Elmina Castle – Walls of Memory | Ghana at 70 Heritage Scroll Collection

Elmina Castle – Walls of Memory

Year: 2026
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board
Dimensions: 61 × 51 cm
Original artwork: One-of-one original

Elmina Castle – Walls of Memory reflects on one of Ghana’s most historically significant coastal sites through MINA’s heritage scroll language.

Elmina Castle was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina, becoming the first European trading post established south of the Sahara. It later served as a major centre in the gold trade and became deeply connected to the history of the transatlantic slave trade. Today, the castle stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of remembrance, inviting reflection on the human histories held within its walls.

The castle rises prominently beside the sea, its pale architectural forms framed by the surrounding coastline, vegetation and water. Rather than presenting the structure simply as a landmark, the work invites reflection on the histories, memories and human experiences held within its walls.

The aged parchment-inspired scroll reinforces this sense of history, allowing the castle to appear almost as a preserved fragment of collective memory. Warm earth tones, weathered textures and the contrasting blue-green sea connect architecture with landscape while creating a contemplative atmosphere.

Through this work, MINA explores the relationship between place, memory, heritage and identity, acknowledging the weight of history while preserving the site within a contemporary visual narrative.

This painting forms part of the Ghana at 70 Heritage Scroll Collection, developed in anticipation of Ghana’s 70th Independence anniversary in 2027.

Part of Ghana @ 70: Heritage Scroll Collection, Heritage, Memory and Identity.

Copyright & Reproduction Rights

The sale includes the physical original painting only. Copyright, image rights, and reproduction rights remain with the artist, MINA | Wilhelmina Odoley Quaynor.