Elmina, a Ghanaian coastal town originally named “Anomansa” ,  was renamed by the Portuguese to Elmina or ‘el mina’ which translates to ‘the mine’ referring to the abundance of gold on the coast. Now a bustling town with a central fish and goods market, the role the town's Elmina Castle played in the transatlantic slave trade cannot be erased. It remains firmly rooted on the coast of the Atlantic ocean that became a graveyard for hundreds of thousands of Africans on their way to enslavement across the Americas.  

I visited Elmina Castle for the first time with a pair of Ghanaian friends and having never visited the country or a castle with this cruel history before, I had no idea what to expect. While the tour of the castle and the details of it’s role in the transatlantic slave trade were heartbreaking and horrifying, what stood out to me most were the signs of life that still remained despite. Memories of my friends flirting and kissing in the corridors of the castle, the bright smile of the custodian matching the vibrance of his orange shirt, the beautiful architecture of our tour guide's face, the glee of the kids playing soccer outside, these are the moments that are seared into my memory as proof of life where there was once death. These photographs honor the persistence of life force in Elmina, they are a reflection of the dignity and right to joy we all possess despite the stain of tragedy and inhumanity.