PETITION TO AMEND THE NAMES OF THE CAPE COAST AND ELMINA CASTLES

*Note* Petition written and initiated by Seestah IMAHKÜS Njinga Okofu Ababio, CEO One Africa**

The Trans-Atlantic Enslavement perpetuated by Europeans in which Africans were forcibly taken from their homes in the 16th century and thereafter and sent to the Americas and the Caribbean to work as enslaved Africans, stands condemned for all times.  Today, those of us at home (Ghana), remember our ancestors’ common, terrible and terrifying history. It’s a history of cruelty, greed, and lament. The place we call Ghana today formed a major pool for the abduction and kidnapping of individuals, families, and groups for shipment across the Atlantic to be enslaved.  But as we enter those major edifices that held our ancestors, the signs that greet us say, "Cape Coast or Elmina Castle", but castles were not our/their reality; Dungeons were! 

We, the undersigned, are therefore petitioning the Museums and Monuments Board and The Government of Ghana to amend the names of these edifices to read "Cape Coast Castle/Dungeons and Elmina Castle/Dungeons", which reflects the whole truth of our collective experience.