Ghana #6: A Journey to Elmina Castle
by Ingram Caswell, for the team
Wednesday was a travel day. We said good-bye to our hosts in the Upper Presbytery and flew back to Accra. The following day we went to the Elmina Slave Castle, on the coast about three-and-a-half hours southwest of Accra. Our team was now augmented by Caryl Weinberg, Director of Missions for First Presbyterian Church, Evanston, Illinois, and trustee of The Outreach Foundation. Caryl has had a long history with Africa and African leaders. Over dinner, she introduced us to two of her special friends, Femi and Affy Adeleye, Nigerians who are living in Ghana.
Warned of the traffic getting in and out of Accra, we started our day early Thursday morning—a little before 6:00 AM. By 9:30 we were at our destination, Elmina Castle. Built by the Portuguese in 1482 as a trading post, it later became one of the most important jumping-off points for the Atlantic slave trade.
The sights, the sounds, and the smells were difficult to bear. It was heartbreaking to think of the men, women, and children who were held in this place. It made me think of my Haitian friends, brothers and sisters whose ancestors came from West Africa through the slave trade. Their ancestors had incredible strength and stamina to survive the three-month ordeal in the dungeons of the Elmina Castle and the terrible Atlantic Crossing.
The castle is located in a vibrant fishing village that has a busy fish market. We saw the boats coming in and going out to catch the cassava fish, sole, and red snapper that we lunched on.
In addition to Caryl, we had also invited Joshua Heikkila, the PCUSA’s Regional Liaison Mission Co-Worker for West Africa, to join us on the trip. It was a pleasure to hear his and Caryl’s stories and experiences throughout the day. Our driver Patrick was also full of information about the various places along the way to and from Elmina.
In Elmina we had seen how inhuman people can be. But in the wonderful people we have encountered on our journey through Ghana, we have also seen how Christlike people can be.