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West Africa 
A number of former European slave forts and sites were visited in 2003, from Gorée in Senegal to Ouidah in Benin. The various visits make up much of the African terminus of the triangular slave trade stretching from the western most point of continental Africa to the former " Slave Coast " of the Bight of Benin.

In Senegal, Gorée Island and Saint- Louis were visited.

In The Gambia, a trip to James Island was taken.

 
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Saint-Louis, an island located near the mouth of the Senegal River, was the capital of the French presence in Africa during much of its colonial period, and remained, for the most part, a possession of France from 1659 to 1960.

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Fort James, located on an island in the Gambia River carrying the same name, was established by the British as a trading post of its colony -- the Province of Senegambia. After France captured Senegal in 1779, the British focused their activities around the Gambia River which, in 1821, became a colonial possession governed from Sierra Leone.

 
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The last British Fort to be established on the Gold Coast, Fort Apollonia was built in 1768. It was abandoned by the British in 1819, taken over by the Dutch in 1868 before finally reverting back to Great Britain in 1872.

 
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Built by the Portuguese in 1515, Fort St. Anthony fell to the Dutch four years after Elimina Castle – in 1642. It remained an important focal point for the trade in slaves and gold through much of the Dutch period, until it was handed over to Great Britain in 1872.

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The Brandenburg (modern day province – or Land – in Germany) Africa Company was established in the late seventeenth century, and build Fort Gross Friedrichsburg in 1683-1684. The Fort was taken by the local Ahanta in 1717, then captured by the Dutch in 1724 who renamed it Hollandia. It, like all Dutch possession on the West Coast of Africa, was seeded to the British in 1872.

 
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Dixcove Fort

Dick's Cove or Dixcove was settled by the British in 1692, and remained its only possession on the Slave Coast until 1868. As a result of its limited use for trade in gold or slaves, Dixcove Castle was used primarily as a service-port: "as it was the only English fort in a densely-wooded area, from which timber for the repair of ships and other forts could be taken".

 
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Like Dixcove, 'Batensteyn' Fort was used primarily as a service-port, this time for the Dutch West India Company, who established their fort in Burti after having driven the Swedish Africa Company out in 1653. Batenstein Fort remained in Dutch hands until 1872 when it was handed over to the British.

 
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Built by the Dutch in 1682, and named 'Fort Oranje'. It never prospered due to British competition tactics which had English dealers establish trading lodges within meters of Dutch possessions. At present, Fort Orange is used by the Ghana Port Authorities as a lighthouse.

 
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Commonly referred to as Elmina or St. Georges Castle, it was named São Jorge when built by the Portuguese in 1482. It was used as the Dutch headquarters for trading in West Africa from 1637-1872; then was given, along with all forts in Africa, to the British in exchange for rights in Surinam and Sumatra. It remains the largest of the European Castles in Africa.

 
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Established as Fort Carolsburg in 1653 by the Swedish Africa Company, held by the local Dey of Fetu from 1661-64, and then held shortly by the Dutch before falling into British hands wherein it was used as its headquarters for trading in Africa until 1876.

 
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Fort William was established in 1753 by the British, on land which had previously housed Dutch, Danish, Swedish trading lodges, and a French Fort. One of its bastions was purposely build to house slaves, of which it exported a vast numbers.

 
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Originally build by the British in 1661, it was taken by the Dutch in 1664 and named Fort Amsterdam . The Fort remained in use until 1811 when the local Anomabu people, allied with the British, attacked it. It is from this location at the term ‘Cormantin' emerged; as a false designation of ethnicity for slaves emerging from the Gold Coast.

 
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Due to the five year period (1697-1702) it took to build this fort, it was designated by the Dutch as Fort Lijdzaamheid, which translates as ‘ Fort Patience '. In 1811, like Fort Amsterdam it fell into disuse after being attacked; in this case by the local Akyem people. It was later, in 1868, taken over by the British.

 
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Established by the Dutch in 1705, Fort Good Hope was originally built in anticipation of a lucrative gold trade. When this failed to materialize, the Fort was used for the slave trade and had to be expanded in 1715 to meet the ever increasing volume of slaves being traded. It was abandoned in 1816 and later exchanged in 1868, thus falling into British hands.