A visit to Elmina Castle

Today we have two stories to tell. The story of children learning the stories in the Bible and learning the stories of history their story and their story to come. 

The second part of today was spent learning about the story of those who were captured and then sold into slavery. We came to Elmina castle this afternoon and it is just one of the five castles on the coast of Ghana in which slaves were held three months before they were shipped off through the gate of no return.

Our guide through the structure told us about the Portuguese who originally built the structure and then the Dutch who took it over and the British who were the final governors.

We walked through dark rooms where 80-100 were kept as they awaited, in the dark, their departure from their homelands. The inhuman conditions and the dramatic contrasts of detentions for Europeans and for Africans. The Protestant church that was located directly above the largest woman's dungeon. The pain of humanity.

Below is the plaque located at the exit, may it be our prayer and always.