So, why do many African countries still keep slave castles? I think it’s because these places are powerful reminders of an ugly history we can’t afford to forget. Places like Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle in Ghana stand as evidence of what happened—not just for Africans, but for humanity as a whole. They’re there to teach us, to confront us with the reality of the transatlantic slave trade and the suffering it caused. It’s heavy stuff, but it’s necessary.

Now, should they be destroyed because of their dark history? I don’t think so. Destroying them would almost feel like erasing the pain and lessons they hold. They’re not just relics; they’re stories in stone. For me, walking through those corridors and standing in those dungeons where people were held before being shipped away—it’s emotional, but it makes history real. It makes it impossible to ignore.

Instead of tearing them down, we should preserve them and tell the stories loud and clear. These castles remind us of what we should never allow to happen again.