Paa Joe: Gates of No Return

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman GalleryChristiansborg Castle was built by the Danes in 1661 and was occupied by the Portuguese, British, Akwamus, and finally the Ghanaians in subsequent centuries. It primarily served as a depot for gold and enslaved people, who were sold through auctions in town and then taken to the castle, where they were driven through dark tunnels into dungeons to await ships to take them to the New World. Later, Christiansborg housed Ghana’s government until 2014. In 2017, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, announced that it would be converted into a museum of leadership.

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
American Folk Art Museum, gift in memory of Claude SimardThe irregular polygon shape of this sculpture conveys the sprawling expanse of Cape Coast Castle, a complex that includes a large pentagonal courtyard. The castle was in English hands from 1665 until the late 1800s and was used as the West African headquarters of the British governor. After 1700, seventy thousand enslaved people were imprisoned and trafficked through this fort annually until 1807 when Britain abolished the slave trade. The site has since served as a history museum, a school, and the regional headquarters of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort St. Anthony was the second fort to be built by the Portuguese on the Gold Coast. In 1642, the fort was captured by the Dutch and then later in 1872 taken by the British. Fort St. Anthony was highly contested due to its mass exportation of gold and timber, and it was not prevalently used in the slave trade. Fort St. Anthony was restored in the 1950s and now serves as government and local council offices.

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman GalleryWhen the Prussians built Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg to compete with the Dutch West India Company, they made an agreement with the local population, the Ahanta people, that they would not sell children or women into slavery. In 1717, the Prussians sold the fort to the Dutch, while the Ahantans seized the fortification through the leadership of John Conny, a chief known for his shrewdness. The Ahantan rebellion succeeded until 1724 when the Dutch regained control.The whitewashed facades of most European forts convey a message of white supremacy, but their paint color was also practical, as it prevented decay from the sea breeze. Whereas most of the forts represented by Paa Joe in this exhibition were positioned directly on the coastline, Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg was slightly more inland, and its stone walls were left exposed. Paa Joe captures the resulting eclecticism of its surfaces using a surprisingly bright color palette that harks back to his fantasy coffins.

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort St. Sebastian is the third-oldest fortification in Ghana. The Portuguese built this fort in hopes of stopping English ships from trading in the Shama area, a small fishing village on the Western coast of Ghana. Dutch West India Company records confirm that the site was utilized in the trade of both enslaved people and gold but at a lower volume than some of the other sites memorialized here. To put this into perspective, the Dutch trafficked a little over half a million people between the years 1500 and 1850, while the Portuguese were responsible for enslaving more than 5.8 million people during this time. Between 1872 and 1956, the fort sat unoccupied and fell into disrepair. In 1957, the building was restored to its Dutch period design and has been used in present times as a post office and magistrate court.

Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort Patience began as a small Dutch fort on the coast of Apam, Ghana. The initial structure was a two-story house that served as both a male and female prison. Nearly nine hundred enslaved people were forced through its gates in 1705, marking the height of its human trafficking. In present times, Fort Patience has served as a police station, a post office, and, currently, a hostel.