Paper short abstract:

In this paper we will explore four judicial cases related to Benguela, between 1850 and 1878. These two decades were key moments in bringing the institution of slavery to an end. The cases allow us to explore experience of captivity, mechanisms of access to freedom, and the transition to freedom.

Paper long abstract:

The slave trade has been a central theme in the history of Angola. From Luanda and Benguela, the main slaving ports along the African coast, more than 4.5 million enslaved Africans were sent to the Americas. However, we know very little about the experiences of those who have remained enslaved in West Central Africa.

This paper explores four judicial cases available in the Benguela Province Court. All of them took place between 1850 and 1878, key moments in the process of bringing slavery to an end in West Central Africa. While after 1836 slave exportation was prohibited, smuggling was prevalent in Benguela and surrounding areas. Alongside other historical documents, court cases reveal the expansion of kidnapping and violence towards vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children, after the expansion of plantation economy in Dombe Grande and Catumbela. Court cases are a valuable primary source for recovering and rebuilding the experience of captives, including their access to the colonial courts. Some were able to use the colonial courts to challenge their enslavement or negotiate access to freedom. Through these four cases we will analyze slavery in Benguela during the 1850-1870 period. Legal cases allow us to explore experience of captivity, the mechanisms of access to freedom, and the transition to the category of liberto, or freed person. The judicial processes are complex, yet they reveal the contradictions of the slave system in its last decades.