dutch Gold Coast, including Elmina, became a possession of the British Empire during the European colonisers’ “dash for Africa”. The castle was used as a training school, for army recruits and later by the police force.

Britain granted the Gold Coast its independence in 1957, and control of the castle was transferred to Ghana.

The town of Elmina, from the castle- The two storey buildings, uncommon in  Ghana, were constructed by the Portuguese and Dutch, partly to house mixed race families created during the castle's European occupation. 

The castle overlooks the town of Elmina, which remains much as the European conquerors left it, a small fishing port, relying on its twin exports, now combined to maintain a flourishing trade in preserved salted fish.

Photos- internet.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, conscious of lessons for humanity following four centuries of the Atlantic Slave Trade, of racism against Africans a consequence, a plaque on the walls of the castle offers these thoughts for endorsement: