Africa: Obama Tours Slavery Monument

U.S. President Barack Obama and his family take a tour of Cape Coast Castle, which is a seaside fortress used by slave traders starting in the 17th century. It is now a monument to millions of Africans who were cast into slavery.

Obama compared his tour of the slave castle to his visit last month of the former Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany, saying “it reminds us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil.”

From an African American perspective, Obama says seeing Cape Coast was bittersweet.

Obama flew by helicopter to the site after addressing Ghana’s Parliament, where he urged Africans to work to rid the impoverished continent of war, corruption and disease and build a more prosperous future.

While drummers kept a steady beat outside, Obama and his family toured a dungeon where slaves were kept before being shipped out through a „Door of No Return.“    

Outside the fortress, thousands of people, some wearing Obama t-shirts and others in native robes, pushed against police barricades to catch a glimpse of Obama’s departure.

Some Ghanaians in Cape Coast hope his visit will bring new riches to the country.

(NTDTV)