Monday, March 5, 2007

Cape Coast:Slavery and Africa's role in it




Was at Cape Coast last week reporting a story and used that opportunity to visit one of the town's many relics of imperialism and colonialism, the Cape Coast Castle.It was used by the Europeans as a base to hold and to transport slaves to the New World.The castle has since been turned into a a tourist attraction and one can see a lot of tourists there at any given time.

It was too much for me when I saw the dungeons in which our forefathers who were unlucky to have been caught were kept while they awaited transportation to the Americas.The sight of those dark pits churned my insides like I was in a gothic movie.It really is sad imagining that people like you and me were kept like animals and chained like they were one man's personal property.

I couldn't stand the full tour and had to make a hasty exit.I believe that we as Africans owe it to ourselves and to our brothers and sisters in the western world whose ancestors were sold into slavery to offer unreserved apologies for what crimes our fathers committed.It is not just the white man that should be blamed but all of us are guilty as well.

In 2002, the Most Revd Palmer-Buckle, Catholic Arcbishop of Accra apologised for what part Africans played in the enslavement of their fellow Africans.Many governments like that of Benin Republic have also offered an apology.It is sad that we allowed ourselves to be treated like worthless people.It is high time we came to a realisation of God's plans for us as a race.We need to grasp a hold of our destinies and fulfil it.

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