To God's Honor and Glory - Experiencing Ghana's Sights + History

Rev. Sylvester writes:
8:30 Everyone is bright eyed and ready for today's experience. A deep expectation of the splendor of Coconut Grove Hotel lingers in the air. We staggered to the breakfast table but were delighted by the beauty of the grounds, the pleasantness of the staff and the great breakfast served.

(Martha's editorial comment: how wonderful it is to have the 1st cup of "real" coffee--brewed not instant!)

9:15 We gathered for worship. Our journey was jolted by a misunderstanding that was quickly corrected. As I felt in my spirit, I urged the group to hug and love each other. We committed to engaging in this activity of loving each other at the beginning and the end of each day for the reminder of our journey.

11:15 We arrive at "Assin Fosu" The Last Bath and were greeted by a passionate guide who moved us along a reversed course to the site of the Last Bath. This was the place where the slaves, most of our "fore-parents" were allowed to have the final bath before walking another 35 miles to the Elmina Fort.

Within the walls of the site were two graves. One grave marked the burial site of a native 'child' and the second grave that of the body of a slave repatriated from the island of Jamaica. These graves emerged from the efforts at reconciliation by native Africans and the children of the diaspora. It was hoped that this will initiate healing for the atrocity committed at this site and jointly by native Ghanians and Europeans as they worked to to enslave the forefathers/mothers of the children of the diaspora.

Our journey to the river was guided by three significant spots. The first was the gate which now shows the chains unbroken, the second which celebrates the native chiefs that have been productive and viable in the land. The final was the actual river. Our guide identified the actual spot where the baths of the slaves occurred. Through pantomime he explained the "Market Scene" and how the slaves were shaved with broken bottles and oiled with Shea butter plus given a meal so that they may seem refreshed. He explained that the slave masters examined their teeth in order to determine their age. This was done under the watchful and dispassionate eyes of the chiefs who did not understand fully the implications of their actions.

Individually we reconnected with the past by stirring the water and mystically feeling the "pain" of this "hallowed" space. The horror of this despicable experience could only be imagined and felt in the moment. I felt the need to draw a comparison to the Jewish Holocaust. Even more so, to challenge this group of pastors to use their pulpit for social justice to assure that this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. And the prayers rang out. And the prayer was only interrupted by praises that were sung to God. Tears bathed the cheeks of this group of pastors. Young and old, white and black. Be it resolved, we cannot carry the sins of the atrocity but we embrace the responsibility for the furture. We say: "NEVER AGAIN"

1:15 We arrived at Elmina Castle. This and the Cape Coast Castle are two of the surviving forts of about 50 that have sat on this coast. We made our way past the local citizens to the fort. Our team is befuddled by the indifference of the people, the stench of this fishing village and the fractured nature of humanity.

At the fort we are guided by a most intelligent and knowledgable young man whose choice words pierce our conscience as he paints a clear picture of the past. First, the women's quarters. Several cells housing up to 150 lies below the governor and officers quaters. The dark truth of the past was that the women would be arbitrarily selected to provide sexual favors. The male quarters surrounded the church where the the slave master worshipped God and later marched the slaves through the gate of no retun. The path to the waiting ships were designed to assure rigid control up to the point that the slaves were loaded on the ships through a 15" hole in the wall. The walls of this dungeon screams of this injustice.

A journey to the business and officers quarters showed the comfort by which they lived. This was in stark contrast to the horror of the dungeons that housed the sea of black humanity. In the words of our guide, it is estimated that the horror of slavery directly impacted about 100 million people. This depopulated the continent and irrevocably impacted black humanity.

3:15 We are "numb" We journey back home; back to the comfort of Coconut Grove Hotel. Just outside the gates of the slaves is a sea of wasted humanity. We dine, we debrief and drown our sorrows with a hug. It's emotional. Our eyes betray us. Some of us have no words to articulate what we feel. We blame each other silently. We scoff at our ancestors and appease our conscience by disconnecting with the responsibility of this great wrong.

2:30 a.m. I'm still struggling to reconcile all that slaves experienced, to articulate what we all felt, to place all of this into perspective. And my spirit says "Thanks to The Lord God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ. For that which we can't understand or reconcile we dare to say we would understand it better by and by. These are the the same word