A Day Full of Contrast
Beauty and Evil. An overarching theme from today's visit to Cape Coast.
We started our day today with a visit to Kakum National Park, the most highly-anticipated spot on our trip. Located in
Cape Coast, this park was a shining example of one of the many beautiful things that Ghana contains. Home to many
different species of bird, monkey, snake, and butterfly, Kakum offers a natural viewing of some of Ghana's most
beautiful wildlife and nature. We learned about some of the native trees like the Chen Chen, Danta, and Isa.
We learned about how Ghanaians have used them throughout the centuries to make clothing, plywood for houses,
fufu, etc. While the group didn't see as many animals as expected, our breath was taken away
by the canopy trail. One of only three canopy trails in Africa, I'd say that Kakum's canopy trail is
the best (not biased at all). This trail offered views like no other, as we were able to see a natural
Ghanaian rainforest from 160ft in the air.
This spot offered once in a lifetime views that will be imprinted in all of our minds for years to come. After seeing the beautiful views at Kakum, the group then quickly transitioned into a much different mindset as we made our way to the Cape Coast Castle. As we headed to the castle, I found myself expecting to learn some new things about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that our U.S. history books might not have covered. Looking back, I had no idea what was in store for me as I walked through the entrance.
Before heading into the first spot on our tour, we were given an example of what the experience of a slave looked like. Our guide spoke of the long journey that many slaves had to endure, coming anywhere from Accra to northern Ghana and even Nigeria down to Cape Coast. He mentioned how long this journey was, and that for many, they weren't able to make it to Cape Coast. For those who made it through the excruciating heat and torture on their way, they were stopped at a nearby river to be bathed and fed. Here, the slave capturers would make sure that they were fed well and cleaned up using shea butter to make the slaves look clean and desirable for potential buyers.
Once cleaned up and sold for guns, gunpowder, cloth, etc., these slaves would be branded with a metal rod and
brought straight to the dungeons. This is where the experience switched in tone for me. Before entering the male
slave dungeon, we were faced with a harsh contrast: a chapel positioned directly on top of the dungeon. As a
Christian, this sight was particularly hard for me to come to grips with. How could people who unite over such
virtuous values stand quite literally on top of enslaved humans? This thought would be one that stuck with me as
we entered the dungeon. While down there, we walked on top of the very brick that millions of slaves also
walked over. Their blood, sweat, tears, and feces painted the brick beneath our feet. We walked into one of the
chamber rooms and the lights were turned off. At this moment my heart sank.
Pitch dark. One window of light peeking through the wall, a stench that I have never experienced, sweat dripping down our faces, we were packed into the first dungeon. During the time of operation, this 50x20 ft room would hold up to 200 slaves. Hungry, many would eat more than their ration, leaving others to starve. This starvation was the unfortunate reality for many slaves, and led to countless casualties. Being in that same room, I tried to imagine what 150 more people in a room would feel like. The heat. The aggression. The claustrophobia. The stench of sweat, feces, blood, urine, and dead bodies. I cannot even begin to imagine what this must have felt like. Walking in that same room, with my sneakers on and water bottle in my hand led me to a true moment of reflection. I reflected on my privilege, and how blessed I have been to be in the position that I am today. My reality is one completely different than millions of Africans that stepped into that building for 300 years, and for what reason? Because of the color of my skin? Because of where and when I was born? It just didn’t sit right with my soul.
This castle was full of contrast. A clear contrast that I saw was in the governor's bedroom which was placed at the top of the castle, above all of the evil that took place below it. Unlike the dungeons, the bedroom had 192 different sections of window space. This room was full of light, air, wind, and life. The exact opposite can be said for the slave dungeons just 2 floors below, which contained 12 combined windows between 5 different chambers. Another clear contrast was noticed when we arrived at the front door of the church. Directly in front of the door rested a hole that led down to the slave dungeons. Every time that people walked into church, they would hear the groans and cries of slaves below them. The same people that worship a merciful and loving God would turn a blind eye to the lives of thousands of slaves just below them.
As our SIT program director said before we arrived at the Cape Coast Castle, “You will see and hear a lot of things that are not logical at all”- Dr. Kwabena. As a human I have a tendency to try and rationalize everything I see in an attempt to understand it. That mindset did not work at the Cape Coast Castle. Not a single part of its history made sense to me. How could a human create and sustain such evil systems? How could a human torture another human? How could this go on for 300 years? My mind simply couldn't wrap around it, and I was truly left speechless.
I have been hearing a lot of buzz around reparations for slavery, affirmative action, etc., but it is not until today that I truly understood why those are not only necessary, but are only the tip of the iceberg. Hearing, seeing, and feeling the stories of this castle put slavery into a very different light for me. Before this, I had only read about the macro-concepts of slavery in school, but today I was able to think about the individual people and their multiple generations that were forced to give up everything and be minimized to nothing. I thought about what kind of ripple effect that such a deeply integrated system can have on a country, on a family lineage, on the world, etc. When I reflected, I realized that these atrocities were not some distant event that happened a long time ago. The effects of the centuries of slavery are still deeply felt today. Our group was able to come back and reflect on the effects of slavery that are still felt today by millions of families. Not only were we able to reflect on that, we also reflected on current forms of racism and slavery that are present in the U.S. and the world.
This day was extremely impactful for each and every member of our group in a different way. Having these conversations and experiences allows us to gain a broader perspective on what we can do to help those who have been put at a disadvantage for centuries. As leaders in the business world, it is imperative that we continue to listen to other's stories and educate ourselves so that we can advance the common good to the best of our ability in everything that we do.
Thank you for reading - Jake Orthober
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