Friday September 14, 2007

First Baptist Church in Ghana
Reflections Day Four
Co-written by Angela Alexander Knight and Ronald Painson

8:25am. Blessings be to God Almighty. It is a bright and sunny day and we are about to depart for a 2hr drive to St George’s (Elmina) Castle. This is the day we have all been waiting for because St George’s Castle is the place where the propagation of African people throughout the Diaspora began. The place where African slaves were imprisoned and eventually shipped off to various parts of the world, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, America, Guyana, Brazil etc.

The 2 hour drive provided the first opportunity for us to see most of the city of Accra and the villages and towns just outside of it. As Caribbean Americans we both concurred that if we did not know that we were in Ghana, we could have easily been in Haiti or Trinidad. The scenes were just so familiar with the structure of the houses, the bright colors and the open market atmosphere. We were especially impressed by the high degree of entrepreneurship displayed by all ages, particularly among the young men. It seemed like everyone was selling something.

Along the way, at the request of the king, we made a short stop at the Central Regional Coordinating Council office of the Honorable Nana Ato Arthur. He provides oversight for governmental services in this area. We were welcomed in the traditional way and educated about the Cape Coast Region and its needs. We were then escorted by members of the president’s staff to the St. Georges Castle.

12:15pm We arrive at the castle. The building was strikingly beautiful set along the Atlantic Ocean framed by tall coconut trees and fishing boats. Nothing can prepare one to walk in the blood stained steps of our ancestors as they were forced into the halls of degradation. There was a sense of apprehension among us all as we entered the castle, not quite knowing what to expect and how we would respond. We were led through the various parts of the castle by a very knowledgeable, eloquent and sensitive tour guide. (You will see him in the attached photo). There is really no way to adequately describe the how emotionally wrenching and moving this experience has been. There was a noticeable hush and quiet sobbing throughout the entire tour. All we can say is that if you ever get the opportunity you need to experience this for yourself. The many photos that we will share will tell the story in some detail. Going through this experience really brings to home how very strong we are as African people and reminds us that with God on our side we can get through anything!!

3:15pm We had a refreshing lunch with an ocean view and breeze at the Cape Coast. After lunch, we took the 2 hr drive back to the hotel to get ready for another full and exciting day. Tomorrow we will leave the African Regent hotel for the town of Kumasi. There we will experience a festival hosted by the king. This festival is called a “Durbar” This will be a small gathering of 300 people!
So stay tuned for tomorrow’s reflections.

As the Ghanaians say
Nante yie (See you later)

Ronald and Angela