TAPN2ELMINA — my gullah is

ELMINA |
Ghana

2006 marked my first trip to the continent of Africa to visit my Ghanaian family for the holidays. My walk through the Elmina Castle was preceded by a celebration at the Bethel Methodist Church on Christmas Day.
MY CONNECTION TO THIS PLACE IN ONE-WORD:
BLOOD

THE WHITE CASTLE

To know that my ancestors came through a structure like this against their will, never to return again.

THE WITNESSES

The view from above showed a crowd of fisherman boats and off in the distance an old Dutch cemetery but hidden away was the reality that life continued to exist— with the European enslavers and local Africans transacting on the business of slavery.

THE BURDEN

This is a cannon ball. Enslaved women who did not submit to the sexual advances of their captors were forced to lift this cannon ball and hold it for hours on end. Our guide suggested that I try to lift it up so I tried and failed. The weight was as heavy as the sky.

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