Slavery Tourism: Should DOS Have To Pay to Visit Slave Castles/Attractions in West Africa?

[xoxodede]

From Dynast "Search for Uhuru":

Today I visited the slave dungeons in Togo . Before entering, I told the curator that I will only pay the local price. The majority of these slave forts, castles, make the descendants of slaves pay the same price to enter the dungeons as the white, asian, and all non black people, but the locals get a discount. I told them that I wasn't having it and he allowed me to pay the local price. I had the same issue at just about every slave dungeon that Ive visited. Once I explained to them the hypocrisy of making the black diaspora, descendants of slaves pay full price to enter the dungeons that their ancestors were shipped from unwillingly, they allowed me to pay the local price, except for the two forts that I visited in Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana, Elmina and Cape Coast Dungeons. After that experience, I told myself that I would never step foot into another slave dungeon that made me pay full price and all DOS should follow suit.

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Some responses:

Sei Kidau23 hours ago
In my humble opinion as a native born African, all Africans from the diaspora should enter free of charge. It's an insult to charge them. Afterall it's their ancestors who endured the agony of being ripped from their homelands forever. If anything they should be given the option to donate if they feel like it. The museum would get more in donations than the price of admission.

Lee22 hours ago
Since Africans are making money off of slavery that is collusion with colonialism. As a black man I find this disgusting that slavery is being used for profit these buildings should be destroyed and Africans need to find real ways to make money not using slavery as a tourist attraction. They’ve been making money off slavery but never once tried to save us during 400+ years of slavery in America but now they want our dollars smh.

Peace 123 hours ago
I unterstand, but africa is not the west, they are poorer they know you are richer than local africans and they want to escape poverty. Most visitors are AA with more money than an african. That will make west africa just suffer more to lower all the prices for Western people and from a business perspective it doesnt make sense. Its not to rob you but for them to have a life style like you.

omg wth22 hours ago
Profits should be shared with the black diaspora!

Boiz Chillen18 hours ago
I don't disagree. It's an historic attraction for tourism and most importantly for learning; educational purposes -- remembering to never allow it to occur again. Like as many other countries do for income, I would not want a free visit, because all the other beings aren't giving any tourism for free (not including contest winnings, etc.), and we're paying full price, so that's how I feel/think about that.

Lumani57 minutes ago
They should make the slave dungeons and such sites memorial sites where there are no profits made at all. Only the Europeans should be paying for what they have done in the form of tax and fee money to enter such places while African Americans should be allowed at any time to make libations, prayers and have a connection to their history as a memorial site if they please.

LightFly20134 hours ago (edited)
As a Ghanaian I have to ask why DOS are paying at all? Should be free! I hate that slave castles are advertised as tourism - I really feel it’s in bad taste and I wish those buildings were destroyed before they became UNESCO sites but I also understand Black Americans and people from the Caribbean and Latin America wanting to visit. There should be no charge at all it’s appalling!

Afri Media10 hours ago
Brother Uhuru you are getting way too heavy with this roots thing ! We in Africa welcome the black diaspora with open arms, but we want you to partner us at this stage of our development and advance us even further, not rummaging through our painful history of centuries ago ! If I as an African were to visit America, surely you wouldn’t be dragging me to the defunct cotton plantations of the Deep South!​

 

[Starman]

From Dynast "Search for Uhuru":

Today I visited the slave dungeons in Togo . Before entering, I told the curator that I will only pay the local price. The majority of these slave forts, castles, make the descendants of slaves pay the same price to enter the dungeons as the white, asian, and all non black people, but the locals get a discount. I told them that I wasn't having it and he allowed me to pay the local price. I had the same issue at just about every slave dungeon that Ive visited. Once I explained to them the hypocrisy of making the black diaspora, descendants of slaves pay full price to enter the dungeons that their ancestors were shipped from unwillingly, they allowed me to pay the local price, except for the two forts that I visited in Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana, Elmina and Cape Coast Dungeons. After that experience, I told myself that I would never step foot into another slave dungeon that made me pay full price and all DOS should follow suit.

I've been to the slave castles in Ghana. Paid the tourist price. Found that it was money well spent. I consider it paying my share to preserve my history. Don't be a cheapskate.

 

[xoxodede]

I've been to the slave castles in Ghana. Paid the tourist price. Found that it was money well spent. I consider it paying my share to preserve my history. Don't be a cheapskate.

That's great.

This is a post I shared by Dynast - a Pan-African YouTuber. It wasn't me.

But, I totally agree with him. I am not paying full price. So, a cheapskate I will be.

 

[get these nets]

The non local price literally applies to anybody who doesn't speak the local language....including their fellow countrymen from a different region, their fellow Africans from different countries, and diasporan Africans. I would imagine.
It's not a surcharge on Blacks from the Western Hemisphere.

I have Ghanaian relatives, my family members from US and Haiti have been to the dungeons and they've all said that they couldn't handle doing it more than once. That it changed them somehow. I doubt that these places get repeat visits from non local vacationers.

The YTer wasn't as overwhelmed emotionally and has been able to go to a few of them. Being able to think clearly and rationally, he makes what appears to be a legit point. I've never thought about it before and not sure that I agree with him.

 

[xoxodede]

The non local price literally applies to anybody who doesn't speak the local language....including their fellow countrymen from a different region, their fellow Africans from different countries, and diasporan Africans. I would imagine.
It's not a surcharge on Blacks from the Western Hemisphere.

I have Ghanaian relatives, my family members from US and Haiti have been to the dungeons and they've all said that they couldn't handle doing it more than once. That it changed them somehow. I doubt that these places get repeat visits from non local vacationers.

The YTer wasn't as overwhelmed emotionally and has been able to go to a few of them. Being able to think clearly and rationally, he makes what appears to be a legit point. I've never thought about it before and not sure that I agree with him.

I bet. I am not sure I would go even once. I'm too open.

I saw this clip a while ago -- and I felt something. So, I can't imagine being there.

 

[Tim Dripcan]

I agree with the first response. All black people from the diaspora should enter free of charge.

Why profit off of a brutal history that's even painful and emotional to talk about. I'm going to definitely make that trip next year after I find out what's my father native country and tribe.

Going be like my AA brothers and sisters who reside in the motherland. I can't wait.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Those sites are maintained and preserved by the funds of the government and the local people. Locals are already paying to maintain them, if you're a foreigner you probably have 10x as much money as they do so why not do your part to fund the preservation of a legacy?

 

[xoxodede]

Those sites are maintained and preserved by the funds of the government and the local people. Locals are already paying to maintain them, if you're a foreigner you probably have 10x as much money as they do so why not do your part to fund the preservation of a legacy?

Slave heritage is big business, tainting the diaspora’s bonds with Africa
January 9, 2017 3.09pm EST
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1. Kwaku Nti
   Assistant Professor of History, Armstrong State University

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Ghana’s Elmina Castle was has been declared a World Heritage Site and renovated as a tourism destination. Reuters/Luc Gnago
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Ghana’s meandering coast is dotted with numerous forts and castles. These monuments were built between the 15th and 17th centuries by early modern European chartered companies. They were initially used for trading gold and other commodities. After Ghana became enmeshed in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1650 they were used as spaces to buy, torture and hold captured people before shipping them away from Africa.

Over the past three decades these landmark monuments have taken on another role. Ghana has developed a significant heritage tourism industry and the monuments have become tourist attractions. They particularly draw people of the original historic African diaspora.

The descendants of Africans who were captured and enslaved in the western Atlantic World return to the continent – and to the monuments – for a number of reasons. For many, it is a way to reconnect with their ancestry and find a sense of belonging in the African world. The memory of Africa can also be a source of strength, pride and identity.

Heritage tourism in Ghana provides an important opportunity for diasporic Africans to connect with their history and identity. But in the context of global neoliberal capitalism it also creates an uncomfortable continuity. Today the forts and castles of Ghana’s coast continue to fulfil one of the key purposes for which they were first built – making money. This trend has distorted the relationship between the historic African diaspora and the continent.

From independence to neoliberalism
The rise of Ghana’s heritage tourism industry coincided with a shift in its economic policy orientation. From independence in 1957 well into the 1980s the economy was largely state controlled. Its policies included government interventions aimed at easing the people’s hardships. But by the end of the 1990s Ghana’s economic, social and political policies had, by and large, become aligned with the global neoliberal agenda.

The economic and ideological system of neoliberalism is centred on the primacy of private property and private enterprise. Government intervention in the economy is discouraged. Neoliberalism operates on principles such as subsidy removal, social spending cuts and the privatisation of social services.

These free market and pro-business principles were imposed on developing countries desperate to secure loans to salvage and stabilise their erratic economies. Powerful international agencies made loans conditional on countries adopting neoliberal reforms. The Bretton Woods twin financial institutions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund did the same. In this way they were able to reshape the economies of many African countries, including Ghana’s.

The ultimate objective was to make developing countries toe the line of profit maximisation in both public and private sectors.

Tourism potential and profit
Tourism was identified and bolstered by the government as a viable, reliable and productive source of revenue within the framework of global neoliberalism.

Ghana boasts an irresistible package of celebrated cultural heritage. In addition to its extant European castles and forts, it also has a number of old slave markets, slave routes and slave cemeteries.

In 1993 Ghana boosted its tourism attractiveness with a US$10m investment project. This was planned and implemented by the Ghanaian authorities in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme and the United States Agency for International Development.

It involved, among other things, the development of the Kakum National Park as well as the preservation and renovation of the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles. As if to glorify these sites, Unesco declared the castles and forts World Heritage sites. They were furnished with new museums and other tourist facilities.

The new policy targeted the massive patronage of the historic African diaspora, particularly those from the US, as effective partners in development.

Within the neoliberal framework, both the ideology of Pan-Africanismand the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade became marketable commodities.

Tourists, customers and investors
African Americans were invited to come back to their “roots”. But increasingly they became aware that they were regarded as tourists and customers in Ghana. Some were also encouraged to become stakeholders in the broader project of capitalist development. Land grants and other business incentives were promised to the diaspora. The objective was to encourage foreign direct investment in the economy’s various sectors.

The travel and tourism sector was one where some of the historic African diaspora entered and did brisk business. Those with the necessary resources and expertise competed with their Ghanaian counterparts. By forming tour companies, they facilitated travel to the country in appreciable numbers. Others also invested in hotels and beach resorts.

In 2015 tourism and travel directly contributed a total of around GHC4.5 million (more than US $1 million) to Ghana’s GDP. This amounts to about 3.3% of national GDP.

This is good for business. But what does it mean for relations between the continent and the diaspora? Ghana’s forts and castles, among other things, were once used to make profit off African bodies. Today they continue to exist as money-making facilities. The legacy of slavery has been turned into a commodity and diasporic Africans are cast as tourists, investors, customers and foreigners – rather than members of the African family to which they belong.

 

[get these nets]

Those sites are maintained and preserved by the funds of the government and the local people. Locals are already paying to maintain them, if you're a foreigner you probably have 10x as much money as they do so why not do your part to fund the preservation of a legacy?

That doesn't sound like a good business model: charge foreign tourists more because they probably have more money?

 

[RedNation]

Basically fukk no. No DOS should have to pay shyt if were being completely honest. They tried that with me when I went to Togo and they tried to charge me like I was a tourist. Needless to say I got the local price.
I felt weird even paying the small amount they charged me.

 

[get these nets]

I've not been to any of these places, but I get the impression that they are seen as de facto museums to some. In place of a recreation...you go into the actual space where your ancestor was probably held. There is an actual museum that I've read about in Nigeria

How do people feel about this country's counterpart, the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston,South Carolina?


Would you pay admission?
I've seen this place advertised in Family Reunion and S.C state tourism marketing materials before.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

That doesn't sound like a good business model: charge foreign tourists more because they probably have more money?

You run into the same thing at most tourist attractions in non-Western countries - Kenya, Thailand, India, etc. It's not just that foreigners have more money (though I'm sure that's a part of it), it's that the local people already pay the taxes to support the government that runs the spot.

Same reason out-of-state tuition costs more than in-state (but not at private schools) and why foreigners can't apply for government financial aid.

 

[get these nets]

You run into the same thing at most tourist attractions in non-Western countries - Kenya, Thailand, India, etc. It's not just that foreigners have more money (though I'm sure that's a part of it), it's that the local people already pay the taxes to support the government that runs the spot.

Same reason out-of-state tuition costs more than in-state (but not at private schools) and why foreigners can't apply for government financial aid.

Everything in the article posted by xoxodede is legit.
Here is a link describing the most recent grant request & approval from Unesco to Ghana for the maintenance of the dungeons.

International Assistance - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

(I mentioned being Haitian earlier in this thread, and the Haitian govt has put in similar request for funding of her Unesco World Heritage sites......mainly the Citadelle.)

Ghana is not a poor country and I'm certain the tourism revenue produces more than enough money to maintain the dungeons and every other tourist destination. Even a .05 % surcharge on nearby hotel rooms would cover that.
If I'm not mistaken, the majority of the slave dungeons are in modern day Ghana, so they have a unique set of tourist attractions, ones that are worth maintaining.
They requested the money from Unesco because they can. Tourist sites charge non locals more because they can.

 

[mbewane]

When I went to Gorée they had different prices for the ferry for Senegalese people, people from other African countries, and non-Africans. A friend and myself didn't have our CAR passports so we were supposed to pay the non-African price, had no problem with it since it's contributing to the local economy and I'm packing euros, no big deal.

Then Senegalese friends stepped in talking wolof and we ended up paying the "African price". French white dude who was us with paid full price though

Me personnally I don't really bother on the small scale (myself). But I understand that changing that would send a cool message to the Diaspora

 

[xoxodede]

I've not been to any of these places, but I get the impression that they are seen as de facto museums to some. In place of a recreation...you go into the actual space where your ancestor was probably held. There is an actual museum that I've read about in Nigeria

How do people feel about this country's counterpart, the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston,South Carolina?


Would you pay admission?
I've seen this place advertised in Family Reunion and S.C state tourism marketing materials before.

I wouldn't. But.....

The difference to me is:

- Ghana has specifically owned up to their role in the slave trade. They have also positioned themselves as the location - where the diaspora can come "home" to -- to connect with their roots. They are encouraging the diaspora to "come back" and contribute to their country - under the guise of heritage and unity. But, it's for slavery tourism and to help their economy.

- Benin/Togo - They too have owned up -- but to me - it's not for reconciliation or to make amends -- it's for slavery tourism.

The Smithsonian Institution has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide help with the new museums, although details have yet to be worked out, officials said. Benin’s government has also appointed several scholars, including Yai, to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the exhibits in one of the museums, in the city of Allada, about 20 miles from Ouidah. But even Yai questions the authorities’ willingness to address the facts.

“Is this about reconciliation, or is it just about attracting tourists? That’s something we need to be vigilant about,” he said.

There are several reasons Benin’s history of slavery was papered over or misrepresented for so long. First, when Benin was a colony of France from 1904 to 1958, the French didn’t want to draw attention to their own role in the African slave trade. Then, after Benin became independent, its leaders pushed for a sense of national, and even Pan-African, identity.

Since 1991, when Benin transitioned from a dictatorship to a democracy, the history of slavery has mostly been presented as a means of luring Western tourists.

“People here are trying to find work. They are trying to eat. They are surprised when they see tourists who come looking for their identity,” said José Pliya, the president’s adviser for tourism.

Pliya is directing the establishment of the two museums, one focusing on Ouidah’s history, due to open next year and funded largely by the World Bank, and the other in Allada, which will more broadly investigate the country’s role in the slave trade and is scheduled to open in 2020. The two sites are expected to cost $24 million in total.

The government is also planning to reconstruct the forts where slave merchants lived in Ouidah and the cells in which they kept their slaves.

The government acknowledges that if it wants to attract tourists, it will need to address concerns about whether Benin is whitewashing the actions of the slave trade’s architects. Advisers to the president said he plans to rename the Place de Chacha square in Ouidah, said to have been an open-air auction site for slaves. Authorities have not yet decided on a new name.​

what's different is....

Places like the Slave Mart and plantations are White and privately owned in the U.S. -- and they could care less about Black Americans visiting. It's rare to go to a plantation and hear about the enslaved -- or the truth of the matter. It's a major issue -- that is why most Black Americans choose not to visit.

Nor are Whites inviting us "home" or asking us to help contribute to build up the White Confederate South.

What they are doing is -- disgustingly celebrating their ancestors enslaving and inhumanely treating AA's.