Information about slave tours and major slave trading sites in West Africa can be found below. Cultural tours and Heritage tours are becoming increasingly popular in West Africa. African-Americans in particular are making the pilgrimage back to West Africa to pay their respects to their ancestors.
There is some controversy about some of the sites listed below. Goree Island in Senegal for example has long marketed itself as a major slave-trade port, but historians argue it didn’t play a huge role in exporting slaves to the Americas. For most people, it’s the symbolism that matters. There is no one that can visit these sites without reflecting deeply about the human and social cost of slavery.
Slave-Trade in Ghana
Ghana celebrated its 50th year of independence in 2007 and heavily marketed itself as a destination for African-Americans to visit the slave-trade sites and invest in the country.
St George’s Castle in Elmina, one of several former slave forts along Ghana’s Atlantic coast, is a hugely popular destination and place of pilgrimage for African-American tourists and visitors from all over the world. A guided tour will lead you through slave dungeons and punishment cells. A slave auctioning room now houses a small museum.
Cape Coast Castle and Museum. The Cape Coast Castle played a prominent role in the slave trade and daily guided tours include the slave dungeons, Palaver hall, the grave of an English Governor, and more. The castle was the headquarters for the British colonial administration for nearly 200 years. The Museum houses objects from around the region including artifacts used during the slave trade. An informative video gives you a good introduction to the business of slavery and how it was conducted.
