TOURIST ARENA - ASSIN MANSO SLAVE RIVER SITE

The Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River also called Nnonkonsuo or Donkor Nsuo was one of the slave markets for gathering indigenes during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is located in the Central Region of Ghana, forty (40) kilometers along the Cape Coast-Kumasi highway. It served as the final link in the slavery route from Northern Ghana.

THE LAST BATH

On the way to the coastal dungeon, the slave merchants stopped at the DONKOR NSUO, ”the slave river”, in Assin Manso. Captured Africans were allowed to recuperate there after their long journey. Here, they were well fed and rested for several days or weeks. The merchants knew they could guarantee higher prices if they appeared healthy and strong. DONKO NSUO is where the captives would take their last bath in waters of their native land. The Portuguese began the inhumane practice of branding. They would use a red, hot branding iron to burn an identifying nark onto the skin of captives. The burns mark would leave a scar on the shoulder, the breast or the upper arm to show ownership. Other times branding was used to show that proper duty had been paid. When it was time to leave, they were sorted, leaving the weak ones behind chained trees, where the unthinkable happened. The stronger captives continued walking for approximately 40 miles to Cape Coast Castle, still shacked and chained.

MEMORIAL WALL OF RETURN

The Memorial Wall of Return is where most Africans write their names on the wall indicating they have found their root. There was an epitaph which pays tribute to some prominent people who were involved in slavery. Captured Africans were forced to trek barefoot, through the harsh bush and over rough terrain for sometimes hundreds of miles headed to the Gold Coast Dungeon. They suffered abuse, they were starved and beaten into compliance by the hired drivers of the slave merchant. They were often attacked by wild animals, but unable to fight or run because they remained shackled and chained. Many lives and spirits were lost along this hazardous journey.