In 1652, the African, Asiatic, and American Company of Sweden employed Henrik Carlof, a Polish merchant, to negotiate a land agreement with the authorities of Efutu, the small African kingdom that controlled the Gold Coast. Sadly Cape Coast Castle was only one of the many forts dedicated to slave trade that dotted the entire Gold Coast region (areas that were part of the British colony) back in the 1700-1800. The Gold Coast Colony . This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Cape-Colony, History World - History Of The British Empire. I hope you understand why! The school which helps local children to go to school, build a trade, and provide them with resources as well. A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. He was reappointed to his former position but did not regain his wealth. Although the city itself is known for its fishing trade, it was also home to the infamous Cape Coast Castle, better known as the “slave castle”. Whilst there, we heard tons of recommendations about Baobab Guesthouse and their spectacular vegetarian Ghanaian food. [20] In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament, on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise. In the 19th Century, British colonization of the Gold Coast region in western Africa began in earnest. Settled at various points by Portuguese, Danish, Swedish and Dutch traders, it became the coastal headquarters of Britain’s Royal African Company in 1664, and later served as the first capital of the Gold Coast Colony. Accommodation in Cape Town’s coastal suburbs, particularly along the Atlantic Seaboard, is as you might expect: superb. If you are interested in learning more about Cape Coast and the slave trade, I highly recommend a reading the novel Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi ($32, available here) which was released a few years ago. The white colonial population was small, no more than 25,000 in all, scattered across a territory of 100,000 square miles. This oversight remains one of my biggest regrets – I didn’t give it the attention, and respect that it deserved. These accounts demonstrate that increased contact between European sailors and the local Khoikhoi even before the establishment of the Cape Colony resulted in conflict over resources. The Company of Merchants, whose governors administered the entire British colony, extensively rebuilt the Castle in 1699 and periodically throughout the 18th century. It then was renamed the Province of the Cape of Good Hope. Corrections? Before my trip in Ghana came to an end, I decided to visit a historic site in the country called Cape Coast. The VOC lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg, but it was acceded to the Batavia Republic following the 1802 Peace of Amiens. The fort had high, thin, mud brick walls and became the structural base for the Cape Coast Castle. However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes. Cape Coast Castle is a European-built fortress situated on the central coastline of Ghana.Since its initial construction in 1652, the Castle served as a trading post for European nations and as the headquarters of British colonial administration for the Gold Coast Colony. Exciting lodge openings, new trip ideas, and exclusive offers…, Yes, send me the Safari Insider Newsletter. Beginning at the V&A Waterfront , the Atlantic Seaboard is a string of ocean-facing city suburbs that hug Cape Town's western coastline. The British colonial government originally established the headquarters of their new colony at Cape Coast and brought with them their ideas of modern European society. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France, and its vassal state the Batavian Republic, led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens. An expedition of the United East India Company (VOC) led by Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The colony was coextensive with the later Cape Province, stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along the southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa, stood at the Fish River. One was Khaik Ana Makouka who was named Clas Des by the Dutch. At the time, we felt (childishly, I admit) that it was just another historic site located in front of a lovely beach. Around 1626 Coree was killed by the Dutch apparently for refusing to give them food. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and the eastern-western division was largely laid to rest. Castle and the Atlantic Slave Trade (New York: Blue Bridge, 2007); A Plea for Our Own Coast and Our Cape Colony: Hardpress: 9781406984552: Books - Amazon.ca. Out of curiosity, we obviously had to check it out – we ended up staying for a delicious breakfast, and learning about this incredible non-profit guesthouse! The British colony was preceded by an earlier Corporate colony, that became a Dutch colony of the same name (controlled by France), the Kaap de Goede Hoop, established in 1652 by the United East India Company (VOC). any time. Firstly, ‘discovery’ of the Cape by European sailors resulted in the increasing use of the Cape coast as a trading area. With the discovery of the route to India, European sailors increasingly set up temporary tents along the coast to facilitate trading with the Khoikhoi. 15. The rounding of the Cape and the establishment of the trade route to the Far East had far reaching consequences not just for the Cape, but for Southern Africa. This was even before the establishment of the Cape as a trade and refreshment outpost. They offered mirrors, glass beads and a rattle in return apparently for two sheep and a cow. In 1961 it became the Republic of South Africa and obtained its own monetary unit called the Rand. The temporary peace between the UK and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which Napoleon would subsequently abolish later the same year).