A WALK ALONG THE SLAVE ROUTE

A Long, Ugly History

In very early times, African rulers sold war captives to Arab traders. later European powers entered the slave trade, especially after establishing colonies to the Americas. At that time, inter-tribal warfare and the resulting captives provided an abundance of slaves, making war a lucrative enterprise for both the victors and the greedy slave traders. In addition, slaves were acquired through kidnapping or from African traders who brought them from the interior. Nearly everyone could be sold as a slave, even a prince who had fallen out of his king's good graces. 

A well-known dealer was Brazilian Francisco Felix de Souza.  In 1788 De Souza took command of the fortress that was the hub of the Ouida slave market int he Bight of Benin. At the time, Ouida was under the Kingdom of Dahomey.  However, De Souza and Dahoman King Adandozan had a falling out.  So De Souza, perhaps while in prison, conspired with the king's brother, and together they ousted the ruler in 1818. Thus began a lucrative relationship between the new king, Ghezo, and De Souza, who was placed in charge of the slave trade.

Ghezo was intent on expanding his kingdom and needed European weapons to do it. Hence, he appointed De Souza as viceroy of Ouidah to help administer trade with the Europeans. With exclusive rights over the sale of slaves in that part of Africa, De Souza soon amassed a fortune, and the slave market, situated near his house, became a hub for foreign and local buyers. 

Next time: A WALK ALONG THE SLAVE ROUTE - A Walk With Wet Tears 

From the Awake! magazine