Fort San Sebastian
*Fort San Sebastian was built on this date in 1523. It was a Portuguese fortress to protect the monetary interest and transfer African Slaves during the Middle Passage.
The facility in Shama, Ghana, is the third oldest fortification in Ghana. It was built by the Portuguese from 1520 to 1526 as a trading post and captured by the Dutch West India Company in 1642. The fort's original purpose was to serve as a deterrent to English sailors interfering in the Shama trade.
The first black European university professor, Anton Wilhelm Amo, lies interred in the fort's graveyard. The fort was ceded to Britain by the entire Dutch Gold Coast in 1872. During the time of the African Slave Trade, kidnapped Africans were imprisoned there while awaiting transport to North America.
The Zamani Project documented Fort San Sebastian in 2013 with terrestrial 3D laser scanning. The data generated by the non-profit research group creates a permanent record that can be used for research, education, restoration, and conservation.
