History of the Slave Trade
The slave trade is a big part of the history of this part of Africa. It lasted for around 300 years starting from the 16th century and during this time millions of Africans were transported from their homes to work in plantations in America, Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean countries. The main port of departure was Ouidah and the museum and the town have excellent displays and monuments to show the history of the slave trade. The kings of Abomey raided towns and villages to get prisoners to sell to the Europeans as slaves in exchange for cannons, guns, tobacco and other goods. The king most responsible for this was King Agadja who ruled from 1718 to 1732 and established Ouidah as the main slave port on the West coast of Africa, with an army of Amazon female warriors to capture the slaves and an efficient administration system. The museums in Benin document the slave trade extremely well...
