Thinkafrica

We keep growing every day, congratulations to us

1 week ago | [YT] | 3

Thinkafrica

14,873 views, such a joyous milestone, let's keep watching

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Thinkafrica

Let's keep growing, congratulations to us

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Thinkafrica

This is crazy!! Thank you all for the nonstop love and support. Every view, comment, and share keeps me motivated to create more. Bigger goals ahead — let’s keep growing together! #vidiq #ishowspeed

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Thinkafrica

Construction of the castle

Elmina Castle viewed from the sea in 1572, by Georg Braun. Notice Portuguese ships in the foreground and African houses/town shown in the left-hand corner and in various areas around the fort.


Trade between Elmina and Portugal grew throughout the decade following the establishment of the trading post under Gomes. In 1481, the recently crowned João II decided to build a fort on the coast to protect this trade, which was once again held as a royal monopoly. King João sent all of the materials needed to build the fort on ten caravels and two transport ships. The supplies, which included everything from heavy foundation stones to roof tiles, were sent in pre-fitted form, along with provisions for six hundred men.

Under the command of Diogo de Azambuja, the fleet set sail on 12 December 1481 and arrived at Elmina, in a village called Of Two Parts [5] a little over a month later, on 19 January 1482. Some historians note that Christopher Columbus was among those to make the voyage to the Gold Coast with this fleet.

[6][7][8][9]

Upon arrival, Azambuja contracted a Portuguese trader who had lived at Elmina for some time to arrange and interpret an official meeting with the local chief, Kwamin Ansah, who was referred to in the Portuguese as "Caramansa." Azambuja told the chief of the great advantages in building a fort, including protection from the very powerful king of Portugal. During the meeting, Azambuja and Chief Kwamin Ansah both participated in a massive peace ritual that included a feast, musicians, and many participants, both Portuguese and native.

[5]

Chief Kwamin Ansah, while accepting Azambuja as he had any other Portuguese trader who arrived on his coast, was wary of a permanent settlement. However, with firm plans already in place, the Portuguese would not be deterred. After offering gifts, making promises, and hinting at the consequences of noncompliance, the Portuguese received Kwamin Ansah's reluctant agreement.



When construction began the next morning, the chief's reluctance was proved to be well-founded.

In order to build the fort in the most defensible position on the peninsula, the Portuguese had to demolish the homes of some of the villagers, who consented only after they had been compensated. The Portuguese tried to quarry a nearby rock that the people of Elmina, who were animists, believed to be the home of the god of the nearby River Benya.

[5]

Prior to the demolition of the quarry and homes, Azambuja sent a Portuguese crew member, João Bernaldes, with gifts to deliver to Chief Kwamin Ansah and the villagers. Azambuja sent brass basins, shawls, and other gifts in hopes of winning the goodwill of the villagers so they would not be upset during the demolition of their homes and sacred rocks. However, João Bernaldes did not deliver the gifts until after construction began, by which time the villagers became upset upon witnessing the demolition without forewarning or compensation.

[5]

In response to this, the local people forged an attack that resulted in several Portuguese deaths. Finally, an understanding was reached. Continued opposition led the Portuguese to burn the local village in retaliation. Even in this tense atmosphere, the first story of the tower was completed after only twenty days. This was the result of having brought so many prefabricated building materials. The remainder of the fort and an accompanying church were completed soon afterwards, despite resistance
.[5]

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

Thinkafrica

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina, also known as Castelo da Mina or simply Mina, in present-day Elmina, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast

Pre-Portuguese
The people living along the West African coast at Elmina around the fifteenth century were presumably Fante, with an uncertain relationship to the modern Akan who came from north of the forests. Among their ancestors were merchants and miners who traded gold to the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds from medieval times.



The people on the West African coast were organized into numerous populations that were drawn according to kinship lines. Family was extremely important in society, and family heads were united in communities under a recognized local authority. Along the Gold Coast alone, more than twenty independent kingdom-states existed.

Elmina lay between two different Fante kingdoms, Fetu and Eguafo.

West Africans nurtured ancient trade connections to other parts of the world. Common metal trade, iconic artistic forms, and agricultural borrowing show that trans-Saharan and regional coastal connections thrived. The Portuguese in 1471 were the first Europeans to visit the Gold Coast as such, but not necessarily the first sailors to reach the port.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Thinkafrica

I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.
Kwame Nkrumah

#nkrumah #tourism

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10 months ago | [YT] | 6

Thinkafrica

New UN report: Africa's economy to improve in 2025 despite global stagnation

The latest WESP 2025 says targeted investments, inclusive governance, and enhanced regional collaboration will support the continent’s long-term development goals

Africa is poised for modest economic growth in 2025, with recovery driven by major economies such as Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa, according to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 report released by the United Nations.


Despite these gains, the continent faces significant challenges, including high inflation, mounting debt, and climate-related vulnerabilities.



The global economy is expected to grow by just 2.8 per cent in 2025, a stagnation from the 2024 rate and notably below the pre-pandemic average of 3.2 per cent

The report, produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), stresses that "The world economy has remained resilient through 2024, avoiding a broad-based economic contraction despite years of multiple, mutually reinforcing shocks."



However, persistent structural issues such as weak investment and sluggish productivity continue to constrain global recovery.



In his foreword, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres points out that the world continues to face “challenges that slow the rate of economic progress and the pursuit of better lives for all,”

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11 months ago | [YT] | 6

Thinkafrica

This colonial-era lighthouse was built in the 1930s replacing an earlier lighthouse that had been built in 1871. It has become a tourist attraction over time however there is no gift shops or ticket offices here, so there are no massive queues and set prices.

Usually someone trying to persuade you to use them as a guide. The 28-metre (92 ft) structure has become a viewing platform for those wanting to see views the Jamestown .
If you can manage the spiral stair case you will enjoy some excellent views of across Jamestown and the fishing harbor.

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11 months ago | [YT] | 5

Thinkafrica

orthern Tanzania is home to the Hadzabe, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on Earth. Known for shunning material possessions and social hierarchy, the Hadza roam as needed to find game, tubers and wild berries. Hunter-gatherer societies understand that their survival depends on natural resources. The Hadza's deep reservoir of natural knowledge and light footprint on their land have enabled them to persist in a challenging environment.
For years, the tribe had been watching their ancestral territory disappear. Whittled away by encroaching pastoralists and agriculture, the boundaries of the wide-open spaces they travel were shrinking, and the Hadza, like other indigenous communities, had no formal claim to ownership.



By analyzing satellite imagery, The Nature Conservancy identified a chain reaction on the ground. Agriculture encroaches mainly from the south, as the Sukuma people clear woodland brush to grow beans and maize. The Datoga pastoralists, driven northward, then graze livestock on semi-arid lands the Hadza rely on to find food.

Unless we act now to secure wildlife corridors and traditional land uses for pastoralists and hunter-gatherers, the vibrant Hadza culture will likely be squeezed out of existence. ‪@thinkafricatoday‬

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11 months ago | [YT] | 3