FACTORS LEADING TO THE ERECTION OF THE FORT PRINZENSTEIN

In 1782 AD, the Anlos was that a Danish lodge at Tornu, up the Volta River was being turned into a fort which would later ruin Ewe land for the slave-raising menace then was at its peak. The Anlos fathers quickly hand-picked some of the fearless men and soon, the building were demolished. Salvadore, the Danish Foreman, could not stand the wrath of the Anlo fathers.Governor-Kioge, not understanding the character and, therefore, the nature of the Anlos resolved to silence us forever and have his way as to selling lots of us into slavery for as stated earlier, the slavery was its peak. Lots of dollars were being made. Governor Kioge rounded up troops from Ge-Ada-Krobo-Akwapim-Osu-Labadi-Teshie-Ningo-Tema and under Chief Otoo of Ge, they pounced on us on the 25th of March 1784 AD, a very unfortunate day for us since our fathers had to stabilize some uprisings in the Genyi-Anexodoms!This war was what we code named Sagbadre, corruption for Salvadore. The invading forces with dated artillery and maxim guns shocked Anlo on the 30th March, 1784 AD.By May, the 14th, General Amable led the Anlo forces back and though the position of the war could not be determined, the Anlo elders thought it wise, never to cry over split milk. Peace was signed on the 18th of June, 1784 AD.Mr. Kioge and his shrewd cronies tried to impose the following terms-
a. The Danes to build a permanent fort at Keta.
b. There should be free passage through Anlo.
c. A Danish Training Depot to be established at Anloga.
d. The Anlos, never to trade with any other European nation.On the 22nd of June, 1784 AD, under the guard and supervision of Prince Ofoli Bosu with an armed contingent for the Keta fathers would not contain them, being very well aware of the dreaded slave raiding and the fort bombardment of towns, then the fort was built. Prinzenstein stands in the Keta metropolis, bounded immediately to the South by the Great Gulf of Guinea, her old rival that took away almost 2/3 of her and seven out of her ten slave Dungeons that all well meaning Blacks and whites need to see to day!On the North are the present Lorry Park and the North –North West is the Keta market.The Eastern border is the old now deserted London Park, the old Keta football pitch. The West is surrounded by Togbui James Ocloo, Dufia of Keta premises. The ravaging sea, as stated earlier started devouring the land of Keta from 1907 AD and by the middle of the 1980 had got near the fort and had nearly destroyed our painful past.
As one can see even today, the cannons were laid on the fort facing the Keta township confirmation of the military defence for which the fort was supposed to have served.With the erection and the expertise fortification of Prinzenstein, the Danes assume they were lords of the Volta Basin right into our Benin Doms.