Prof Engmann, Director of the Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project (CAHP) in Ghana, traces her ancestry to the Danish Governor, Cal Gustav Engmann, who worked and lived in the Christiansborg Castle (1752-1757) to champion the sale of captive Africans. The governor’s name and when he worked and lived in the castle has been written on a water cistern there. “As I grew up as a child, the belief that my family descended from a Danish Christian missionary stationed in Ghana [...]

This video is a clip from Episode 1 of an Uplands Production for Channel 5, in association with the Smithsonian Channel. The series explores how the history of slavery has shaped the modern world. In this episode, Hugh Quarshie, a Ghana-born British actor, visits Christiansborg (Osu) Castle to meet with Dr Rachel Engmann, the Project Director. He wants to find out more about the role of the Castle in the transatlantic slave trade. He is visibly moved by a [...]

Discovering Who She was, Lead her to dig into Ghana's PAST! her findings will shock you

Introducing CAHP

Introducing CAHP

Introducing a documentary by local film maker NASTI.

Professor Engmann a Ghanaian professor at the Stanford University in the United States of America was persuaded to undertake the project when she discovered why she bears a Danish name, Engmann which is inscribed on one of the cenotaphs at the Christiansborg castle at Osu in Accra Ghana. Professor Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann discovered that she is a direct descendant of the then Danish Governor Cal Gustav Engmann who was championing the sale of captive slaves in the 17th [...]

It is often said that, a people who do not know where they are coming from, would certainly not know where they are going. This saying is true for many especially people of the African descent, who as a result of cultural acculturation brought about by colonisation, have become oblivious of their true identity. CAHP studies the history and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade in the context of the Christiansborg Castle also known as the Osu Castle in [...]

Professor Rachel Ama Engmann, a respected archaeologist of Ghanaian-Osu descent, has underscored the profound significance of art, painting, and photography in preserving and safeguarding cultural heritage across nations. In her view, the domains of art, painting, and photography remain potent instruments capable of capturing moments, history, and heritage, thereby providing inspiration to future generations. She emphasized that safeguarding a nation’s cultural heritage stands as a fundamental pillar for fostering unity within the country, enhancing national cohesion, and invigorating the [...]

The Director of Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project (CAHP), Professor Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann explains that the excavation of archeological artifacts over the last nine years at Osu castle can benefit tourism in the area. The government initiative to convert the castle to a museum would attract tourists. It would be a vibrant resource to showcase the historical journey of Ghana with the Danish, the Europeans and the British during the pre and the post-slavery periods. Professor Engmann stated that [...]