ABSTRACT
Ghana's coastline is dotted with the remains of European fortifications from Benyin in the west to Keta in the east. On the three-hour drive from Accra to Cape Coast, the capital of Ghana's Central Region, one comes across lush vegetation, small villages and marketplaces, and a few kilometers of palm-lined beach. Shortly before reaching the town of Cape Coast, one can spot a dilapidated but still imposing fort on a hilltop high above the sea. As early as 1972 the African Descendants Association Foundation (ADAF) agreed with the Ghana Lands Department on the lease of the aforementioned Fort Amsterdam for a period of twenty-five years. Almost twenty years after the first ADAF initiative, a new generation of politically active African Americans came to consider Ghana as their new home. They formed a loose network of people who became actively involved in the debate over the 'whitewashing' of the castles.
