Written on June 12 while still in Ghana

On Friday we visited the Elmina slave castle on Cape Coast in Ghana. After a 4 ½ hour van ride (that we were told would take no more than 2 hours) we arrived at the castle tired, sweaty, and grumpy. It didn’t take long however, to realize what we had endured on our trip there was heaven in comparison to what the Africans endured inside the castle walls, and eve after leaving them.
Even before entering I had a feeling of sadness and uneasiness. The castle was built in 1482 by the Portuguese for trading outlet, then taken over by the Dutch in 1637, and finally sold to the British in 1872. It held approximately 1,000 slaves at any given time. They were brought to the castle and separated into male and female holding cells. When we entered the cells the smell of 100’s of years of death, rot, and anguished souls were overwhelming. The rooms were incredibly small, dark, and cold. I couldn’t imagine being dragged and thrown in there for months with no idea why you were there or what was to happen next.
No proper place to use the bathroom, no bathing, and barely any food of course lead to many disease and deaths within the cells. If you died your body was dragged from the cell and heaved over the castle walls into the ocean to be eaten by the fish. If you did survive in the cells you were eventually taken to “the room of no return” where you were thrown onto a ship and taken to 1 of 11 different countries, including the U.S. I tried to imagine the fear and agony the Africans that were brought to the castle felt, but I knew it was impossible. I cannot imagine the degree of suffering they went through.
Slavery has always been known as a terrible piece of America’s past and to see the main site where it first began was both amazing and disheartening at the same time. I have a deep love for diversity within the U.S. and I’m greatly thankful we have African Americans (as well as all other ethnicities) in our country; but to think that the reason and manner in which most of them came to be there sickens me. I think there could have been a more civil and humane way I guess to bring other nationalities and diversity to our country. We must accept the past though and take it for what it is.
I believe the visit to the castle made me realize and appreciate on a whole new level the history and heritage of African Americans. To think that nearly every African American in the U.S. today can more than likely trace his or her family tree back to an individual that once stood inside the cells at Elmina 100’s of years ago is mind boggling.
A plaque in the castle reads “Of the anguish of our ancestors may those who died rest in peace, may those who return find their roots, may humanity never again perpetuate such injustice against humanity. We the living now uphold this.”

Africa was definitely an interesting experience.

Am I glad I went? Yes. Am I happy to be home? Unbelievably.

There are things on the trip that were great. However, there are also things that I wish I could go back in time and change.

But all positive and negative thoughts aside, I had a little epiphany late Saturday evening (or Sunday morning?depending on how you look at it). As I was driving my car back to Morgantown from my dad’s house at about 4 a.m., I realized something. My family might not have much money. I have a not-so-glamorous job waitressing. But I am very privileged. I have my own car. I have a nice place to live. I have an iPhone. I have a lot of things that a lot of people in Africa don’t have. And I finally appreciate what I have.

Most of the people we saw in Africa have nothing. To them, I had everything. But the thing is?everyone I met in Africa was happy. They were happy with what little they had. They weren’t worried about paying the bills or not being able to buy something.
Americans need to strive for this unconditional happiness.

Most people in Africa have (by America’s standard) nothing, but at the same time, they have everything. They have happiness.

On June 11t, we visited the Cape Coast of Ghana, formally the capital of Ghana until 1897 when it was moved to Accra. In the town, mostly everyone spoke English well because this was the hub of the British settlers. Cape Coast was cleaner and greener than Accra, and our first experience outside of the city.

While there we visited St. George’s castle (named after Portuguese saint). Today it’s known as Elmina Castle. It’s where the Portuguese began the transatlantic slave trade. On average the castle held 1,000 slaves a day around 600 men and 400 women. We visited both the male and female dungeons, and stood inside them to get a real life feeling of what it would be like to be crammed in there with hundreds of others. In the dungeons there was only a sliver of sunlight that shined though, the slaves were fed once a day and sometimes not at all. They were forced to urinate, and defacate on the stone floors they lived in. They also had to sleep in their bodily fluids and many died. They were never aloud to shower, and only had rain water to drink.

The Governor who lived on the entire second floor of the castle would choose a slave from the women’s dungeon from above, that he wanted to rape and she would be showered and prepared for him. She was forced to walk up a stair case to the Govenor’s bedroom, where she was raped and abused. Many Europeans impregnated the slaves, and the children were sent to European Countries, therefore many black Europeans have the last name of Vandyke, Decosta, etc. Any women or male slave who refused any orders had cannon balls tied to their legs and were forced to stand for days against the elements of sun and rain and then later put into the dungeon of no return (which is a tiny dungeon). We stood in the dungeon of no return, and felt a chilling presence as we saw the scratch marks on the walls from the finger nails of the hundreds of slaves that spent their final days of life in that very cell trying to escape. If they entered the jail dungeon they were kept there without food and water until they died.

The room of no return is another room we visited where slaves were sent before they boarded the ships, and knew they would never return to Africa or their families again. Before the room of no return they were branded with metal and fire rods, on their head, neck, or forehead, whatever was easiest for the guards to reach. Many died from this or from starvation, and their bodies were thrown into the sea to be food for the fish. The door to the ship vessels was very small and our guide told us any slave that had any extra weight would loose it while they were at the castle and would all fit through the tiny opening.

We saw the merchants, soldiers, and missionaries’ cells, which were spacious and comfortable. The military quarters were called Jabo. Elima castle was the largest castle that ever existed for slave trade, it is 528 years old. Many Europeans fought over the castle and the Dutch captured it in 1637-1872 when it was sold to the British. The most stunning information we learned was that no slave ever escaped the castle, although a hand full tried.

Our guide expressed that we must all forgive the past, but we must never forget so that history does not repeat itself. The entire experience was eye-opening after seeing first hand what our ancestors were responsible for, and the effect of colonization in Africa still today.

These words of wisdom hung as we left:

“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 repeat such injustice against humanity, we the living vow to uphold this.”

The majority of Africa is broken.

Poverty…violence…starvation…

During our time in Ghana, I have seen some of this first hand.

No, we have never seen any outright violence toward us or anyone else here. For the most part, I have felt very safe in Ghana.

However, poverty is everywhere. There are so many people here living in conditions that are unheard of and unacceptable in the United States.

Many road conditions here are unbearable. There are a great number of dirt roads, and the pot holes in these roads are worse than the back roads in Preston County, W.Va. This usually leads me to have a bit of car sickness and a headache as our driver, Alex, attempts to swerve and avoid the potholes. Most of the time, he is unsuccessful.

There are no traffic patterns here. People simply drive where they want, when they want to.

We have also realized that almost everyone here is trying to rip us off. Everyone wants to do whatever they can to get ahead or make a quick buck.

In addition, no one here cares about the environment. I am personally convinced that Ghana does not believe in public trash cans. There is trash EVERYWHERE: on the sides of roads, on the beach, at the market, in the sewers…

Also, every night when I get back to our hostel, my throat is scratchy and dry from all of the smog in Accra. It is almost unbearable.

Nothing here is organized. For example, in the United States, it is usually fairly “idiot-proof” to eat at a restaurant: you sit down, someone comes and takes your order, they bring it to you, they bring you a check, etc.

However, in Africa, there is no set process. We have found ourselves sitting in restaurants for 15-20 minutes without realizing how to order our meals.

The simplest tasks here are easily turned into a long process. Everything in America is organized, and this goes along very well with my “Type A” personality. I have found myself wanting to strangle someone because of the lack of organization here: restaurants, traffic, shopping…you name it, there is no organization to it here. Everything in America is organized. The country was built on organization.

So why should you care? How is any of this relevant to you?

Honestly, I am glad that I came on this trip. I have learned a lot. I have had many fun times. But when I return to the United States in exactly one week, I will be very glad to be there.

In the United States, we live such a privileged life. We don’t have to worry about not having a place to throw your trash away or how to order at a restaurant. In Morgantown, there is no smog, and we don’t have to worry about the health issues that it can cause.

The living conditions in the United States cannot even be compared to the living conditions here in Ghana.

Africa is broken.

Please be thankful for what you have, and be glad that you live in a country that is organized. Africa has been a great experience, but after this trip, I know that I am happy to be a United States citizen.

I’ve been in Ghana for 8 days now, and I’ve never been more at peace with myself. Between the ocean breeze, entertaining the poorest children that I’ve ever come across, meeting some of the nicest and most compassionate people that I ever will and trying some of the craziest food I can imagine (cat), I am having the experience of a lifetime.

When you are in Accra, it is sometimes hard to breathe. There is a lot of dust due to unfinished roads, and the car exhaust is very prominent in the air. Fortunately, this is more a case when you are in the car. The city, aside from the dust and a non-existent trash system, is very beautiful—but in a very different way from the cities in the United States. The colors of the Ghanaian flag are everywhere, and the country’s pride runs true and deep. There are people everywhere that are incredibly friendly. They greet you with a handshake accompanied by a snap regardless of whether they want to sell you something or just say ‘Hi’.

Outside the city is one of the poorest areas that I have ever seen. We traveled to a small village that just acquired electricity as recently as within the last three years. These people struggle to clothe their children, and they can’t afford to send the children to the local school. They are able to grow some crop, but the topsoil was taken by outsiders to use in other areas. When we entered the village, we sought approval from the elders to tour the village. The stipulation was that we had to leave our impressions with them as we left. The children fell instantly in love with the girls, and they kept them company along the journey. I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph the children as they played and modeled our sunglasses.

Not too far outside of Accra in another direction is the most beautiful beach that I have yet laid eyes on. There is a short river that you cross by canoe before you reach the 150 yards or so of sand before the ocean. Looking back in the direction that we came from, you were able to see small hills covered in the houses and shops that we are used to seeing. At the ocean, though, it was easy to forget all of that and just kick around a soccer ball or play volleyball.

We were able to see the village and the ocean on the same day, and it is quite possible that that day was the best that I have seen in this short life.

Just a note I hope to have more photos up at http://sundazed.net as soon as tonight.

On Sunday, we went to the Village of Do Boro located in the central region of Ghana, along the cape coast. We drove for a long time over red dirt roads and through various small towns until we arrived. As we pulled up, there were lots of women and children dressed in their Sunday clothes and they were having a church gathering. They chanted to us with a big “Akwaaba” meaning welcome. I sat down beside an elder names Moses. The pastor (who is also our tour guide, Kwame’s father) explained to us that they are working on a program to help the people in the village. He introduced us the the elders of the community and we all shook thier hands and smiled and said hi. Dr. Urbanski had to ask permission from the elders for us to go around the village and visit with the people. They approved of our visit and the children led us through two villages to the communal well. We learned that there are no roads that cars can access through the villages. This makes it hard to get medical care in case of emergencies. We learned that the landowners of the villages has sold the top soil to farmers, so all the nutrients in the soil was depleted- forcing the once farming village to send it’s men to work in the city. On average, the man of the household earns about 9 Cedi a day. (equivalent to around $13 a day). Young children held my hands and begged to come to America with me. Mothers handed me thier children and gave me their phone numbers in an effort to form a lasting relationship- and hopefully future donations. It was overwhelmingly moving and I wished at that moment to help them in some way. I played with the children and said words in English and they taught me words in their language Ewe (prounounced Eh-Way. It broke my heart to leave as they all waived good-bye. This was the most humbling experience of my life. The village, by American standards is very poor- but the people are so full of energy and life and happiness. It’s a lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Happiness is a choice and quality of life can come from the heart.

This morning we visited myjoyonline.com headquaters. This company posts news for several radio stations and promotes various other news outlets. Although it is not the 1st company to use the Interent as a tool for these things in Ghana, it is the 1st to make it a profitable business. The head of the company spoke to us about how the key top their sucess was to keep the operation small, be creditable, and don’t act like you know more than your readers. Unlike the radio and TV station we had visited this company provides 24 hr news updates and is not so similar to companies in the U.S., or others in Ghana for that matter. This company makes money like many other “news” sites on the web, but they have found a way to be more profitable and reliable than radio and print outlets. The speaker told us that many people in the media argue about the value of the Interent and the want to stick to the old media. Here about the company suggested that there the two types of media (whether print, broadcast, or Internet) can coinside and both be important to the people without trying to whipe out the old media, as many are trying to do in the U.S.

“Only God”
“Except for God”

The Gye Nyame is a Ghanaian symbol that stands for ‘Only God’. What this means is that nothing can happen to you unless God approves of it, and he made the choice for it to happen.

The Gye Nyame symbol is extremely recognized throughout Ghana. As a national symbol, it is often displayed as decals on cabs, jewlery, tattoos and even on plastic chairs on the beach. Everyone in Ghana makes something, and the power and belief in Gye Nyame is prevalent as soon as you enter Ghanaian land. Every artist that has attempted to sell me something has had an item with the symbol, and I’ve already picked up a necklace with it.

As soon as I learned of the symbol, it took a special meaning to me. I’ve always believed in God, but I have also believed heavily in destiny. This symbol explains my belief by saying that what is meant to happen for me will. My path is written by God’s choices.

After visiting some media outlets here in Accra, it was interesting to see how they operated and how they compared to those in the States. The television station, TV Africa, is really interesting because it does all of its shows right there, whether the shows are live or recorded and shown later. We were guided through the station by one of the sports reporters and were given the chance to see all of the sets, control rooms, and editing areas. The station seemed very similar to a T.V. station in the U.S., which I think maybe surprised some of us. I think perhaps I had different expectations, but I was impressed by what we were shown and glad we had that opportunity.

We were also able to visit an Internet news source that worked with various radio stations today. The biggest radio station was Joy FM. It is pretty interesting and impressive because the company is doing well and making money by both contributing its own stories and also pulling stories from various other news sources like the radio stations, as well as newspapers. A big part of the success of the company is due to it keeping a small staff of employees. I found it rather intriguing because there doesn’t seem to be anything like that in the U.S. We’re hoping to get a chance to visit a newspaper some time later this week, so hopefully we will be able to compare it to our newspapers at home. What we have learned so far, though, after attending a seminar on the ethics of journalism in Ghana, is that newspapers also seem to be thriving in Ghana. We took note that there were at least 20 new newspapers in Ghana in the past year, which seems pretty fascinating when you think about it.