Cape Coast Castle
| Part of | Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions  |
|---|---|
| Year dem found am | 1653 |
| Native label | Cape Coast Castle |
| Country | Ghana |
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Cape Coast, Central Region |
| Ein location | Cape Coast |
| Coordinate location | 5°6′13″N 1°14′29″W |
| Own by | Ghana |
| Occupant | Swedish overseas colonies, Danish overseas colonies, British Empire, Ghana |
| Heritage designation | Ghana’s material cultural heritage, part of UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Street address | Victoria Rd, Cape Coast |
| Dema official website | http://ghana-net.com/cape_coast_castle_museum.aspx |
| World Heritage criteria | (vi) |
| Ghana Place Names URL | https://sites.google.com/site/ghanaplacenames/places-in-perspective/castles-forts#h.fw1uch3ytr5t |
| Alternative name | Cabo Corso, Cap Corse |
Cape Coast Castle (Swedish: Carolusborg) dey about forty "slave castles" mong, anaa large commercial forts, wey dem build for de Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) top by European traders. Originally na e be Portuguese "feitoria" anaa trading post, dem establish for 1555 insyd, wey dem name am Cabo Corso. However, for 1653 insyd de Swedish Africa Company construct timber fort for der. Originally, na e be centre wey dem dey trade timber den gold. Later nu dem use am for de trans-Atlantic slave trade.[1] Oda Ghanaian castles dey include Elmina Castle den Fort Christiansborg. Dem use dem to hold slaves before dem load dem for ships top den sell for Americas, especially de Caribbean. Dis "gate of no return" be de last stop before dem cross de Atlantic Ocean.[2] Cape Coast Castle, along plus oda forts den castles insyd Ghana, dem include for de UNESCO World Heritage List secof dema testimony to de Atlantic gold den slave trades.[3]
Living conditions
[edit | edit source]Insyd Cape Coast Castle, na de underground dungeon be space of terror, death den darkness. Dis stand as direct juxtaposition to de European living quarters den commanding heights for de administrative quarters above, wey dem live relatively luxuriously. Na de basement of dis fortress wey dey impose often be de last memory slaves get for dema homeland before dem ship dem across de Atlantic, as dis signify de beginning of dema journey.[4]
Cultural references
[edit | edit source]De 2016 novel Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi dey make frequent references to de Castle. Dem highlight de contrast insyd living conditions between de Europeans wey dey live above den de slaves wey dey live below insyd de individual stories of two half-sisters, Effia den Esi, during dema tym for de castle. While Effia, de wifey for de English slaver, dey live for luxury insyd, Esi dey suffer insyd de squalid living conditions for de dungeons insyd below unbeknownst to ein half-sisto.[5]
3D documentation plus terrestrial laser scanning
[edit | edit source]For 2015 insyd, de Zamani Project document Cape Coast Castle plus terrestrial 3D laser scanning.[6][7] De non-profit research group dey specialize for 3D digital documentation of tangible cultural heritage insyd. De data Zamani Project generate dey create permanent record wey dem fi use for research, education, restoration, den conservation.[8][9][10] 3D model den panorama tour of Cape Coast Castle be available for www.zamaniproject.org top. Animation for de 3D model dey available for hie.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Cape Coast Castle - Castles, Palaces and Fortresses". www.everycastle.com. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
- ↑ "Ghana's Slave Castles: The Shocking Story of the Ghanaian Cape Coast". theculturetrip.com.
- ↑ "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 9 Oct 2022.
- ↑ Apter, Andrew. “History in the Dungeon: Atlantic Slavery and the Spirit of Capitalism in Cape Coast Castle, Ghana”. The American Historical Review, vol. 122, no. 1, 2017, pp. 23–54., doi:10.1093/ahr/122.1.23.
- ↑ "A Sprawling Epic of Africa and America". The New Yorker. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ↑ "Site - Cape Coast Castle". zamaniproject.org. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ↑ Chris Giles. "Meet the scientists immortalizing African heritage in virtual reality". CNN. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ↑ Rüther, Heinz. "An African heritage database, the virtual preservation of Africa's past" (PDF). www.isprs.org.
- ↑ Rajan, Rahim S.; Ruther, Heinz (2007-05-30). "Building a Digital Library of Scholarly Resources from the Developing World: An Introduction to Aluka". African Arts. 40 (2): 1-7. doi:10.1162/afar.2007.40.2.1. ISSN 0001-9933.
- ↑ Ruther, Heinz; Rajan, Rahim S. (December 2007). "Documenting African Sites: The Aluka Project". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. University of California Press. 66 (4) 437-443. doi:10.1525/jsah.2007.66.4.437. JSTOR 10.1525/jsah.2007.66.4.437.
Sources
[edit | edit source]- Osei-Tutu, Brepong (2004), "African American reactions to the restoration of Ghana's 'slave castles' ", in: Public Archaeology; 3/4, 2004, pp. 195–204. ISSN 1465-5187.
- Shumway, Rebecca (2011), The Fante and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. ISBN 9781580463911.
- St. Clair, William (2006), The Grand Slave Emporium: Cape Coast Castle and the British slave trade. London: Profile Books ISBN 1-86197-904-5.