A WALK ALONG THE SLAVE ROUTE

For the modern-day visitor, a tour of the Ouidah Slave Route begins at the reconstructed Portuguese fort. Originally built in 1721, the fort now serves as the aforementioned museum. Captives destined to be slaves were confined  in the large central courtyard. Most had walked, chained together, for many nights before their arrival. Why nights? Darkness helped to keep them disoriented and made it harder for escapees to return home. 

When a group of slaves arrived, an auction was held, after which traders branded their acquisitions. Slaves consigned for export were taken to the beach, where canoes or small boats ferried them to ships. 

Another point on the historical Slave Route is the former sight of the Tree of Forgetfulness. Today a memorial stands in the place of the tree around which slaves were forced to walk-males allegedly nine time and females seven.  This exercise, they were told, would clear their memory of their homeland making them less inclined to rebel. 

The route also features a monument that memorializes the Zomai huts, which no longer exist. Zomai refers to the constant  darkness inside the huts, which got the crammed captives used to the wretched conditions they would encounter aboard the ships. Indeed, they may have been held in the huts for months while awaiting transportation. Those who died  during the ordeal were thrown into a mass grave. 

A monument called Zomachi, which symbolizes repentance and reconciliation, is especially poignant. There, every January, descendants of both slaves and slave merchants request forgiveness for those who perpetrated the injustices. 

The last stop along the tour route is the Door of No Return-a memorial that symbolizes the slaves' final moments on African soil.  This large, arched entrance features a bas-relief friezes of two rows of chained Africans converging on  the nearby beach, with the Atlantic in front of them. At this point, some desperate captives are said  to have eaten sand so as to remember their native land. Others chose death, strangling themselves with their own chains. 

Next time:  A WALK ALONG THE SLAVE ROUTE - Emancipation! 

From the Watchtower magazine