Revisit: ANCIENT KUSH (2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. – 4TH CENTURY A.D.)

The Kingdom of Kush, located south of Egypt along the Nile River, thrived from the 2nd millennium B.C. to the 4th century A.D. It was known for its trade routes, innovative craftsmanship, and abundant resources like gold. Despite its eventual collapse from external pressures, Kush left a lasting legacy in art, architecture, and trade. Continue reading Revisit: ANCIENT KUSH (2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. – 4TH CENTURY A.D.)

CAPE COAST CASTLE (1652- )

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.  Today the Castle is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1652, the African, Asiatic, and American Company of Sweden employed Henrik Carlof, a Polish merchant, to negotiate a land agreement with the … Continue reading CAPE COAST CASTLE (1652- )

Revisit: BLUEFIELDS, NICARAGUA (CA. 1650- )

A city at the mouth of the Escondido River and the Caribbean Sea, Bluefields is home to a large black settlement on the east coast of Nicaragua and is strongly associated with Black Creole culture.  Nicaragua has the largest population of African descent in Central America and approximately two-thirds of that group resides in and around Bluefields.  The black presence in the region goes back to the 17th century as Puritans … Continue reading Revisit: BLUEFIELDS, NICARAGUA (CA. 1650- )

FOUNDING OF SIERRA LEONE, 1787

Sierra Leone’s founding dates back to 1787 when several waves of freed black settlers originating from England, Nova Scotia, and Jamaica all arrived in the area. Utilizing some English government funding, The Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, an abolitionistgroup which included Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce, and Granville Sharp, established the colony with the settlement of 411 London blacks on the Sierra Leone peninsula in what is now … Continue reading FOUNDING OF SIERRA LEONE, 1787