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Article: Kingdom of gold
- Article from:
- Natural History
- Article date:
- February 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Museum of Natural History Feb 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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From the tower window of what was once the Dutch governor's private bedroom in Elmina Castle, perched over Ghana's coast, I see children playing ball on the beach, brightly painted canoes, tall palm trees blowing in the sea breeze. But the distant ocean horizon provokes grim thoughts of the world beyond, which has swallowed Africa's treasures for the past five hundred years: first gold and spices, then ivory and slaves, and now the continent's forests, cash crops, and minerals. In another corner of the sunlit room, the tour guide tells us about the trapdoor on the floor o the balcony outside, from which stairs lead down to a courtyard. Below ground is a windowless dungeon, originally built ...