Elmina....what can I say. This was a day of intense vibration where the past met the present.....I heard screams, I saw women in chains, I felt the pain that has traveled down my female ancestors through my mothers stomach to me , I smelled the stench of vomit and blood and daeth.....it is impossible to ignore. The castle vividly transported me back in time, and tears sprung in my eyes in wonder. Horror. I wish for every women and every man to see this place. It is important. Slavery is a tragedy of the human condition, as bad as any other massacres and holocasts in history. We can not forget our history. It was so touching that the tour guide Yao, led us in a minute of silence, and then om saying, "Never again." It heals my heart just a little bit to feel the respect that this event deserves. I also respect Christa for giving us all the time to contemplate and process this experience.
What is crazy is that the beach of Elmina is gorgeous. So beautiful...the Coconut Grove resort where we stayed was incredible. We had such an extreme weekend, moving from deep remembrance and respect to so much fun and good times on the beach and at Kakum National Park.
I thank God for letting me realize how truly blessed I am. It is hitting me more and more that the condition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade is specific to people of the African Diaspora, moreso than any other ethnicity or Africans themselves. Many Africans have the "Walk of Forgetting," where they place slavery in the past and have decided to forget past ones and forge a new future. I believe in forgiving, but never forgetting. And this experience is certainly one that I will never forget.
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