IN EVERLASTING MEMORY

"Of the anguish of our ancestors.

May those who died rest in peace.

May those who return find their roots.

May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity.

We, the living, vow to uphold this."

This weekend our group took a trip to Cape Coast, about three hours away from the University. We left early Saturday, and returned late Sunday. I'll attempt to convey the array of feelings that were present throughout the trip, but pictures that I post will help, too.

We left at 7:30 AM, and after picking up students from the other side of campus, we were on our way. A bumpy 3 hours later, we reached Cape Coast. We checked into our exceptionally nice hotel, and had a while to relax. We ate a very bland lunch, and then had the option of visiting one of two different places-Cape Coast Castle or Elmina (St. George's) Castle. I chose the latter, and the two buses departed for each of their destinations.

Here is a bit on the castle I visited, taken from Wikipedia:

"By the seventeenth century, most trade in West Africa concentrated on the sale of slaves. São Jorge da Mina (St. George Castle) played a significant part in the Atlantic Slave Trade. The castle acted as a depot where slaves were bought in bartering fashion from local African chiefs and kings. The slaves…were sold to Portuguese traders in exchange for goods such as textiles and horses. The slaves were held captive in the castle before exiting through the castle's infamous "Door of No Return" to be transported and resold..."

It is nearly impossible to convey the actual feeling of being inside the castle. Being in a place that was used to keep human beings and sell them is a repulsive idea in itself. Being there was even worse than that. It is still hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of slavery, though the notion of it still exists universally: child labor, child warfare, all forms of abuse, racism- the list goes on. So, how did this happen? I'm not sure.

We toured the castle, and had an exceptional guide. He taught me quite a bit on the history of the castle, and what took place there (probably very similar to what you might find under "Elmina Castle" on Wikipeida). The thought of people enslaving other humans, and selling or trading these men, women, and children for money, or other goods or services is unbelievable. What is even more nauseating is the fact that it went on for centuries. We look at the Civil War, or any other war for that matter, and find both anger and sorrow in the number of families separated and lives taken. In reality, war of any kind is undoubtedly a tragedy. But ultimately the length of time and people killed does not even compare to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

After the castle, we had a few hours to take everything in, and then took part in a group discussion. It was interesting to hear what people had to say, although I was not particularly ready to be partake in a forced, awkward discussion, only hours after I had witnessed one of the most poignant and awful things I have ever seen. However, I know it was beneficial for some, and I was able to appreciate hearing various thoughts and perspectives.

On Sunday, we woke up a little too early (7AM), ate breakfast, and departed for Kakum National Park. Kakum was only about 45 minutes away, and was a beautiful park, covered in tropical rainforest. We trekked up the side of this "forest," and made our way near the top. Our focus point of this journey was the "Canopy Walk." The canopy walk is made up of long aluminum ladders, in which planks of wood are placed on top of. On either side, as well as underneath the ladder and wooden planks, there is a large net strung up by wires and rope, to trees on either side. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying…

Walking across this makeshift bridge was probably one of the scariest things I've done to date. The wooden planks were no more than a foot wide, and with each step you couldn't help from rocking back and forth. It didn't help that there were at least 10-15 people on the same part as you. There were a total of 7 of these, making up over 1,000 feet in all. They were also about 150 feet in the air, above the rainforest. The unfortunate thing was that each of these 7 walks was only connected to a small wooden area, with netting and rails, which surrounded a large tree. So, once you start, there's no turning back.

When it was over, I felt great. I would have definitely regretted it had I not "walked the walk." Pictures to come soon…

The quote above was taken from inside Elmina Castle. It is hard to believe, and is perhaps unimaginable, that this went on for so many years, and so many people were forced to go through what they did. What is even more unsettling is that although this started hundreds of years ago, we have allowed so many similar events to take place- some maybe beyond obvious detection, but some certainly not. The Holocaust is a horrible, yet perfect example of the latter.

So, I'll end with the question we were posed with during our discussion:

Is there hope? My answer is yes. Without hope, what do we have?

Hope is only an idea, though. Hope may take years to become something tangible, something we're able to see. But if people continue to believe, and continue to believe together, then that hope will turn into something that certainly has the power to revolutionize. It may start with only one person with one idea, but over time, that person and that idea have the ability to change the world.