Elmina, like other West African slave fortresses, housed luxury suites for the Europeans in the upper levels. Soldiers were housed in the center structure. What looks like big slides are actually reinforcements for the walls.
Any revolt from the slaves was punishable by death. The leaders of a rebellion were made an example of and condemned to a cell that had no lighting, no ventilation and no food. The prisoners eventually died of starvation.
Drunken soldiers were kept locked up for only a few hours. In contrast to the condemned cell that is only a few feet away, their cell had both light and ventilation.
