Saint-Louis, Senegal's forgotten slave trading post, sees traces of its past disappear

This site, located on an island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Senegal River, was a significant, though often overlooked, center for the transatlantic slave trade. Historians note that Saint-Louis, established in 1659 by the French as the first trading post in sub-Saharan Africa and a former capital of French West Africa, housed thousands of captives. Unlike Gorée Island, which is widely recognized for its "House of Slaves," Saint-Louis's role in the slave trade is less known, and its historical traces are fading.

One of the few remaining testaments is a plaque on the dilapidated warehouse, which states it contains the "vestiges of the only slave quarters preserved in Saint-Louis." Historian Mamadou Diallo explains that this building, constructed between 1822 and 1825, belonged to the Bordeaux-based commercial company Maurel et Prom. Diallo estimates that at least 10,000 slaves passed through Saint-Louis annually in the 18th century, primarily between May and November, with gold and captives being key commodities.

Ibrahima Seck, research director at the Whitney Plantation's Museum of Slavery, notes that "every old house was potentially a captiverie." The Maurel et Prom slave quarters contained five cells where slaves awaited embarkation to America. Many other slave quarters in Saint-Louis were bought by families and transfo