Cape Coast Castle

About

Cape Coast Castle (Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. Cape Coast Castle is located in the Central Region of Ghana. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established in 1555, which was named Cabo Corso, meaning "Short Cape." In 1653, a timber fort was constructed by the Swedish Africa Company. The fort originally was named Carolusborg after Charles X Gustav and was built as a center for timber and gold trade. In the 18th century, its dungeons were used in the Atlantic slave trade. Other Ghanaian slave castles include Elmina Castle and Fort Christiansborg. They were used to harbor enslaved Africans before they were loaded onto ships and sold in the Americas, especially the Caribbean. This "gate of no return" was the last stop before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Coast Castle, along with other forts and castles in Ghana, are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their testimony to the Atlantic gold and slave trades. The large quantity of gold dust found in Ghana was what primarily attracted European traders, and many natives of Cape Coast used this to their advantage. In exchange for gold, mahogany, and other locally produced goods and enslaved captives, local Africans received clothing, blankets, spices, sugar, silk

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.