Forgotten Cries Voices: Tracing the Painful slave trade Path in Ghana

Introduction

The Origins of Slavery prior to European contact, slavery was already present in African society. Individuals captured during tribal conflicts were frequently enslaved, but they were still considered members of society and had certain rights. However, the arrival of the European slave trade brought about a new kind of slavery, characterized by cruel treatment and immense suffering.

Ghana played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade for approximately 150 years. Initially, the Europeans focused on trading gold, but by the 1500s, the demand for slaves increased. It is believed that about 10 million slaves were transported from West Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean. In fact, Ghana alone shipped around 5,000 slaves annually. Therefore, if we multiply this number by 150 years, it amounts to about 750,000 slaves.

Ghana played a significant role as a supplier of slaves, which had a profound impact on the communities. Families were torn apart, and the loss of a large portion of the population had long-lasting social, cultural, and economic consequences.

The remnants of this dark period can still be seen in Ghana, particularly in Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle. These castles were used to imprison slaves before their journey across the Atlantic. Elmina Castle is notorious for its “door of no return,” through which slaves passed and never returned home. Many slaves died during the voyage. In the dungeons, up to 1,000 men and 500 women were chained together, enduring deplorable living conditions with no place to lie down, no toilets, poor sanitation, lack of water, and inadequate ventilation. Women were subjected to constant suffering and even not bathing. They spent up to 3 months in these dungeons before being transported. Even during the sea voyage, they were treated harshly, chained like cattle until they reached the Americas and the Caribbean.

Although the slave trade ended more than 200 years ago, its impact still lingers. Initiatives are in place to educate people about this dark chapter in Ghana’s history. The “Year of Return” in 2019 marked 400 years since the first slaves from Ghana arrived in Virginia in USA. It aimed to encourage those in the diaspora to reconnect with their African roots while acknowledging the tragedy.

The agonizing journey of these enslaved individuals, characterized by suffering, exploitation, and loss, remains a part of history that urges us to remember and learn from the past.

For approximately 150 years, Ghana stood at the heart of this brutal trade, which had devastating consequences for countless lives

The history of slavery is a dark and painful chapter in the story of humanity, one that has left indelible scars on the hearts and souls of those who were subjected to its cruelty. Among the countless countries and cultures affected by this brutal institution, the nation of Ghana stands out as one that experienced some of the most agonizing forms of enslavement.

In “ Forgotten Cries Voices: Tracing the Painful slave trade Path in Ghana,” we delve into a deeper understanding of how the slave trade was arranged and organized within this West African country. From the initial capture and transportation to their ultimate destination, slaves in Ghana faced a multitude of horrors at every step of their journey.

We begin by examining the slave market itself, where human beings were treated as mere commodities to be bought and sold. The bargaining process was degrading and dehumanizing, as slaves were examined like animals and inspected for any potential flaws or defects. This commodification reduced them to objects, stripped of their inherent dignity and worth.

The methods used to acquire these slaves were equally appalling. Many were captured during raids on villages or wars between tribes, while others were simply kidnapped from their homes or lured into traps with false promises. The psychological trauma inflicted on these individuals cannot be overstated.

Once captured, slaves endured unimaginable maltreatment during their time at slave castles. They were crowded into small cells with little access to fresh air or sunlight, often facing physical abuse at the hands of their captors. Rape was all too common, with European traders using female slaves as sex objects without regard for consent or basic human decency.

Moreover, poor hygiene conditions led to rampant diseases among these already vulnerable people. With inadequate access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, they suffered greatly from illnesses such as dysentery and cholera.

But perhaps what is most shocking is how Christianity was used as a tool for further maltreatment. Missionaries who accompanied European traders taught slaves about the Christian faith, only to use it as a means of control and subjugation. Slaves were forced to attend church services where they were taught that their enslavement was God’s will and that they were inferior beings.

The brutality did not end once slaves were transported through the underground dungeons and onto ships bound for the Americas. The infamous “door of no return” symbolized the finality of their fate, marking the point of no return for those who would never see their homeland again. On board, slaves endured inhumane treatment such as overcrowding, lack of sanitation facilities, and physical abuse.

Arriving on the shores of their destination brought little respite for these enslaved individuals. They faced further maltreatment at the hands of plantation owners, who often saw them as nothing more than property to be exploited for profit.

In this book, we explore all these terrible realities in detail, shedding light on the atrocities committed against innocent human beings in Ghana during the era of slavery. By examining each aspect with precision and sensitivity, we hope to honor the memory of those who suffered so greatly and bring attention to a history that must never be forgotten or repeated.

Objectives

1. To provide an in-depth understanding of the history and harsh realities of the slave trade in Ghana through a comprehensive analysis of its organization and arrangement.

2. To shed light on the systematic process of acquiring slaves, including the methods used for capturing them and how they were sold in markets.

3. To examine the bargaining system within the slave trade market, including the role of middlemen and traders in determining prices and negotiating terms.

4. To expose the physical and psychological maltreatment endured by slaves, such as rape, abuse, and exploitation for sexual purposes by Europeans.

5. To explore how European colonizers used Christianity as a tool to justify their mistreatment and dehumanization of slaves.

6. To uncover the appalling living conditions experienced by slaves, including poor hygiene practices resulting in menstruation with no access to proper sanitation facilities.

7. To highlight the rampant hunger and diseases that plagued slaves during their captivity, many of which were purposely inflicted or exacerbated by Europeans for control and profit.

8. To discuss various forms of punishment inflicted upon disobedient or rebellious slaves, such as branding, whipping or imprisonment in dungeons underground.

9. To reveal how churches were built on top of slave castles to further subjugate and oppress enslaved Africans under the guise of religion.

10. To document all manner of physical, emotional, and mental abuse suffered by slaves before being transported through sea to be sold into a life of bondage in foreign lands.

11. To detail the horrific mistreatment faced by enslaved individuals during their journey across sea, including overcrowded ships, lack of proper food/water/medical care resulting in sicknesses and deaths along the way.

12.To give voice to those who suffered at “the door of no return”, where countless enslaved Africans bid farewell to their homeland before being taken away forever into slavery.

13.To emphasize on the continued maltreatment endured by slaves even after reaching their destinations, such as forced labor, physical punishment, and separation from loved ones.

14. To raise awareness and educate readers on the atrocities committed during the transatlantic slave trade in Ghana, in hopes of preventing similar human rights violations from occurring in the future.

15. To honor the memory and resilience of enslaved Africans who endured unimaginable suffering and to highlight their bravery and strength in the face of dehumanizing oppression.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Origins of Slavery in Ghana Prior to European contact

– Overview of the Slave Trade in Ghana

-Understanding of the history and harsh realities of the slave trade in Ghana

Chapter 2. Arrangement and Organization of the Slave Trade Market

– Origins of the Slave Trade in Ghana

– Major Players in the Market

– European Traders

– African Traders

– Local Chiefs and Leaders

– Methods of Acquiring Slaves

– Raiding Villages and Capturing Prisoners

– Debt Bondage

-Criminal Offenses

– Wars between tribes

-Kidnapped from their homes or lured into traps with false promises.

-The psychological trauma inflicted on these individuals on slave

Chapter 3. The Slave Market Experience

– Systematic process of acquiring slaves, including the methods used for capturing them and how they were sold in markets

-Location and Infrastructure

-Market Dynamics and Negotiations

-Human beings were treated as mere commodities to be bought and sold.

-The bargaining process was degrading and dehumanizing, as slaves were examined like animals and inspected for any potential flaws or defects.

-How slaves’ commodification have reduced them to objects, stripped of their inherent dignity and worth.

-Bargaining system within the slave trade market, including the role of middlemen and traders in determining prices and negotiating terms.

-Bargaining Process Between Buyers and Sellers

-Impact of Supply and Demand on Prices

-Treatment of Slaves at the Market

-Assin Manso Slave River Site in Ghana

-Assin Manso as a Major Slave Trading Post

-Impact and Legacy of Assin Manso as a Site of Remembrance

Chapter 4. Slave Castles: Centers of Maltreatment and Suffering 

-History and Significance

– Slave crowded into small cells with little access to fresh air or sunlight at the castle

-The physical and psychological maltreatment endured by slaves, such as rape, abuse, and exploitation for sexual purposes by Europeans

-The Horrors Within

-Rape, Abuse, and Sexual Exploitation

– The appalling living conditions experienced by slaves, including poor hygiene practices resulting in menstruation with no access to proper sanitation facilities.

-Rampant hunger and diseases that plagued slaves during their captivity, many of which were purposely inflicted or exacerbated by Europeans for control and profit.

-Poor Hygiene Conditions

-Lack of Food, Water, and Sanitation

-Diseases Spread Through Overcrowding

-European traders using female slaves as sex objects without regard for consent or basic human decency

– Institutionalized Rape within the Slave Trade System

– Trafficking for Sexual Purposes

– Exploitation During Menstruation Periods

– Various forms of punishment inflicted upon disobedient or rebellious slaves, such as branding, whipping or imprisonment in dungeons underground.

Chapter 5. The Role of Christianity in Maltreatment  

– Introduction to Christian Missionaries’ Involvement

– How European colonizers used Christianity as a tool to justify their mistreatment and dehumanization of slaves

– How European traders taught slaves about the Christian faith, only to use it as a means of control and subjugation

– How Slaves were forced to attend church services where they were taught that their enslavement was God’s will and that they were inferior beings.

– Hypocrisy: Using Religion to Justify Slavery

– How churches were built on top of slave castles to further subdue and oppress enslaved Africans under the guise of religion.

– Violence And Cruelty Imposed Under “Christian Beliefs”

Chapter 6. Transportation by Sea: The Final Agony   

– The Journey to the “Door of No Return”

– Inhumane Treatment and Conditions on Slave Ships

-Overcrowding and Lack of Space

-Disease Outbreaks

-Mistreatment by Crew Members

– Impact on Arrival at Destination

-Fragmentation of Families and Communities

-Psychological Trauma

-Suffered at “the door of no return”, where countless enslaved Africans bid farewell to their homeland before being taken away forever into slavery.

– Physical, emotional, and mental abuse suffered by slaves before being transported through sea to be sold into a life of bondage in foreign lands.

-Horrific mistreatment faced by enslaved individuals during their journey across sea, including overcrowded ships, lack of proper food/water/medical care resulting in sicknesses and deaths along the way

-Continued maltreatment endured by slaves even after reaching their destinations, such as forced labor, physical punishment, and separation from loved ones.

-Reiteration of the Suffering Endured by Slaves in Ghana

– Importance of Remembering and Learning from this Dark Period

– Raise awareness and educate readers on the atrocities committed during the transatlantic slave trade in Ghana, in hopes of preventing similar human rights violations from occurring in the future.

– Honor the memory and resilience of enslaved Africans who endured unimaginable suffering and to highlight their bravery and strength in the face of dehumanizing oppression.

-Hope for Healing and Reconciliation

– The Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II of Ghana and Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago