Ghana's Gold Coast: The Elmina Castle Slave Trade

In this episode, Lucas and Luna step onto the ramparts of Elmina Castle, the oldest European building south of the Sahara, and trace the human stories behind its walls. They follow the Portuguese arrival in 1471, the fort's rise as a gold and slave-trading hub, and the Dutch conquest in 1637. They meet figures like Dom João de São Jorge, the castle's first governor, and the African broker women who navigated European and Akan worlds. They explore how the transatlantic slave trade reshaped the Gold Coast's politics and economies, and how the castle's dungeons became a symbol of resilience. Lucas explains the difference between the castle's role in gold trade and its later function in the slave trade, and reflects on the legacy of places like Elmina today. This episode offers a nuanced look at a site sacred to Ghana's history, drawing on primary sources and contemporary scholarship. #ElminaCastle #GoldCoast #GhanaHistory #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #PortugueseEmpire #DutchGhana #AfricanHistory #AkanPeople #Elmina #SlaveCastle #UNESCOWorldHeritage #HistoryOfGhana #ColonialAfrica #AtlanticWorld #AfricanDiaspora #History #FexingoHistory #WestAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo