Slave Castle

We traveled down to Elmina during the weekend to visit the Elmina Slave Castle and stayed at this fabulous beachfront resort called Coconut Grove. Now, I was going to write this really long piece about the slave castle. . .but I just can't do it. There is no way I can describe it except to say that it was just as bad as the slave house on Goree Island, for those of you who have been there. They, too, removed the chains and such, but you can still feel what happened. The smell inside the rooms still lingers and you can just feel. . . . . . . .everything. I think the US and other countries should finance a program where people of African ancestry can visit these places and learn more about their past. Its a form of reperations. I don't know. Will it help? Who knows. What I do know is that it was so painful to have to stand there and listen to how inhumane people were treated. People need to see it for themselves to understand. I can't explain it and doubt I could fully explain the magnitude of the suffering that went on in there. Plus feelings of hate, distrust, resentment, anger, sadness and disappointment have found their way inside and I still can't explain exactly what it was like being in there. I don't know if anyone can. I am, however, optimistic, if that makes any sense, and know coming to Ghana and visiting the castle was a good thing for the future. Thats all I have to say about that.