FORT GOOD HOPE - Senya Beraku

 









Senya Beraku is home to Fort De Goede Hoop, also known as Fort Good Hope, which was constructed by the Dutch in 1702 (though some historians dispute this date, with alternative dates listed as 1667, 1701, or 1702). The Dutch initially arrived in Senya Bireku in the 1660s, but had to leave due to conflict with the English. Upon realizing that their focus had shifted from gold trade to slavery, they returned to Senya-Beraku and built the fort, with the goal of it being their final fortification on the Gold Coast.


Fort De Goede Hoop, designed in a triangular shape, was built with the intention of facilitating gold trade and providing the Dutch with "good hope." However, the gold trade was not prosperous, and the focus shifted to the rapidly growing slave trade. To accommodate the growing number of slaves sold there, the fort was expanded and its triangular shape was altered to a square shape in 1715. Although the slave trade was eventually abolished, slaves were still smuggled through an underground passage. The fort was later attacked during conflicts between the English and Dutch, resulting in the destruction of its outer wall, with only remnants remaining today.

As part of the 1868 "fort exchange treaty," the British acquired control of Fort De Goede Hoop. The fort underwent renovation in the 1980s and is now utilized as a guest house. 

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