Country
Gana
City / Region
Shama
Construction Date
Built by the Portuguese 1520-1526. Captured by the Dutch in 1640 or 1642. Ceded to Great Britain in 1872.
Conservation status
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (collective site). Rehabilitated in 1957. Houses a post office, court, and Electoral Commission offices. Adaptive reuse. Open to the public. 3D documentation supports conservation. Shares general vulnerabilities of the UNESCO site.
Latitude and Longitude
5°00'39.2"N 1°37'45.1"W
Main characteristics
Small-scale copy of Elmina Castle. Major Dutch renovation works (1640-1643). Cemetery contains the remains of Anton Wilhelm Amo. Documented in 3D by the Zamani Project (2013). Architecture blends Portuguese and Dutch styles. In the 18th century, reduced commercial activity (firewood and water).
Source(s)
AFRICAN AMERICAN REGISTRY. Fort San Sebastian (West Africa), is Built. AAREG, 1523. Disponível em: https://aaregistry.org/story/fort-san-sebastian-is-built/. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
GHANA MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS BOARD. Fort San Sebastian, Shama (1526). GMMB, [s.d.]. Disponível em: https://gmmb.gov.gh/fort-san-sebastian-shama-1526/. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
GHANA MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS BOARD. Homepage. GMMB, [s.d.]. Disponível em: https://www.gmmb.gov.gh/. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025. <br> HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN. A new future for a colonial fort in Ghana. Harvard GSD News, fev. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/2024/02/a-new-future-for-a-colonial-fort-in-ghana/. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS. Constructing Race and Architecture, 1400–1800, Part 2. JSAH, v. 80, n. 4, p. 385-387, dez. 2021. Disponível em: https://online.ucpress.edu/jsah/article/80/4/385/119543/Constructing-Race-and-Architecture-1400-1800-Part. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
UNESCO. A Historic Visit to Ghana's UNESCO Heritage Castles. UNESCO Articles, [s.d.]. Disponível em: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/historic-visit-ghanas-unesco-heritage-castles. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CENTRE. Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions. UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1979. Disponível em: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/34/. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.
WOMBER, Jones. Elmina Castle (Sao Jorge da Mina) and its Dark History. Athens Journal of History, v. 6, n. 4, p. 317-334, 2020. Disponível em: https://www.athensjournals.gr/history/2020-6-4-4-Womber.pdf. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.