"The Spell of Africa": Ghana, the Slave Trade, and African American Identity

"The Spell of Africa":
Ghana, the Slave Trade, and African American Identity

Summer Study Abroad Program
20 July - 3 August 2012
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC, USA

Draft Itinerary with Maps; Some Venue Changes Forthcoming

14-DAY ECU SUMMER STUDY ABROAD IN GHANA

(Final Flight Times and Local Circumstances May Necessitate Minor Adjustments to Dates and Functions)

DAY 1
Raleigh - Durham International Airport. Board your overnight transatlantic flight to Ghana.
DAY 2
Arrival in Accra, Ghana, "Soul Country of Africa." This is Africa's first self-governing nation in the postcolonial era. Hospitality is the national religion.
Check in at Accommodations
Dinner with tour director.
DAY 3
Breakfast and Tour orientation meeting.
Currency exchange, phone cards & other logistics.
12 noon: Leave Accra by road for Cape Coast/Elmina in Central Region.
Check in at hotel/accommodations
LUNCH
Symposium "Ghanaian Life and Culture."
DAY 4
BREAKFAST
Drop-off in Cape Coast.
LUNCH
Process drop-off in Cape Coast.
DAY 5
BREAKFAST
Symposium "Asafo Companies"
Symposium " Cape Coast Castle"
LUNCH
Walking tour of Elmina where we will visit:
- - Local Shrines
- - St. Joseph's Catholic Museum
- - Elmina-Java Museum
- - Elmina Castle
DINNER
Process day's activities.
DAY 6
BREAKFAST
DRESS: CASUAL
Travel to Assin Manso, site of old slave 'factory'; visit the graves of two former slaves from Jamaica and U.S.A, who were re-interred after a State funeral in 1998 …also, the river where our Ancestors were bathed for the last time in Africa before the perilous journey to America. Retrace the final journey of the slaves from Assin Manso to Cape Coast Castle.
LUNCH
Cape Coast Castle
DINNER
Process day's activities.
DAY 7
BREAKFAST
Village briefing.
LUNCH in Komenda
Village stay at Komenda. Spend a night with a family at a local village and experience the day-to-day activities in a rural setting.
DAY 8
BREAKFAST
9:00 a.m. Return to Cape Coast. Visit to Kakum National Park and Game Reserve (guided tour). This park is home to about 400 species of butterflies of which a few are endemic only to Ghana. View the rain forest from the treetop canopy (Only one of 4 in the world). Hike through the forest on the Kuntan Trail and acquaint yourself with endangered medicinal plants and game including elephants, bongos, duikers, antelope and a wide variety of birds. Note: Game is most likely seen very early in the mornings.
LUNCH
Travel to Kumasi, capital of the old Ashanti Kingdom via Lake Bosomtwi, the largest natural lake in Ghana
Check into accommodations
DINNER.
Day 9
BREAKFAST
Sights of Kumasi area: Visit neighboring historic villages and towns like Bonwire (18km N.E. of Kumasi) to see Royal Kente weavers, Ahwiaa ( 6km N. of Kumasi) for wood carvings, Ntonso for Adinkra cloth and Pannkrono (3km N. of Kumasi) for pottery.
LUNCH
Seminar at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Quiz on seminar
DINNER.
Day 10
BREAKFAST
Tour of Manhyia Palace, seat of the Ashanti Kingdom, where we will visit:
- - National Cultural Center
- - Military Museum
- - Asafo Market
Depart for Accra in the afternoon.
Day 11
BREAKFAST
Meet the authors, Ama Ada Aidoo and Manu Herbstein, then visit:
- - Shai Hills Wildlife Reserve. Game here includes bushbuck, oribi, baboon, various monkeys etc.
- - Krobo Mountain
- - Akosombo Dam, center of hydroelectric power for Ghana. Volta Lake is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world
LUNCH
Visit to herbal institute/healing shrine in Larteh
DINNER
Progress Report on Journal Responses.
Day 12
BREAKFAST, then visit:
- - W. E. B. Du Bois Centre
- - Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
- - Arts Centre
LUNCH
Aburi Botanical Gardens and Craft Shopping from Craftsmen.
DINNER
Day 13
BREAKFAST
Final morning in Accra.
LUNCH
Check-in at Kotoka International Airport.
Day 14
Arrive in the U.S.A. Raleigh-Durham Airport.

Contact:
Dr. David C. Dennard
Department of History
A-220 Brewster
Office Telephone: 252-328-4364
dennardd@ecu.edu
or
Dr. Kenneth Wilburn
Department of History
A-318 Brewster
Office Telephone: 328-1029
wilburnk@ecu.edu

Return to "The Spell of Africa" homepage
First Online Edition: 31 January 2005
Last Revised: 8 November 2011