West of Accra in the city of Cape Coast there is an old slave castle. This fort was the starting point for many Africans’ long and brutal trip across the Atlantic to work in plantations in the Americas. It was originally built in the 1650s by the Swedes but as with many of the other slave castles it changed hands a number of times. In 1660, it was taken over by the British and rebuilt and enlarged by them in 1662. In 1663, it was captured by the Dutch, 1664 recaptured by the British, improved and enlarged by the British in 1673, attacked by the native Africans of the land in 1681, and again by the French in 1757.
We visited Cape Coast Castle and toured it with Heidi’s parents. The tour guide did a wonderful job of thoroughly explaining the castle’s history while keeping it age appropriate for our 9-year-old son.