IHRP: HRIF 17 - Perkins, Outside the Door of No Return

Human Rights in Focus

Outside the Door of No Return
Photographer: Sarah Perkins

Location: Cape Coast, Ghana

This photo was taken just outside of Cape Coast Castle during a trip of the Access to Drugs Initiative. Cape Coast Castle is an infamous spot where enslaved men, women and children were held before being loaded onto slave ships bound for the Caribbean and other destinations. As you walk out of the castle through the door of no return, the first site that greets the eye is an expanse of colour from the flags and nets of the fishing vessels lining the beach. While the castle remains standing as a testament to the grave violations of human dignity that took place within its walls, one cannot help but be struck by the activity and life that now exudes from this place.