There is no doubt that the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana is a monumental symbol and undeniable evidence of the brutality of slavery. When President Obama stood at the 'Door of No Return' in the despicable castle where our African ancestors were herded and confined, waiting to be shipped to the New World as slaves, he was visually reminded of Buchenwald concentration camp in Nazi Germany.

The sight of the castle was a moving experience for President Obama who said unequivocally: "As painful as it is, I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils that sadly still exist in our world."

Believe it or not slavery, as an evil, is still alive in many parts of the world including Haiti where it is estimated that about 300,000 children, referred to as 'restaveks', live in actual slavery conditions. These unfortunate children are shipped off by their impoverished parents to urban areas, primarily Port-au-Prince, to work for other families in exchange for food, clothing, and shelter.

Brutal suffering

It has been reported that these child labourers endure subhuman conditions reminiscent of the brutal suffering of their ancestors hundreds of years ago. They work for extremely long hours without proper dietary sustenance and are frequently flogged for being too slow in performing their daily tasks.

It is also sad to say that slavery conditions also exist in many African countries today. There is no doubt that the African continent was subject to abuse by external forces many years ago. But it is ironic that many of the people who were abused have now become abusers themselves.

It's time for Africans and people of African ancestry to get rid of leaders who continue to tolerate and perpetuate slavery in all its manifold forms.

I am, etc.,

RUPERT JOHNSON

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

Toronto, Ontario

Canada