Cape Coast
Encyclopedia
Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region
of Ghana
and is also the capital city of the Fante (Fanti) people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra
on the Gulf of Guinea
. It has a population of 82,291 (2000 census). From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the British
, the Portuguese
, the Swedish
, the Danish
and the Dutch
. The city's Fante name is Oguaa.
, now a World Heritage Site
. It was converted to a castle
by the Dutch in 1650, then expanded by the Swedes
in 1652 and captured by the British in 1664. The British based their Gold Coast
operations in the town until they were expelled because of severe opposition to the "window tax
" in 1877.Accra
became their state. Cape Coast was also where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the Middle Passage
.
is the town's mascot and a statue
of one lies in the city centre. Fort William, built in 1820, was an active lighthouse
from 1835 to the 1970s, while Fort Victoria was built in 1702.
Other attractions include a series of Asafo Shrines, Cape Coast Centre for National Culture, the Oguaa Fetu Afahye harvest festival
and, since 1992, the biennial Panafest
theatre
festival. The city is located 30km south of Kakum National Park
, one of the most diverse and best preserved national parks in West Africa. Cape Coast also boast of being the first location where soccer was played at in Ghana and Ebusua Dwarfs FC is the darling Club of Cape Coasters.
It is believed that U.S. First Lady
Michelle Obama
considers Cape Coast as her ancestral home, and on 11 July 2009, she took the rest of the first family
to tour Cape Coast Castle
as part of her husband's trip to Ghana.
(UCC), Ghana's leading university in teaching and research. Cape Vars, as it is popularly called, lies on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean
. The city also boasts some of Ghana's finest secondary and technical schools:
Central Region (Ghana)
The Central Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is bordered by the Ashanti and Eastern regions to the north, Western region to the west, Greater Accra region to the east, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.-Districts:...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and is also the capital city of the Fante (Fanti) people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
on the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. It has a population of 82,291 (2000 census). From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The city's Fante name is Oguaa.
History
Founded by the Portuguese in the 15th century, Cape Coast grew around Cape Coast CastleCape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
, now a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. It was converted to a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
by the Dutch in 1650, then expanded by the Swedes
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1652 and captured by the British in 1664. The British based their Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
operations in the town until they were expelled because of severe opposition to the "window tax
Window tax
The window tax was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France and Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some houses from the period can be seen to have bricked-up window-spaces , as a result of the tax.-Details:The tax was introduced in England and Wales under...
" in 1877.Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
became their state. Cape Coast was also where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the Middle Passage
Middle Passage
The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of people from Africa were shipped to the New World, as part of the Atlantic slave trade...
.
Attractions
The crabCrab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
is the town's mascot and a statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of one lies in the city centre. Fort William, built in 1820, was an active lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
from 1835 to the 1970s, while Fort Victoria was built in 1702.
Other attractions include a series of Asafo Shrines, Cape Coast Centre for National Culture, the Oguaa Fetu Afahye harvest festival
Harvest festival
A Harvest Festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world...
and, since 1992, the biennial Panafest
Panafest
Panafest is a cultural event held in Ghana every two years for Africans and people of African descent. It was first held in 1992. The idea of this festival is to promote and enhance unity, Pan-Africanism, as well as the development of the continent of Africa itself...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
festival. The city is located 30km south of Kakum National Park
Kakum National Park
Kakum National Park is a 375 square km national park located in the Central Region of Ghana. The park was first established in 1960. It is located 30km north of Cape Coast and Elmina near the small town of Abrafo. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest.In the park gamekeepers are...
, one of the most diverse and best preserved national parks in West Africa. Cape Coast also boast of being the first location where soccer was played at in Ghana and Ebusua Dwarfs FC is the darling Club of Cape Coasters.
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
considers Cape Coast as her ancestral home, and on 11 July 2009, she took the rest of the first family
First Family of the United States
The First Family of the United States is the unofficial title for the family of the President of the United States, who is both head of state and head of government of the United States. Members of the First Family consist of the President, the First Lady of the United States, and any of their...
to tour Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
as part of her husband's trip to Ghana.
Education
Cape Coast is the seat of the University of Cape CoastUniversity of Cape Coast
The University of Cape Coast, Ghana, is one of the rare sea-front universities in the world. The university was established in 1962 out of a dire need for highly qualified and skilled manpower in education and was affiliated to the University of Ghana...
(UCC), Ghana's leading university in teaching and research. Cape Vars, as it is popularly called, lies on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The city also boasts some of Ghana's finest secondary and technical schools:
- Wesley Girls' High SchoolWesley Girls' High SchoolWesley Girl’s High school, Ghana, is an educational institution for girls, was named after the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. The school was established in 1836 with 25 girls by the wife of a Methodist Minister. It started as a primary school with the aim of offering girls training in reading...
- St. Augustine College
- MfantsipimMfantsipim SchoolMfantsipim SchoolMotto:Dwen Hwe Kan .Established: 3rd April 1876.Public School . Affiliated with Wesleyanism/Methodist Church.Head of school: Kwame Mieza Edjah.Staff:85....
- Adisadel CollegeAdisadel CollegeAdisadel College is an Anglican school for boys in Cape Coast, Ghana, modelled on the English public school.-History:Adisadel was established in 1910 in a building at Topp Yard, near Christ Church and Cape Coast Castle...
(ADISCO) - Aggrey Memorial Senior High SchoolAggrey Memorial A.M.E. Zion Senior High SchoolAggrey Memorial A.M.E. Zion senior high Schoolis a publicly supported Coeducational senior high school in Cape Coast, Ghana. It provides students in forms 1 through 4 a rigorous preparatory education with the aim of successfully passing the WASSCE. The school has distinguished itself as a leading...
(AGGREY) - Ghana National CollegeGhana National CollegeGhana National College is a secondary school in Cape Coast, on the coast of Ghana. It is rated as one of the areas top schools.-Overview:It was founded on July 20, 1948, staffed by dismissed teachers from St Augustines College and Mfantsipim...
(GHANACOLL) - Holy Child Secondary
- Cape Coast Technical Institute (CAPETECH).
- Cape Coast PolytechnicCape Coast PolytechnicThe Cape Coast Polytechnic is a public tertiary institution in the Central Region of Ghana. It is a co-educational centre that offers various academic programmes that lead to the award of the a Higher National Diploma certificate. The polytechnic has nine sister institutions in all the other nine...
(C-POLY).
Notable Cape Coasters
- J. E. Casely HayfordJ. E. Casely HayfordJoseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford or Ekra-Agiman was a Fante journalist, author, lawyer, educator, and politician who supported pan-African nationalism...
1866-1930; Author, Lawyer, Politician and Educator. - Rev Dr Philip Quarcoo 1741-1816; First African Clergy of the Church of England.
- Dr Samuel George Duker 1905-1994; LRCP Edin LRCS Edin LRFPS Glasg; Pioneer Physician
- Hon Robert Hutchison 1828-1863; Statesman, Soldier, Philanthropist.
- Jacob Wilson-Sey alias Kwaa Bonyin 1832-1902; Millionaire, Philanthropist, Founding Member of the Aboriginal Rights Protection Society.
- Hon John Sarbah 1834-1892; Educationist, Merchant, Industrialist.
- Rev Mark Christian Hayford 1863-1935; Author, Founder of Gold Coast Baptist Church and the Christian Army of the Gold Coast.
- Rev Samuel Richard Brew Attoh-Ahuma 1863-1921; Clergy, Nationalist, Pioneer Pan Africanist.
- John Mensah-SarbahJohn Mensah-SarbahJohn Mensah Sarbah was a lawyer and political leader in the Gold Coast .-Life:John Mensah Sarbah was born in the Fante Confederacy in the Gold Coast...
1864-1910; First Ghanaian Barrister, Author, Published Fanti Customary Laws. - Charles Emmanuel Graves 1884-1929; Musicologist, Composer.
- Sir James Henly Coussey KBE 1895-1958; High Court Judge, Chairman of the Coussey Commission, President of the West Africa Court of Appeal.
- Kofi Bentsi-Enchill 1895-1948; Textiles Tycoon, Philanthropist
- Dr Henry Mercer-Ricketts 1895-1980; MB ChB Edin; Pioneer Physician
- Berempon Kwadwo 1701-1777; Merchant, Founder of various settlements.
- King John Aggery Essien 1809-1899; King of Cape Coast, Pioneer Pan-Africanist.
- Chief James Robert Thompson 1810-18-86; Pioneer Educationist.
- Hon Francis Chapman Grant 1823-1889; Founding Member of the Fanti Confederation. Cousin of Ulysses Grant.
- Thomas Frederic Edward Jones 1850-1927; Petitioned Queen Victoria about Lands Bill.
- Hon James Cheetham 1834-1902; Merchant Member of the Legislative Council.
- Rev Andrew William Parker 1840-1912; Conscientious Nationalist, Fought in the Ashanti Expedition.
- Joseph Peter Brown 1843-1932; Patriot, Statesman.
- Prince James Hutton Brew 1844-1915; First Ghanaian Qualified Solicitor.
- Henry Van Hein 1858-1928; President of the Aboriginal Rights Protection Society
- Hon William Ward-Brew OBE 1878-1943; Lawyer, VP of Aboriginal Rights Protection Society.
- George Edward MooreGeorge Edward MooreGeorge Edward Moore OM, was an English philosopher. He was, with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Gottlob Frege, one of the founders of the analytic tradition in philosophy...
1879-1950; Recipient of the Ashanti Medal, Executive Member of the Aboriginal Rights Protection Society. - John Coleman de-Graft Johnson 1884-1956; Secretary of Native Affairs, Anthropologist.
- Prophet Jemisimiham Jehu-Appiah 1892-1948; Founder of Musama Disco Christo Church in Africa.
- Hon Nana Amenfi III CBE 1892-1951; Nationalist.
- Hon Jacob Kwesi Bart-Plange 1925-1952; Politician, Youngest Member of the Gold Coast Legislative Council.
- William Esuman Gwira Kobina Sekyi 1892-1956; Lawyer, Politician, Author.
- Peter Turkson, 1948- Cardinal-Archbishop of Cape Coast
External links
- CapeCoastGuide.com
- Ghana-pedia webpage - Cape Coast
- Cape Coast News
- Cape Coast Daily Photos Blog
- Ghana Districts Info On Cape Coast
- Cape Coast Hoops
- Fetu Afahye DVD
- [Radio Central the region's public service broadcaster. (www.radiocentralonline.com)]
- MSN Map