American actress Gabrielle Union has shared her emotional experience visiting Cape Coast Castle in Ghana one of the most significant monuments of the transatlantic slave trade.
During an episode of the YouTube series Reclaiming with Monica, Union opened up about the powerful emotions she felt as she toured the castle’s dungeons and the nearby “River of No Return,” where enslaved Africans were taken for their final bath before being shipped across the Atlantic.
“Standing inside those walls, I could feel the spirits of my ancestors their pain, their strength, their endurance,” Union said. “It was heartbreaking and healing at the same time.”
The Cape Coast Castle, built by European traders in the 17th century, served as one of the largest slave-holding sites in West Africa. Thousands of Africans were imprisoned there before being forced onto ships bound for the Americas.
Union’s visit forms part of a growing wave of African Americans reconnecting with their ancestral roots through heritage tourism in Ghana a movement that gained global attention during the country’s Year of Return initiative in 2019.
Her reflections underscore the continuing emotional and cultural significance of the castle, not just as a historical monument but as a sacred space of remembrance, resilience, and reconnection for people of African descent worldwide.
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