Fading Traces of the Slave Trade in Saint-Louis, Senegal

The Collapse of a Balcony Exposes the Forgotten Slave Trade History of Saint-Louis, Senegal

At Saint-Louis du Senegal, a sudden architectural failure has laid bare centuries of overlooked history. A gaping hole recently formed on the balcony of a crumbling, two-century-old building on the island of Saint-Louis, exposing the decaying interior of a former slave warehouse where thousands of human beings once awaited transatlantic deportation.

Situated in the northern part of Senegal between the Atlantic Ocean and the Senegal River, Saint-Louis stands as the first trading post established by the French in sub-Saharan Africa, founded in 1659. While Gorée Island and its famous “House of Slaves” earned global recognition as a stark symbol of the transatlantic slave trade, Saint-Louis remained largely absent from public consciousness regarding this dark chapter. Yet, historical records and local experts confirm that the island functioned as a major collection and holding center for the trade.

Inside the DILAPIDATED Esclaverie of the Maurel and Prom Company

The physical evidence of this grim history is rapidly vanishing. According to Mamadou Diallo, a history teacher, one of the final remaining physical testimonies is a discreet plaque mounted on an old warehouse facing the river. The inscription reads: “On the ground floor, the remains of the only slave warehouse (esclaverie) preserved in Saint-Louis.”

Constructed between 1822 and 1825, the building originally belonged to Maurel and Prom, a commercial trading company based in Bordeaux, France. As detailed in architectural and historical accounts, the two-story structure features thick walls pierced with arrowslits crossed by rusted iron bars. Inside, the space houses five cramped holding cells where captives were kept before boarding ships bound for the Americas, as documented in local museum archives.

Today, the building is privately owned by a Senegalese family. Weeds sprout through the floorboards, debris litters the ground, and the original wooden ceiling faces imminent collapse. Local historians point out that this neglect is symptomatic of a broader erasure across the island.

Scale of the Trade and the Shift in Collective Memory

During the 18th century, at least 10,000 enslaved people transited through Saint-Louis annually, according to Mamadou Diallo’s historical research. Peak activity aligned with the “high waters” period from May to November, drawing captives from the precolonial Galam kingdom situated between modern-day Senegal and Mali. Alongside human beings, gold, gum, and ambergris served as primary commodities traded through the post.

Photo: viralmag.fr

Data compiled in the Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade estimates that approximately 145,000 captives were officially documented as being transported directly from Saint-Louis. Ibrahima Seck, research director at the Whitney Plantation museum in Louisiana, notes that virtually every historic home in the northern sector of the island once functioned as a holding facility or captiverie.

Despite this documented scale, local populations have largely integrated or repurposed these historic sites without conscious preservation. Louis Camara, a writer, observes that generations of inhabitants purchased former trading houses and slave depots, transforming them into residential or commercial spaces and leaving almost nothing of the original slave-holding infrastructure intact. Even the regional governor’s official residence—a 17th-century fort—served as a holding depot for captives, according to historical consensus.

The Battle to Preserve What Remains Along the Senegal River

Walking the grid-patterned streets of Saint-Louis reveals rows of decaying colonial architecture. Balconies sag, wooden window frames rot, and stone walls display deep fissures under the relentless coastal elements. Without coordinated intervention, the material footprint of France’s oldest sub-Saharan African comptoir risks dissolving completely into the river silt and ocean breeze.

Photo: europesays.com

What steps should local and international authorities take to balance the preservation of sensitive colonial-era sites with the private property rights of families currently living in these historic structures?