Ghosts haunt Elmina castle, on the coast of Ghana. Toni, Ana and I sat on steps in the shade after the guided tour and wondered how the castle would affect us if we were able to return after closing time, when the tourists had gone; when the boundary between the past and present blurred; when the only other inhabitants were birds, echoes and memories; the spirits of those who died here and those who left in chains and never returned.
The horror, the horror.
[22 April 2007, Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 58 mm, ISO 100, 1/80s at f11]
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor
A suitably stark photograph, and a reminder of the appalling events that brought great wealth to England through the exploitation (and much worse) of others.
ReplyDeleteSo pristine in appearance, so precise in design - but all that comes to mind is 'Abandon hope all ye who enter here.'
ReplyDeleteRR, I remember a friend in Bristol showing me the flash housing in one area and pointing out it was the product of slave trading. A chilling thought.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, Hell indeed. I wonder what it looked like when it was used for its intended purpose — hard to imagine it looked as neatly maintained as this.