Cape Coast had two of the best attractions we have visited so far but otherwise was a complete and utter nightmare. We have seen in Ghana how often the tourist industry does not benefit the locals but here the tourist industry has ruined the enjoyment of tourism itself. Being a visitor in this city was not a pleasant experience, it seemed nobody could see us beyond our wallets.
This was one of the more prosperous places we have been, yet it was the only place we were conned at every turn and genuine conversations were impossible. The soundtrack of the city was “give me money”, “give me pen”, “give me water” from children who followed us unceasingly. Their rudeness and aggressive manner was unusual and might have something to do with the never-ending stream of volunteers who’s handouts seem to have done more harm than good. Most of the kids here now act as if they are entitled to demand whatever they want and it makes leaving your hostel feel like an ordeal.
Although we would in no way recommend this city for itself we did go to the best museum on slavery we have seen in West Africa. Cape Coast Castle is a huge white structure that perches on a peninsular overlooking the crashing waves of the Atlantic and was an English slave trading fort on what is known as the gold coast. It now houses an excellent exhibition about the history of slavery and its huge global consequences. The informative guided tour and actually visiting the dungeons where many thousands of slaves were kept before exportation brought home the brutality of the trade.
When the guide turned off the new electric lights the only illumination was a tiny square cut high into the stone walls which did little to dispel the darkness or offer much ventilation. The room we stood in would have housed 200 of the strongest and most troublesome male slaves who were separated to stop uprisings. It was just slightly bigger then a squash court and would not have allowed for all prisoners to sit down at once. A shallow central drain collected the captives excrement with only the rain water to clean it. When modern archaeologists excavated the dungeons they found a build up of human faeces up to two feet high around the edge of the dungeon.
This was just one of the rooms where such inhumane conditions were suffered by so many people for so many years. It was terrible to think of all the lives that had been forced to pass through here and out of the door of no return. The horrific trade is an epoch in human history that cannot be forgotten and Cape Coast Castle will help ensure that it is not.
Although in complete contrast to the horrors of the dungeon the other attraction we visited was also entirely worth seeing. 8km out of town Kakum national park boasts the only canopy walk in West Africa. A winding uphill forest path lead us through vegetation that once covered the entire region, to seven rope bridges suspended high above the forest floor. We were extremely lucky to come off season and get the first tour of the day as the canopy walk can get very busy. Although we were with a school group once they went ahead we had all the bridges entirely to ourselves, incredible! In season this luxury is never afforded as continuous groups make this tree top walk a thoroughfare.
An unbelievably unique way to view the forest this slightly terrifying walk on wobbly rope bridges was amazing. You could not see the ground through the dense foliage and the views made it look like the forest went on forever. This was definitely one of our favourite mornings in Africa thank you Grandma Plumb!
Cape Coast was a mixture of horrible hassle and haunting highlights. In some ways it showed Ghana’s potential for world class attractions but in another it was a warning of how damaging the tourist industry can be. This was not a place we took a liking to and beyond the castle and the canopy cannot really recommend it. It was a shame about the harassment as the crumbling colonial architecture was beautiful and could have made it a lovely place to wander around. Cape Coast may not have done it for us but the tourists that get bused in every weekend are a testament to its popularity. Without a sigh of regret we headed back to Accra, Kaneshie market and our favourite ground nut paste lady to fill our jar before heading East.
