Slave dungeons reminder of history’s darkest chapter – Vice President

Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman says the slave dungeons along Ghana’s coast must continue to remind the world of the brutal legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.

She made the call during a ceremony where members of the African diaspora took the Oath of Allegiance to become Ghanaian citizens.

Addressing guests at the event, the Vice President stressed that the painful history of slavery remains one of the most troubling chapters in human civilisation and must be acknowledged by the international community.

“The history of the transatlantic slave trade remains one of the darkest chapters in human civilisation,” she said.

Professor Opoku-Agyeman noted that the dungeons at historic slave forts continue to stand as physical reminders of the suffering endured by millions of Africans who were captured and transported across the Atlantic.

“The dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina, and many others, still bear witness to the painful history,” she stated.

She explained that countless Africans were held in captivity at these sites before being forced onto ships bound for distant lands.

“Millions of our ancestors were held in captivity before being forced across the Middle Passage to the Americas, the Caribbean, and other destinations,” she said.

According to the Vice President, the remembrance of that painful past must go hand in hand with recognition of the resilience and achievements of people of African descent around the world.

“And so, even as we celebrate the remarkable resilience, creativity, and cultural brilliance of the descendants of Africa, we must not forget that tragic chapter of our history,” she added.

Professor Opoku-Agyeman also highlighted efforts by the government of President John Dramani Mahama to ensure the transatlantic slave trade receives global recognition as a grave historical injustice.

She said Ghana is currently leading initiatives at the United Nations to secure official acknowledgement of the slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity, stressing that the effort is intended to promote truth, remembrance and justice for people of African descent worldwide.