Slavery's 'door of no return' in Ghana open to tourists

Story Highlights

• Elmina was "door of no return" for many Africans shipped off to slavery

• The fort was built by the Portuguese, later held by the Dutch and British

• Britain will mark bicentennial of its abolition of the slave trade on March 25

ELMINA, Ghana (Reuters) -- For many, it was their last glimpse of Africa.

Pushed through the "door of no return," millions of Africans were shipped from places like this whitewashed fort in Elmina, Ghana, to a life of slavery in Brazil, the Caribbean and America.
A band of light from that same door now cuts through the air in a small, dank room crowded with about 30 tourists.

"We are very lucky. Today we can go back out of this room the way we came," says Robert Kugbey, their soft-spoken guide.

As Britain marks the bicentennial of its abolition of the slave trade on March 25, Ghanaians are still coming to terms with slavery's impact on their country's development and the role Africans played in the capture and sale of fellow Africans.

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