This is a brief introduction to the history of Elmina, its castle, the
people, and their traditions. It outlines the town's 500-year relations
with Europeans, highlighting the transformations that have developed out
of these interactions. Written by one of the top historians of Ghana and
a leading scholar of the African diaspora, the book is based on original
archival information and orally-derived sources. It is also richly
informed by the writer's own personal knowledge as a Nyampa Safohen and
citizen of Elmina. Despite the tremendous changes engendered by the
European contact, Elmina's historical development demonstrates an
amazing degree of cultural continuity and resilience in its political
institutions, social organization, economic systems and worldview.