US Comedian, Steve Harvey Breaks Down In Tears During Visit To Slave Trade Castle In Ghana

American comedian and television host, Steve Harvey,62, broke down in tears during his recent visit to a castle that housed the horrors of the slave trade centuries ago.

Steve Harvey, his wife Marjorie Bridges, 54, and their children visited the Elmina Castle on the Cape Coast, Ghana. They had a glimpsed the original shackles applied to prisoners, and even tried them on.

The Harvey family was given a tour of the historical site and briefed on the dark past of the trading post that was erected by the Portuguese in the 1400s.

Their eyes were clouded by tears after bearing witness to the memory of these atrocities committed in a building that was originally erected as a trade outpost, but it was eventually converted into one of the busiest stops on the Atlantic slave trade.

After the tour, Harvey captured his emotions in his Instagram post:

This was real pain I felt going back to Ghana’s slave castles…I could feel my ancestors on me… Powerful beyond words that I can explain. I encourage as many of you as possible to go HOME for your ancestors. Their strength is in each of us and we must honor their ultimate sacrifice in all that we do. #TheYearofTheReturn

 

The castle, originally erected in 1482, is the oldest extant European structure in sub-Saharan Africa.

The slave dungeons lacked windows and were poorly ventilated, and a total lack of sanitation meant the slaves were forced to walk around in human waste, which sickened many.

Male and female slaves were separated into separate dungeons, and the women were often raped by their captors.

Slaves could spend up to three months in the dank, squalid conditions before being shipped away.

Restoration on the site was begun in the 1990s, and it’s now one of Ghana’s top tourism destinations, as well as a popular spot for people of African origin to explore the history of the slave trade.