12/11/2024
Thousands of people fleeing slavery from across West Africa came to the French colony of Senegal, where slavery was legally abolished in 1848. Their path to freedom was often incomplete and led to other forms of bo***ge.
French "liberty" villages were purportedly built to welcome people who had self-liberated, promising refuge from re-enslavement. However, these communities began to function as labor camps for the French colonial government. In the aftermath of abolition, villagers were an essential labor population for the expanding colony.
Learn more in our newest exhibition, "In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World," opening December 13, 2024.
📸 A New and Accurate Map of the European Settlements on the Coast of Africa, from the River Senegal to that of Benin, Comprehending the Gum, Grain, Ivory & Slave Coasts, 1781, © Stanford University.