Nania: A Tale of Slavery

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I don't know about you but anytime i hear 'Nania' my mind goes back to C.S Lewis classic fantasy (almost magical) book "The chronicles of Narnia" and its hero Aslan. But for the people of Nania-Pikworo which is a small community near Paga (a major town on the north-eastern border of Ghana) their "Nania" was a story of real pain. If you follow my blog post, i announced a one week backpacking trip. Now that i am back, i am doing series of blog post on the places i went. The last post being my visit to a crocodile pond and how i'm battling herptophobia (don't ask).

Nania was a slave camp during the era when the slave trade and slavery was at its height in Ghana. Nania means "a place of cows or cattle" whiles Pikworo means a place surrounded by rocks. The slave camp was started in 1704 by a slave master whom the people called "Baggaw" which literally translates as "bush man" because they did not know his real name since he was not from the community. Baggaw was suspected to have dealt in slaves in his hometown but the slave business there had tanked. Hence his relocation into the community of Nania to continue his 'craft'. In Nania, Baggaw was still having problems setting up his slavery business because a lot of people in Nania suspected him to be a slave master therefore families were unwilling to let their loved ones go with him because he tried to convince the locals he was going to train the people he took to his camp . He therefore invited two of his friends Samori from Burkina Faso and Babatu from Mali. This gang of three now convinced the chiefs (with gifts in hand) of these local communities to take people especially able bodied ones to their camp where they will receive training and after that sent abroad for further studies. This is how slavery started in Nania.

The families got a little money for allowing their ward to go with Baggaw and his friends. To the three slaves masters their business was not growing to their liking which made them employ local people as slave raiders so that they could capture more people. After many years of taking the people to their camp (20 years and over), the local chiefs were alarmed none of the people taken by Baggaw and his friends under the pretense of training had returned. This is where their initial suspicion of slavery was confirmed but it was too late. Baggaw and his friends had already built a slavery empire which included majority of the locals acting as security, raiders, body guards, cooks etc, From that point no one dared go near the camp for the fear of being captured or being killed.
                                 

Slaves were chained to trees at the camp from dusk till dawn

                       

In the evening, slaves climbed these rocks to have supper

The slaves ate from the carved craters in this rocks

The slaves were fed once a day, in the evening they ate from little craters mad in the rocks after super they were made to drum and dance and make merry. To keep their spirits alive and send signal to those outside the camp that the camp was an enjoyable place.

The only source of water at the camp. It runs quite deep as a test i dipped a stick which was more than 10 metres long in it. The stick went all the way down.

An elderly tour guide demonstrating the songs slaves used to sing.

                               

Highest point at the slave camp, camp security could see very far from this point

This part is the where the security guard of the slave stood to watch out for slave who tried to escape as well as intruders. Slaves who tried to escape were brought back to the camp and taken to the punishment rock. Those who were out of reach were shot. As deterrent to other slaves one of every fresh batch of new slave was killed as a warning for what will happen to them when they try to escape.

At the punishment rock slaves who tried to escape had their hands and feet tied and were beaten to pulp while they sat on the rock with their face upwards.

There is a close proximity between the punishment rock and the cemetery for dead slaves. 

When the number of slaves at Nania reaches a satisfactory limit, the three slave masters take them to Salaga a major slave trading spot which is in the northern part of Ghana. At Salaga, the slave masters sold their slaves for  commodities such as sugar, whiskey, bacon etc. Slave masters from neighbouring countries such as Burkina and Mali also came to Salaga to buy slaves. These slave were then moved to Cape Coast and Elmina both coastal towns in Ghana where they were then taken abroad.
Slave trade ended in 1845 and all the three slave masters were killed. Samori from Burkina Faso was killed at Yendi. Baggaw was also killed at Navrongo. Whiles Babatu was captured and killed at Sandema. Slave trade has no doubt had a dent on African history, but we can blame greediness and deceit on the part of European colonial masters. But as an African, it still beats my mind why we traded each other for sugar.

If you enjoyed this blog post and would like to visit Nania, click for information on the location, contacts, accommodation and dinning available at the slave camp.