Fort Patience (Dutch: ''Fort Lijdzaamheid'', or, in 17th-century spelling, ''Fort Leydsaemheyt'') is a Dutch-built fort located in the township of

Apam Apam is a coastal town and capital of Gomoa West District in the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, located approximately 45 kilometers east of the Central Region capital, Cape Coast. Apam is the site of Fort Lijdzaamheid or Fort Pa ...

, in the Central Region of

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. Originally built in 1697, it served as a defensive fortification and a trading post. Because of its testimony to European pre-colonial and colonial influence in West Africa, the fort was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

along with several other forts and castles in Ghana.

History

The fort was first built as a stone trading lodge in 1697 at the request of the King of

Acron Acron (), son of Zeno of Elea, was a Medicine in ancient Greece, Greek physician born at Agrigentum (Gk. Acragas) in Magna Graecia. Life The exact dates of Acron is not known; but, as he is mentioned as being contemporary with Empedocles, who di ...

, with whom the Dutch had a treaty, and which was situated between the kingdoms of Fante and Agona, with whom the British had a treaty. The executives of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...

were quite wary to establish a fort in an area with minimal trade, and only consented on the condition that it would be built at minimal costs. The Acron were not happy with this, and frequently threatened the Dutch with expulsion if they would not extend the fortifications. As a result, it took the Dutch five years to complete the building, which is why they gave it the name ''Fort Patience''. By 1721 the lodge had been converted into a defensive fortification, which sat on a craggy peninsula just out from the township to the south, offering a commanding view of Apam's harbour to the north, and the Gulf Of Guinea coast to the south, east, and west. Early in 1782, Captain Thomas Shirley in the 50-gun ship ''Leander'' and the

sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

''Alligator'' sailed to the

Dutch Gold Coast The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch (et ...

. Britain was at war with The Netherlands and Shirley captured the small Dutch forts at Moree ( Fort Nassau - 20 guns),

Kormantin Fort Amsterdam is a former slave fort in Abandze, Central region, Ghana. It was built by the English between 1638 and 1645 as Fort Cormantin or Fort Courmantyne, and was captured by admiral Michiel de Ruyter of the Dutch West India Company in 16 ...

(Courmantyne or

Fort Amsterdam Fort Amsterdam, (later, Fort George among other names) was a fortification on the southern tip of Manhattan Island at the confluence of the Hudson River, Hudson and East River, East rivers in what is now New York City. The fort and the island ...

- 32 guns),

(Fort Lijdzaamheid or Fort Patience - 22 guns),

Senya Beraku Senya Beraku is a residential area in the Awutu Senya East (municipal district), Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana. Senya Beraku is the site of Fort Goede Hoop, Ghana, Fort Good Hope. See also *A ...

(

Fort Goede Hoop A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

- 18 guns), and

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

(

Fort Crêvecoeur Ussher Fort is a fort in Accra, Ghana. It was built by the Dutch in 1649 as Fort Crèvecœur, and is two days' march from Elmina and to the east of Accra on a rocky point between two lagoons. It was one of three forts that Europeans built in the r ...

- 32 guns).

Physical Structure

The original structure of the fort was a small two-storey stone lodge. The fort was reinforced by the Dutch between 1701 and 1721 into a demi-bastion on the northwest and the southeast. It served as a police station and a post office. Two large service yards were built to the south of the main building and included kitchens and the "Orange Hall" for receptions or "palavers". Several Dutch forts had an "Orange Hall", these extensions were not defended and were built at a time when they had come to a common understanding with the surrounding people.

Call for Rehabilitation

On April 9, 2008, The Apam Youth and Development Association made an appeal to the National Museums and Monuments Board, the Dutch Embassy in Ghana, Gomoa District Assembly and other stakeholders to take urgent steps to save Fort Patience from further deterioration.

Gallery

File:Overzicht binnenplaats - Apam - 20375237 - RCE.jpg File:Overzicht voorgevel met bordes binnen de buitenmuur - Apam - 20375240 - RCE.jpg File:Overzicht gevel aan binnenplaats - Apam - 20375229 - RCE.jpg File:Overzicht voorplein vanaf de buitenmuur - Apam - 20375241 - RCE.jpg File:Overzicht bovenop hoekpunt rechts voor - Apam - 20375238 - RCE.jpg

References

Sources

External links

Ghana-pedia webpage - Fort Lijdzaamheid
{{Gold Coast Buildings and structures completed in 1679 Buildings and structures completed in 1721 Castles in Ghana Dutch Gold Coast World Heritage Sites in Ghana 1697 establishments in the Dutch Empire

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

Slave forts