| Osu Castle | |
|---|---|
| Part ofDanish Gold Coast | |
_2_(cropped).jpg) Osu Castle | |
| Location | |
  Osu Castle | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1661; 364 years ago (1661) |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Denmark-Norway (1660) |
| Part of | Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions |
| Criteria | Cultural: (vi) |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rdSession) |
Osu Castle (also known asFort Christiansborg or theCastle) is a castle located inOsu,Ghana, on the coast of theGulf of Guinea in Africa.[1]
A substantialfort was built byDenmark-Norway in the 1660s; thereafter, the fort changed ownership between Denmark-Norway,Portugal, theAkwamu,Britain, and finally post-IndependenceGhana. Under Denmark–Norway control it was the capital of theDanish Gold Coast, and held and dispatched enslaved people overseas.
In 1902, Osu Castle became theseat of government in Ghana but this has now moved toGolden Jubilee House.[2]
Because of its testimony to European colonial influence in West Africa and theAtlantic slave trade, the castle was inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 1979 along with severalother castles and forts in Ghana.[3]
The area was first occupied in 1550 by thePortuguese, though in the 17th century Portuguese influence diminished. The area came under the control ofSweden in the late 1640s, led by the German traderHeinrich Carloff. In 1652, he was given permission to build a small fortified lodge by the King of Accra, with whom he had previously done business. In 1660, control passed to theNetherlands but it was soon lost toDenmark-Norway. In 1657, Carloff had again traveled toAfrica, this time representing Denmark-Norway. He aimed to conquer the forts he had previously established, which he found easy at Osu.[4] In its early life, the castle was primarily used in thegold andivory trade, but under Dano-Norwegian control it increasingly dealt withslaves.[2]
Osu Castle was located close to two other forts.Fort Crèvecœur was controlled by the Dutch andFort James by the British. The settlement at Osu was too small to store sufficient goods to compete with the others. Consequently, Denmark-Norway purchased adjoining land and expanded the building, naming it Fort Christiansborg after the reigning Danish KingChristian V.[2] This is not to be confused with the slightly laterroyal palace in Copenhagen. Denmark-Norway would occupy the fort for most of the next 200 years, with some interruptions, and for much of that time it served as the capital of theGold Coast of Denmark-Norway.[5]
In 1679 or 1680, the fort'sGreek assistant commander incited amutiny to murder the commander. Shortly after that, a Portuguese ship commanded by Julião de Campos Barreto visited the fort and agreed to purchase it. The fort was named FortSão Francisco Xavier after theCatholic missionaryFrancis Xavier. The Portuguese built achapel and raised thebastions by three feet. The fort was abandoned on 29 August 1682 after thegarrison mutinied and it became clear thatPortuguese traders could not compete with the other Gold Coast powers. Danish forces returned in February 1683 after purchasing the fort back from the Portuguese. In 1685, Fort Christiansborg became the capital of the Gold Coast of Denmark-Norway, taking over fromFort Frederiksborg.[6]
TheAkwamu ethnic group occupied the fort in 1693 after overpowering the occupants (who were reduced by death and disease) while disguised as merchants. Assameni, the Akwamu leader, occupied the fort for a year, trading with merchants from many nations. In 1694, Assameni sold the fort back to Denmark-Norway for 50marks of gold (400 troy ounces, worth £200,000 to £250,000 in 2008) but retained the keys, which are still in the ethnic group's possession to this day.[2][6] The early 18th century was not kind to the fort, and in 1722 the English reported it to be in disrepair. Extensions were made later that century, however, and structural improvements were made in 1824. The additional store rooms, garrison quarters, platforms, bastions and houses resulted in the castle being four times the size of the original fort.[2][7] In the 1770s, the Danes at Osu became involved in a conflict with Dutch-controlled Accra.[8]
In 1850, the British bought all of Denmark'sGold Coast possessions for£10,000 (between £850,000 and £1.5m in 2007), including Fort Christiansborg. Denmark had been considering selling these outposts for some time. After the slave trade had beenabolished they were expensive to run and brought little benefit.Britain experienced the same problems, but was keen to prevent illegal slave trading andFrance orBelgium strengthening in the area.[9] An earthquake in 1862 destroyed most of the upper floors, which were rebuilt in wood. Later that century, the castle became the seat of the colonial government. It was abandoned by the British colonial powers from 1890 to 1901. Within this period, it was used as a constabulary mess and later apsychiatric asylum. It became the seat of government again in 1902.[10] In 1950, the wooden upper floors were rebuilt according to the original Danish plans.[2] In 1957, when Ghana became independent, withQueen Elizabeth II as head of state, the fort becameGovernment House, the residence of theGovernor-General of Ghana. When Ghana became arepublic in 1960, it became the residence of Ghana's first president,Kwame Nkrumah.[11]
In 2005, there was debate over whether Osu Castle should be replaced as the seat of government. PresidentJohn Kufuor argued that his government should not sit at the castle due to its previous association with slavery and also because its facilities were inadequate.National Democratic Congress MPs, however, argued that the $50 m that a new presidential palace would cost would be better spent elsewhere.[12]
Osu Castle is no longer the seat of government. The seat of government is now theJubilee House. This name is now gazetted after being changed from its former name,The Flagstaff House. Many international dignitaries have visited the castle while in the region, including U.S. PresidentsRichard Nixon,Bill Clinton,Barack Obama and German ChancellorGerhard Schröder. Additional rooms were built in order to accommodateQueen Elizabeth II's visit in 1961, one year after Ghana became a republic.[2]
The present castle is made up of various extensions to the original and is thus in an unorthodox shape. It has many facilities for the use of employees, including a clinic, café, shopping centre and a post office. It also still accommodates a permanent garrison. The extensive gardens feature a wide variety of plants, both local and imported, and employ 30 people. They are used for the president's outdoor receptions and parties.[2] The Castle is closed to walk-in visitors.[13]
In 2007, the oppositionMembers of Parliament (MPs) inGhana (theNational Democratic Congress, NDC) stormed out of a parliamentary debate on whether to take out a $50m loan to build a new presidential palace. MPs fromPresidentJohn Agyekum Kufuor'sNew Patriotic Party voted unanimously in favour of taking the loan fromIndia. They argued that the president should not be based in Osu Castle, where slaves used to be kept.
The oppositionNational Democratic Congress said the money would be better spent such as improving theeconomy and helping promote theBetter Ghana Agenda. This led to the then general secretary to the oppositionNDC to describe the newFlagstaff House as a "hen coop only fit for rearing chicken". The oldFlagstaff House used by Ghana's first president as his residence is being renovated into a museum, with the grounds on which it stands being built up as an ultra-modern office complex and residence for the president and vice-president of Ghana as well as their staff.
5°32′49″N0°10′57″W / 5.54694°N 0.18250°W /5.54694; -0.18250
