VOA慢速英语2019--加纳奴隶遗产旅游兴起

Slave Heritage Tourism on Rise in Ghana

A large sign on the way to the Ghanaian city of Assin Manso shows an image of two African slaves. Each person is wearing a single piece of cloth. Their arms and legs are secured in chains. Next to them are the words, “Never Again!”

The sign marks what is known as “slave river.” Centuries ago, captured Ghanaians washed up here before being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean into slavery. They would never return to the land of their birth.

It has been 400 years since the first Africans arrived in what was then the English colony of Virginia. The anniversary has led to increased demand for ancestral tourism to Ghana and West Africa. People in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe seek to connect with their roots.

“Ten years ago, no one went to the slave river, but this year has been massive,” said Awuracy Butler. She heads a company called Butler Tours.

“Everyone wants to add the slave river to their tour,” she said. The buildings where those captured spent their last days in Ghana are also increasingly popular, Butler said.

Anthony Bouadi is a tour guide at Cape¹ Coast Castle, a fortress² where the captives were kept until they were sent on ships over the Atlantic. He believes the old buildings can change the lives of those who visit.

“The moment you get to know your history, it is going to change you,” he said. “We are encouraging our brothers and sisters from the U.S., from the Caribbean and from Europe to come back to their Motherland Africa to get to know the culture … and whatever the ancestors went through.”

Unlike other West African countries, Ghana has aggressively marketed its “heritage” offerings for the 400th anniversary. Officials see it as a chance to bring some much-needed foreign investment into Ghana. The country’s economy has struggled in recent years with high inflation and public debt. Many of the country’s 28 million people live in poverty.

The Ghana Tourism Authority expects 500,000 visitors this year, up from 350,000 in 2018. Of those, 45,000 are estimated to be seeking their ancestral roots.

The rise is part of a larger, international movement. The home-sharing company Airbnb reports that the number of people visiting areas linked to their ancestry³ is five times higher than it was five years ago.

Questions remain about whether the increased interest in Ghana will continue after the anniversary. Bad roads, a complex visa process and costly⁴ flights could keep the number of visitors down in the long term.

“The government has a huge responsibility,” notes Peter Appiah. He is head of research and publicity⁵ at the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city.

He said that if Ghana hopes to keep the tourists coming, “we need to do a lot more in terms of social infrastructure⁶.”

A big year

At Assin Manso, a group of tourists take off their shoes and walk down a path to the “slave river.” They first put their hands in, and then slowly walk into the water.

“I can’t even get my head around people coming from a land like this and being snatched,” said one of the visitors, Miriam Allen. She is a 62-year-old retired⁷ city planner from New York.

“This is a good place and a bad place, Allen said. “A good place to know your ancestors, but to know what those white people did to us. I can’t …” she said. Her voice breaks as she tries not to cry.

On most tours, Assin Manso marks one of the final stops on a country-wide trip. The visitors take part in Ashanti traditions and meet local chiefs. They go along the same path that captured slaves took from the country’s north out to coast.

The forts that still stand along Ghana’s coast are evidence of what slaves went through during their final days on the continent.

At the Cape Coast Castle, old cannons⁹ point out to sea. Here slaves were held in hot, dark underground prisons. Today, huge numbers of visitors are returning to these dungeons¹⁰.

“I have seen a lot of people - they really are coming,” said Bouadi, the guide at the castle. He now does up to six tours a day compared with three a day last year.

“Tourism organizations in Ghana are having to hire more people,” Bouadi said. “If people earn more, they can pay for school fees; it boosts the local economy and reduces poverty.”

I’m Ashley Thompson.

And I’m Caty Weaver¹¹.

Words in This Story

chain - n. a series of usually metal links or rings that are connected to each other in a line and used for supporting heavy things, for holding things together, for decoration, etc.?

tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure?

moment - n. a particular time : a precise point in time?

encourage - v. to make (someone) more determined¹², hopeful, or confident

heritage - n. ?the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation?

infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly?

snatch - v. ?to take (something or someone) suddenly from a person or place often by using force?

cannon⁸ - n. ?a large gun that shoots heavy metal or stone balls and that was once a common military weapon?

hire - v. ?to give work or a job to (someone) in exchange for wages or a salary?

boost - v. ?to increase the force, power, or amount of (something)

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

3 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

9 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 dungeons   

n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The captured rebels were consigned to the dungeons. 抓到的叛乱分子被送进了地牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He saw a boy in fetters in the dungeons. 他在地牢里看见一个戴着脚镣的男孩。 来自辞典例句

11 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

12 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。