From Dungeons to Dance Parties: Contested Histories of Ghana's Slave Forts

bibliographic database
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Periodical article

Title:	From Dungeons to Dance Parties: Contested Histories of Ghana's Slave Forts
Author:	MacGonagle, Elizabeth
Year:	2006
Periodical:	Journal of Contemporary African Studies
Volume:	24
Issue:	2
Period:	May
Pages:	249-260
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	cultural heritage fortifications monuments History and Exploration
External links:	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02589000600770007 http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=48EBA764BDC7257BC121
Abstract:	Ghana's slave forts, built by Europeans from 1482 to 1787, have a deep significance in the country's collective memory from their use during the period of the transatlantic slave trade. Two of the largest and most famous castles, Cape Coast and Elmina, are preserved as memorials that attract a large number of visitors from around the world. However, Ghanaians demonstrate their preoccupation with the present and their designs for the future through the changing use of the smaller forts, reflecting a desire to set aside those ghosts and promote both tourism and community enrichment. After examining the discourse surrounding the appropriate use of these forts this paper discusses how issues of memory and cultural heritage influence views about these historic spaces for both Africans and those in the diaspora. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]