Image@ BBC
Standing inside the dark dungeons of Cape Coast Castle, where thousands of enslaved Africans were imprisoned before being forced across the Atlantic, the Archbishop of Canterbury confronted a painful chapter of history that her own institution helped shape. Dame Sarah Mullally used the visit to reaffirm the Church of England’s commitment to its £100 million reparative justice fund, despite growing criticism in Britain over the initiative.
The 17th-century fortress, first built by Swedish traders before passing through Danish and Dutch control, became a British possession in 1664. During her visit, Mullally walked through the castle’s dungeons and passed the infamous “Door of No Return,” where enslaved Africans made their final steps on African soil before being loaded onto ships bound for the Americas.
“You can’t help but be deeply moved by the horrific conditions that people were kept in and the way that they were treated,” the archbishop said. “It completely throws you off balance and brings home the evil that was transatlantic slavery.”
Above those dungeons sits a chapel, a contrast Mullally described as a powerful reminder of the Church’s role in the slave trade. The Church of England has acknowledged that history, noting that its missionary arm operated slave-worked plantations in the Caribbean to support its work, some clergy owned enslaved people, and the institution accepted significant donations from slave traders.
The visit is part of a 10-day tour of Ghana and Cameroon at the invitation of Archbishop Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa. It is Mullally’s first pastoral visit to Africa since becoming head of the Church of England in March.
Reflecting on the significance of the trip, she said: “We played a part in the transatlantic slave trade. That is clear. Part of the Christian belief in repentance is about action, so we are putting in place action to support those communities that feel the legacy of the slave trade.”
The Church’s reparative justice programme was announced three years ago after an audit of its historic endowments uncovered links to slavery. The review found that assets tied to Queen Anne’s Bounty included investments in South Sea Annuities, financial instruments connected to the South Sea Company, which transported an estimated 34,000 enslaved Africans to Spanish America. The £100 million fund, also known within the Church as Project Spire, is intended to support investment, research and community engagement in places still living with the legacy of slavery.
The commitment has sparked fierce debate in Britain. Some MPs, peers and academics argue the Church has overstated its historical responsibility, while others question both the legal basis for the fund and the broader case for reparations.
The reaction in Ghana has been markedly different. A day before visiting Cape Coast Castle, Mullally received a warm welcome at the Asantehene’s palace in Kumasi, where she wore a cassock and cape lined with kente cloth, drawing admiration from traditional leaders.
Ghana has become one of the strongest advocates for global reparations, urging countries and institutions that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade to acknowledge their role and provide restitution. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa praised the archbishop’s position.
“What the Archbishop of Canterbury is doing in Ghana on her current visit will begin to send the right signals. And those who are either revisionists or obstructionists within the Church of England are going to start thinking twice,” he said.
“The Christian religion which they brought to Ghana and Africa teaches us that without admission of sins, there can be no salvation. There can be no going to heaven.”
Some Ghanaians, however, believe the Church’s initiative does not go far enough. Accra-based accountant Kenneth Mordzro said financial commitments alone cannot address the damage caused by colonialism, arguing that Britain should also return gold and cultural artefacts taken during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante wars.
“They should bring back the gold and artefacts they stole from our ancestors during the colonial days,” he said.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah