Human Trafficking Awareness Day
Ghana: A focus on the demise of the slave trade and the beginning of education
St. George's Castle, Elmina, Ghana. Source: www.experttravel.com
Today, January 11th, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The global trafficking of human beings is not a new phenomenon. The slave trade was well established by the 15th century as explorers discovered ‘new worlds’ such as present day Ghana – which became a slave trade hub. Slavery was outlawed here in the early part of the 19th century and within fifty years the OLA Sisters arrived to help lay the foundations for education in the west African country. The forced movement of human beings continues today in different guises and while there are no ‘quick-fix’ solutions, education is seen as the ultimate way to stem the tide of human trafficking.
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles arrived in Elmina, Ghana (then called Gold Coast) on December 26th, 1883. The Sister’s first base was ‘Bridge House’ which was built by a former Dutch Governor and given this name due to its closeness to the bridge connecting the town of Elmina with St. George’s Castle.
Bridge House, Elmina and an undated image of some of the early OLA Sisters. Source: www.ghanola.com
Elmina is derived from the Portuguese words el mina or the mine. Large deposits of gold attracted Europe to the region in the latter part of the 15th century. To protect their first settlement in the area, the Portuguese built St. George’s Castle in 1492. Originally it acted as a key trading post with the enterprising locals trading gold for silk, spices and other exotic goods. Later, when slaves became a valuable commodity in the Americas, and especially in the Caribbean, the purpose of the castle changed to become one of the most important stops on the Altlanic slave trade route. Thousands of people would have spent time in the dungeons of the castle before passing through the ‘door of no return’ as they made their way to the ships which carried them to their new realities.
Elmina was just one of forty ‘slaves castles’ dotted along Gold Coast. The practice continued after the Dutch assumed control of the area. Later, while under British rule in the 1830’s, the practice of slave trading was finally brought to an end.
US President Barack Obama on a visit to the Cape Coast Castle in 2009. Credit: Pete Souza.
Some fifty years later two OLA Sisters arrived and, full of missionary zeal, set about sowing the seeds for a new, bright future through education. The pioneering Sisters, one of whom was Sr. Ignatius Howard from Ireland, did not waste any time. They opened the first Catholic school for girls in March 1884 in the Bridge House. Within one year, they had the approval of the then British administration.
The early Sisters, while full of enthusiasm, faced many difficult moments; illness and death of young Sisters who had sacrificed their life for the difficult service to their fellow human beings. However, they were undeterred in the quest to educate girls.
An undated image of an early OLA Sister in Ghana. Source: www.ghanola.com.
In the years that followed, many more OLA girls’ schools were established, including St. Mary Convent School which opened its doors in Cape Coast – and location of another one of the ‘slave castles’ - in March 1891. By the 1920’s, the schools had taken firm roots and were producing adequately equipped girls who went on to take-up advanced careers. Presently, the OLA Province of Ghana has fifty eight Sisters across ten communities.
In 2017, the value of an education continues to play a fundamental role in the fight against human trafficking. While the ships carrying slaves may have disappeared from our oceans, human trafficking continues to flourish in new, more conceited forms. Act to Prevent Trafficking (APT), is a faith based group working against the trafficking of human beings. Sr. Mary Connaughton, OLA, who spent many years teaching in Ghana, is a member of the group. As a starting point, APT encourage all to keep informed about this global problem, be aware that it is present in Ireland and talk about it among friends, family and in the workplace.
Education was a central part in the pioneering days of the OLA. The need today for education, especially of women, continues to be as important as it was in the Ghana of the 1880's.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
- Anne Frank
Click here for more on the work of APT.
Click here to visit the OLA Province of Ghana website.
Click here to watch a thirty minute video titled 'Face to Face with Slavery' which focuses on Ghana, Congo, Nepal and India.
