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.

The Gold Coast in Ghana is in fact lined with old forts used by European powers during the slave trade. Some of the forts have been turned into guesthouses offering basic accommodation. Other forts like Fort Amsterdam in Abanze have many original features, which gives you a good idea of what it was like during the slave trade.

Salaga in northern Ghana was the site of a major slave market. Today visitors can see the grounds of the slave market; slave wells which were used to wash slaves and spruce them up for a good price; and a huge cemetery where slaves who had died were laid to rest.

Related posts:

1. Daily life in Ghana, West Africa
2. People and Culture in Ghana
3. Ghana Travel Guide
4. Africa Culinary Tours (Part-2)
5. Accra, Ghana
6. New York City Tours
7. Tsavo West National Park
8. Top Africa Travel Destinations for 2009
9. The City of Luxor
10. Star Wars Tours

Tags: Cape Coast Castle, Ghana Slave-Trade Tours, salaga, Slave-Trade in Ghana, Slave-Trade Tours, St George's Castle

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