Slaves captured all over West Africa (and sometimes even further inland) would be funneled through the many slave castles dotting Ghana’s long coastline. Conditions for slaves awaiting transport in the overcrowded castles and for those traveling across the ocean were harsh, as were the methods used to capture the slaves in the first place.
Some of the European powers with financial interest in the slave trade developed many strategies for gathering slaves. Within Ghana, for instance, there was sometimes conflict between the various tribes and ethnic groups that lived in different regions of the country. Ashanti people in the north warred with Fante people in the south, and the English, in particular, used this to their advantage. They convinced warriors from both sides to hand over prisoners of war in exchange for money or weapons. Those weapons would be used to fuel further warfare, resulting in more prisoners of war and more slaves for the English to sell. It’s difficult to find an exact amount concerning the number of slaves transported from Africa to countries across the ocean, but it’s estimated to be over twelve million during the lifespan of the industry.
Ghanaian students learn about the transatlantic slave trade in the same way that American students learn about the Civil War; what I mean by that is that it’s a subject that they touch on every year from kindergarten through university. For these students, it’s personal. Many of them have ancestors or distant family members who were shipped away, never to return. Those left behind in Ghana or elsewhere on the continent of Africa would never know the fates of their loved ones.
