The horrific slave trade at Elmina Castle in Ghana

THIS spectacular building has a dark past. Every day, at his whim, a man selected one of the 400 female captives to be subjected to his sexual fantasies.

TAMMY LOWE

Elmina Castle has a horrifying past. Picture: Erik Cleves Kristensen

AT HIS whim, the Governor stood on his balcony to select one of the 400 female slaves gathered below to be his ‘mistress’ for the day. 

A purpose-built staircase led directly from women’s dungeons straight to the Governor’s quarters. After being at the mercy of his sexual fantasies — they were raped — the terrified women were given a proper meal and the first wash they would have had since being captured.

It’s a World Heritage site. Picture: Tammy Lowe

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Elmina Castle in Ghana was built by the Portuguese in 1482. It was taken over by the Dutch in 1837, and then by the British in 1872.
The strikingly white castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara. Yet, despite its beautiful architecture, it has a dark and gruesome history.

It’s now a tourist drawcard.

 

 

Elmina Castle used to be a trading post for the Portuguese to sell gold and ivory which was plentiful in Ghana. When the slave trade began in the 1500s, coastal tribes were sent as ‘slave-catchers’ to the African interior.
They then traded the captured people to the Portuguese in exchange for textiles or horses. Little did the slaves know about the hellish journey they were to face.

A dungeon. Picture: Tammy Lowe

 

 

The slaves at Elmina Castle were separated by gender and then forced into underground dungeons. The dungeons were small, yet they housed up to 400 slaves at any given time.
There wasn’t even enough room to lie on the floor so slaves had to sleep in shifts, as well as having to defecate in the corners of the room due to the lack of any sanitation provisions whatsoever.
The dungeons were almost always completely dark, and the only air vent into the female’s dungeon came from a neighbouring room which stored chemicals and gunpowder — meaning toxic fumes often flowed straight into the suffocating dungeon.

A canyon lies on the edge of the castle. Picture: Tammy Lowe

Outbreaks of malaria, cholera and yellow fever were widespread, meaning many slaves died under these gruesome conditions. Others were then sold off to American or European plantation owners in the Caribbean.

Flowers placed inside the castle. Picture: Tammy LoweSource:Supplied

The slaves that survived their imprisonment in the castle were eventually taken to the ‘Door of no Return’, a door that led straight from the castle to an awaiting ship that would take them on the treacherous journey across the Atlantic.

The door of no return. Picture: Tammy Lowe

Those who survived the 10-week journey had to work tirelessly in plantations and endure physical and sexual violence, torture, and merciless forced labour. It is estimated that about 30,000 slaves were shipped from Elmina Castle to the Caribbean each year.

The old Portuguese fortress used as a slave transit point from Africa to America.

Although slavery was officially abolished in the 19th century, it still exists today. Modern slavery is a multi-billion dollar industry and the United Nations estimates that 21 million men, women and children are currently trapped in the slave-trade industry.

This includes the women who get trafficked to work in brothels throughout the world; Cambodian men who work in Thailand’s fishing industry who are held captive on boats offshore; Bangladeshi and Nepalese construction workers who work and live in appalling conditions in Dubai or Qatar (including to help construction for the FIFA World Cup in 2022); or Indian children whose bodies get mutilated by organised gangs, so that the children can earn more money as beggars.

Unfortunately, slavery still exists.

Visiting Elmina Castle and learning more about the slave trade and the horrific practices was a humbling experience. It makes me sad that Europeans and Americans would allow such brutality and inhumanity for such a long time.
And it makes me sadder still that humankind still hasn’t learned from its mistakes and allows this barbaric practice to continue.

Ghana|ohenebakayy@gmail.com|AAP|

In pictures: Follow Ghana's 'yellow-brick road'

If you follow the yellow-brick road in Ghana, it does not take you to the Land of Oz's Emerald City, but rather to La - a district in the capital Accra.

 

This is where artist Serge Attukwei Clottey periodically carpets the dusty streets with giant yellow plastic tapestries.

Clottey told the BBC his work is about property rights. The residents of many poor communities in Africa cannot prove land ownership because they do not have the paperwork.

Each of the squares is cut from a distinctive type of jerrycan, known in Ghana as a "Kufuor gallon" - named after former President John Kufuor - and then sewn together to form plastic carpeting.
In the early 2000s, when Mr Kufuor was in power, there were water shortages and the large yellow containers began to be seen around the country as people used them on their long treks to collect water.

Some are still in use, but many now lie discarded and Clottey repurposes them for his art, which he calls "Afrogallonism".

Clottey estimates that he has used 30,000 Kufuor gallons since 2005 when he started using them in his artwork.

About 3,000 of them have gone into the yellow-brick road project that began in 2016, he says.

The artist works with an assistant, but local people also get involved in cutting up the Kufuor gallons and stitching the pieces together.

They are excited to be making an artwork that gets to be shown in their home rather than sent around the world - and they are happy that it draws foreign visitors to La, Clottey says.

He sketches what he wants the work to look like, but its exact form emerges organically as different people get involved.

As part of the project he also gets people to help him collect the Kufuor gallons.

Clottey goes to dumpsites with friends and they dress up in drag to symbolise how the Kufuor gallons are associated with women.

People take the Kufuor gallons that they have collected to Clottey's workshop, where they are weighed and paid $3 (£2.30) per kilogramme.

Clottey expects to complete the project in 2020 when he hopes to have marked out an area in La which he says belongs to his family.

Pictures by Nii Odzenma
|Ghana|ohenebakayy@mail.com|BBC

Akufo-Addo unveils Common Platform

President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 22nd October 2018, inaugurated the National Communations Authority’s Computer Emergence Response Team, and the Revenue Assurance and Traffic Monitoring Centre, also known as the “Common Platform“...

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President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 22nd October 2018, inaugurated the National Communations Authority’s Computer Emergence Response Team, and the Revenue Assurance and Traffic Monitoring Centre, also known as the “Common Platform“.

Describing these projects as “essential building blocks for the realisation of Government’s vision of a digitised Ghana”, President Akufo-Addo noted that, for him, these projects signify more than that.

“They represent key milestones in our nation’s journey towards becoming well-resourced, self-reliant, efficient and secure, within the context of cyberspace, telecommunications traffic management, and revenue assurance,” he added.

With Government having spent the last 21 months of its stay in office implementing a number of initiatives aimed at driving the country’s digitisation agenda, the President indicated that “it is critical that we deploy the appropriate instruments to secure our nation, our people, our businesses, and our way of life.”

President Akufo-Addo, therefore, commended the National Communications Authority and the Ghana Revenue Authority for taking steps to guarantee the revenues of government, and, also, ensure that regulators and telecommunication operators work together to this end.

In execution of the protocols for the Computer Emergence Response Team and the Revenue Assurance and Traffic Monitoring Centre, the President indicated that “we should see to the transfer of knowledge to enhance learning and the acquisition of skills by Ghanaians to man this project.”

As Co-Chair of the 2030 United Nations Advocates Group of Eminent Personalities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he indicated that these two projects fit directly into the SDGs.

“The creation of a state of the art, well-resourced cyber security response centre, such as the NCA-CERT, is key to attaining some of these goals. We have committed ourselves to building a resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation so we can attain Goal No. 9, which ‘addresses three important aspects of sustainable development: infrastructure, industrialization and innovation’,” the President added.

He, thus, urged other critical sectors of our economy, especially the energy, transport and utility sectors, to collaborate with the National Cyber Security Centre to develop their computer emergency response units, as well to deal with any eventuality which may occur.

”As we commission these two essential facilities, I am charging the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, through the Minister of Finance, to continue to develop and roll out new and innovative ways to broaden Ghana’s tax net,“ President Akufo-Addo indicated.

He congratulated the board, management and staff of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and their respective Ministers for a good job done.

“The work has just begun, and I trust that with the investments made in both human resource and infrastructure, we will see the results of these soon”, President Akufo-Addo said.


Ghana|ClassFMonline.com|ohenebakayy@gmail|

REGSEC orders closure of KNUST, imposes curfew after violent protest

Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology [KNUST], would have to vacate the school premises by midday on Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

This follows an order by the Ashanti Regional Security Council REGSEC to the University, to close down indefinitely in the wake of the unrest.

O.Kayynews can also confirm that, the Council has imposed a 12-hour curfew on the campus from 6:00pm to 6:00am, which takes effect today, Monday.

The decision, which was announced by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, excludes foreign students who will be given full security protection. 

“The decision that has been taken by REGSEC is that, today from 6:00pm to 6:00am, we have imposed a curfew on campus. So, no one is going out from 6:00pm. All students should be in their hall of residence.”

“After that, between 6:00am and 12:00noon tomorrow, every student must vacate the school premises including student leaders.

 The only people who will be permitted to stay are foreign students. 

We are going to provide security for such students. 

We will meet [relevant stakeholders] tomorrow to agree on a tentative date that the school will be reopened”, Mr. Mensah added.

According to O.kayynews Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Hafiz Tijani, the decision was taken in consultation with the management of the school.

A protest by  the students  against the school’s authorities over what they describe as an unfair treatment meted out to them turned violent on Monday.

Subsequently, over 20 students were arrested after they resorted to vandalizing public and private properties, and are still in the custody of the police.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), has begun an assessment of the level of destruction caused by the students.

The students are protesting alleged brutalities meted out to their colleagues who were arrested at the University Hall last Friday and later granted bail.

Armed military and police personnel have taken over the KNUST campus after the protest.

“The protest which started as a peaceful one, turned chaotic when armed police officers fired 

gunshots to disperse the rampaging students.

 The students marched through campus amidst chants and held placards which called for the Vice Chancellor to be sacked. 

Some other placards spoke against what the students called brutalities being meted to their colleagues by internal security. Streetlights, signages, glass doors at the main administration block have all been destroyed. Dustbins were destroyed, leaving piles of refuse scattered all over” O.Kayynews repeorted.

Hafiz added that, “vehicles and motorbikes belonging to teaching and non-teaching staff were also not spared.

 Some offices and cars were ransacked, while properties at the school were also destroyed

. Lectures were eventually boycotted as students who defied the SRC’s directive not to go for lectures later joined in the protest. Police looked helpless while the destruction was going on.”

Speaking to O.kayynews, the University Relations Officer, Kwame Yeboah Jnr, said the school will assess the extent of damage caused and take the appropriate measures.

Katanga Alumni Association blames authorities for protest

Meanwhile, the Katanga Alumni Association has condemned the violent conduct of students.

The Association however says school authorities are to blame for the situation.

“We wish this did not come this far, but if it gets to a point where the University police or security brutalize students, you get to a point where students want to defend themselves and if it gets there, there is little the Alumni can do and that is why we are trying to negotiate with the University,” Organizing secretary of the Association, Antony Avege said.

Background

The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) led the demonstration following the arrest of 10 students and one alumnus of the school on Friday.

The Executive Council of the SRC said the demonstration was necessary to end the management’s neglect of students in decision making.

The students were arrested for a holding vigil on campus on Friday without permission according to the school authorities.

One other student who was allegedly manhandled by the internal security is currently on admission at the KNUST hospital.

The KNUST management however justified the arrests, after the students were released on Saturday.

The University’s Public Relations Officer, Kwame Yeboah, told O.Kayynews

the affected students did not seek permission before undertaking the vigil, contrary to the rules of the university.

 

“The university thinks certain activities in the night should not be entertained. Some other activities are permitted because the students applied for permission.

 But there was no permission for last Friday’s activity.

 The students decided to go their own way.

 They decided not to obey any rules or regulations on campus, and the law doesn’t permit that. So when it happened, the police were brought in,” he said.

|ohenebakayy@gmail.com|citinewsroom|

We had sex with men illegally- Eight ladies confesses

"I SLEPT WITH MY BEST FRIEND'S HUSBAND"

"I often went clubbing with Ellie and her husband Justin. When Ellie didn't want to come, Justin and I still went together. A couple of times Justin wanted to go for a weekend break in Scotland and, because Ellie didn't fancy it, I went with him. 

She didn't seem bothered. Once, when we were away, he just kissed me. Ellie heard rumours and asked what was going on- we denied it, but she found out the truth and they split. 

Justin and I were together for 18 months before we came clean to our other friends. I always said I'd never get involved with another girl's man, especially a friend's. I love Justin, but I regret losing the best friendship I ever had.

 I've been with Justin for four years and I still beat myself up about it. Unbelievably, Ellie's still there for me when there's a crisis.

 She's one in a million." -----Emily, 28

"I SLEPT WITH A MAN 10 YEARS OLDER THAN MY DAD"

"I never understood the attraction of older men, but that all changed one Saturday night when I met Tom in a pub. 

He was a friendly guy and he kept telling me I had lovely hair and was wearing a great dress. He told me he was 32, but he looked older.

 When I questioned him, he said, "Why would I be hanging around with lads in their twenties if I'm way older than them?" That made sense. 

When we all left he grabbed my hand and we started kissing. He asked me back to his and, without really thinking about it, I went. 

The next morning I woke up, looked at him and thought, 'Oh. My. God!' I found out later that he's 52. That's 32 years older than me and ten years older than my dad.

 I can't believe I slept with someone who could technically be my grandfather."------ Lianne, 20

 "I SLEPT WITH MY BEST MATE"

"I'm up for most things, but I always said I'd never sleep with a friend. I was close to Jack for about a year and a half before anything happened, I'd give him advice about girl problems and he'd come out with me and my boyfriend.

 When he invited me to an after-hours party at his pub one night, I realized I had feelings for him, and blurted it out. Thankfully he felt the same. 

We were worried about ruining our friendship, but before I knew it we were having sex on table 15.

We've been together three months now. 

Breaking my sex taboo was the best thing I ever did - if I hadn't, I might've woken up at 55 with my old boyfriend, who didn't make me nearly as happy. 

Taboos are meant to be broken if it means finding the person you've been searching for all your life."------- Valerie, 25

"I WAS A MISTRESS"

"I liked Dave the first time I saw him at work. We flirted for about two years and then he separated from his wife. 

We started seeing each other quite quickly and although he moved out, he kept in touch with his wife. We'd been together for about nine months when he came round to my house and said, "I don't love you, I never loved you.

 It was a big mistake." The tears just fell out of my eyes. It was only after he dumped me that I found out he'd still been seeing his wife.

 He'd been cheating on both of us. 

Deep down I guess I thought he might still be seeing her, but I was in love and didn't want to think about it.

 I'd never do it again- it destroyed me. You can't help who you fall in love with, but you have to think long term. 

You're not only hurting yourself, you're hurting other people." ----------Debbie, 32

 

"I HAD A FOURSOME"

"When it comes to sex I'm definitely a lights-off person, so I never dreamed I'd have a threesome, let alone a foursome with my best friend Jess, her ex-fiancé Jim and his best mate, Paul. We were all in this pub when the subject of threesomes arose. 

Jess accused the lads of being all mouth and no trousers, and asked them to prove her wrong. They looked pretty shocked and I was hoping they'd bottle out, but we ended up at Jess's. 

I couldn't believe what we were doing and I was embarrassed, but it turned out to be a right laugh. Let's just say massage oil and vibrators were involved… Afterwards, Jess and I found it hilarious, but the boys got the hump.

 Jim was annoyed because he'd seen Jess kissing Paul, and Paul was angry with himself because he had a girlfriend.

 As for me, I can't believe I was brave enough to do it and I wouldn't rule it out again." -----Helen, 24

 

"I HAD SEX WITH A GIRL"

"I met Mel on a new job. There wasn't much to do and we spent quite a lot of time sitting around together, having a laugh.

 After work one day, we had a few drinks and she just kissed me

. I've no idea how it happened. I was so surprised, but despite being shocked I went along with it because it actually felt quite good. Things just led on from there.

 I didn't think I had it in me and I certainly never imagined I'd sleep with a girl. We met up a week later and just hung out together.

 We had a giggle about what we'd done and she said she was up for it again, but nothing happened because I had a boyfriend. 

Mel's moved away now and we're not in touch anymore, but I don't regret sleeping with her. I guess you can't knock something till you've tried it. In fact, I could see it happening again."----- Shelley, 19

 

"I HAD SEX WITH MY BOSS"

"When I started my first job, there was incredible sexual chemistry between me and my boss. 

But he was engaged, so strictly off limits - until three weeks before his wedding, when we got drunk and one thing led to another.

 It was never a full-on affair, but we had sex several times, before and after he married. I ended things with him when he started mouthing off to colleagues, who then made lewd comments about my sex life.

 Some months later his brother-in-law joined the company.

 My boss began to worry his wife would find out about us and 'suggested' I find a new hob. A few months later there were redundancies and I was out on my ear.

 Sleeping with a married man is a bad idea, and sleeping with your boss is dangerous. I got my own back, though.

 I took the company to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal, sex discrimination and harassment. I won." --------Clare, 31

"I HAD SEX WITH MY EX"

"I met Sam in a club and we went out for about a month.

 He was gorgeous and we had an OK relationship, but we both knew it wasn't going to be long-term.

 However, I was really upset when he ended it and two weeks later I went round to his house to chat about everything. 

He said he liked having sex with me but didn't want a relationship. I could see what he was saying - we'd always had amazing sex - and before I knew it, we were doing it again. 

I always thought I wouldn't sleep with a man unless I was going out with him, and especially not an ex, but because we'd had sex before it didn't seem so bad. 

And somehow I think it made our break-up easier.

 I guess breaking your own rules is all part of life and growing up. I don't think I'd do it again but I could never say never. 

It depends how good the sex is!"----- Lucy, 26
  
|Ghana| Rachel Pask|ohenebakayy@blogspot.com|