Obamas Did Not Shed Tears

President Obama and family listening to Mr Kwesi Essel Blankson (right), the official tour guide of the Cape Coast Castle

The rumours to the effect that the Obamas had broken down and wept and were, therefore, not in the mood to meet with the crowd that had gathered at the forecourt of the Cape Coast Castle to welcome them to the former slave outpost have been denied.

Mr Frederic Fritz Baffour, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma Central and former Chairman of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), who was at the centre of the visit to the castle by President Barack Obama and his family, has categorically shot down the gossip, saying it is very untrue.

Mr Baffour said at no point during the tour did any member of the Obama family cry, even though signs of uneasiness was clearly written on their faces.

“At no point during the tour did they cry or sob, but I can honestly say that they were all the while in a sombre mood,” he said.

Mr Baffour, made this observation when The Mirror cornered him in the corridors of Parliament, a couple of days after the visit to get a first hand insight of the demeanour of America’s First Family during their tour of the castle.

He said he had conducted President Obama and family round the Cape Coast Castle and being with them at close range is a moment that will be forever etched on his memory.

“I was very honoured and privileged to be the one selected to take President Obama and his family round the castle, I did this with the assistance of the official tour guide, Mr Kwesi Essel Blankson, and it was an interesting experience” he told The Mirror.

He said the opportunity was a once in a lifetime opening to meet the most powerful man in the world. And that, on the occasion, he felt proud to be a Ghanaian who had an understanding of the country’s culture and her heritage and to pass this on to no less a personality than President Obama on behalf of the people of Ghana.

President Obama had visited the Cape Coast Castle, once an outpost from where African slaves were shipped to Europe and the Americas as part of his itinerary during his visit to the country.

The visit essentially was to afford America’s First Family an opportunity to come to grips with the history of the slave trade that took place centuries ago.

Mr Baffour describes President Obama as a very serious, disciplined, well mannered and polite person who was prepared for the occasion judging from the kinds of questions that he asked.

“Indeed, the questions that he asked showed that he had done some reading. For instance he wanted to know the origins of the castle and the number of slaves that had passed through it and we provided the information,” he said.

He said the President, his wife including his mother-in-law and his children’s god-mother were visibly moved by what they saw, particularly the size of the dungeons, the lack of ventilation as well as lack of any facilities for the comfort of any human being.

Mr Baffour said, President Obama was plainly saddened when he got to the female dungeon and displayed uneasiness concerning particularly the fate of pregnant women some of whom gave birth whiles in detention.

The family, he said, were also shocked to learn that even children were incarcerated and were also touched by the knowledge that families were torn apart as a result of slavery.

According to Mr Baffour, Michelle Obama, has been able to trace her roots to the Cape Coast Castle. History has it that majority of slaves who were taken to the British colonies of the Caribbean, South Carolina and Virginia in the United States of America went through Cape Coast.

“In South Carolina the slaves were engaged in growing tobacco and in Virginia, rice. I think that was what informed them to visit the Cape Coast Castle,” he said.

He said, Michelle’s mother and the children’s god-mother were old enough to appreciate the deep racial prejudices of the 1950’s and 60’s and so were very much affected by the way their ancestors had been treated.

The Ablekuma Central MP said, Malia the elder of the Obama children was old enough to understand the tour, however, the younger sibling Sasha, was a little confused but her father took his time to take her through what was being said.

He said, President Obama and his wife had brought their children along to understand that being the first African-American family to occupy the White House did not come without a lot of pain, anguish and sorrow for a lot of people, and in recognition of that hope that the children would have a better grasp of their history.

“President Obama mentioned that it would be a good educational experience for the children, while Michelle said it was important the children understood the history of their people,” he added.

At the point of ‘no return’, Mr Baffour said President Obama allowed his children to enter before him as a symbolic gesture to show that the children of the Diaspora would always be welcomed back to the land of their ancestors.