The Assin Manso Slave River Site in Ghana's Central Region is a profoundly historical and emotional landmark. It served as the final resting and bathing point for enslaved Africans before they were marched to the coastal castles and shipped overseas during the transatlantic slave trade. The Last Bath: Enslaved captives from the hinterlands and northern regions were rested, sorted, and allowed to recuperate here. Before being marched the remaining distance to the coastal dungeons (such as Cape Coast and Elmina), they were forced to wash in the river.

‘Cabo Corso,’ meaning ‘short cape’, is the name the Portuguese settled on for the local settlement within which its trade lodge was built in 1555. Its corruption to ‘Cape Coast’ is now the accepted name of the capital of the Central Region of Ghana. The Swedes, led by Krusenstjerna, however, were the initiators of the permanent structure presently known as Cape Coast Castle. They built a fort in 1653 and named it Carlousburg, after King Charles X of Sweden.

Elmina Castle is one of Ghana’s most significant historical landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine), it is the oldest European building south of the Sahara. The castle has a complex history: * It was originally established as a trading post for gold and other goods. * Later, it became one of the largest centers in the transatlantic slave trade, where thousands of enslaved Africans were imprisoned in dungeons before being forced through the “Door of No Return” onto ships bound for the Americas. * In 1637, the Dutch captured the castle from the Portuguese, and in 1872, it was transferred to British control.