These shrines are dotted along the coast of Ghana, where Fanti warriors prepared mentally and spiritually before going to war. Several of these colourful shrines, a combination of the symbolic and mythical, can be found in the streets across the bridge in Elmina and not far on foot from the castle.
The Asafo companies are militia-like organizations that once had military duties but are now largely ceremonial in nature and undertake community service. Each of the shrines is dedicated to one Asafo, expressing the company’s guiding philosophy or proverb and its superiority over rivals.
