Douala Slavery Heritage

Abstract: Douala port city is the largest urban center in Cameroon and many reasons account for this. Among the several reasons is the participation of the Duala in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Douala slavery heritage constitutes therefore a major aspect of its history. This chapter shows how the Duala, a small but dynamic ethnic entity, acquired this area and created their fishing villages in it long before the Atlantic trade which they exploited to make it a great city. In fact other early factors that favored the growth of Douala are clearly linked to the history of trans-Atlantic slave trade