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Visiting Assin Manso: A Journey of Remembrance

Through my company, Elysium Tours, I had the profound opportunity to take our guests to visit the Assin Manso Slave River, a site where my ancestors were once held in chains and shackles. This was the place where enslaved Africans were brought for their “last bath” before being sold to buyers, taken to the dungeons, and eventually shipped across the ocean to the New World.

Before embarking on this journey, I took a moment to reflect on the memory of the ancestors we lost. Many perished during the long, brutal walk from the interior lands to Assin Manso. From there, countless others died on the journey to the dungeons, during the Middle Passage, or later on the plantations where they were forced to labor.

These sacrifices were not in vain. It is because of their resilience and strength that we are here today. Without their endurance, I cannot say where we would be. Standing on that sacred ground, I paused for a moment of silence in their honor and said, “Ashee.”

“Ashee” is a Yoruba word that means “so shall it be.” It is a word of power, affirmation, and respect.

Today, as Africans and people of African descent, we are still struggling to tell our own narratives. We are struggling to teach our history, not because it doesn’t exist, but because systems often work against our efforts to share it. Our stories are rich, painful, and powerful, yet they are too often suppressed or rewritten.

A striking example is in the United States, where African and Black history is often placed under the controversial label of Critical Race Theory. And I ask myself: what is so “critical” about our history that it becomes a target of resistance? What is so “racial” about our truths that some would rather silence the survival stories of our ancestors than allow them to be told?

During our visit, the site guide, Kwame Divine, did an excellent job. I learned so much from him, and I highly recommend that anyone visiting Assin Manso seek him out. His knowledge and passion bring the history of the place to life.

Let us continue to remember, honor, and share the stories of those who came before us. It is our duty, our right, and our legacy.

Writer: Frederick Nortey 

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