The Slave Trade in Northern Ghana: Landmarks, Legacies and Connections

Abstract

Indigenous slavery, the trans-Saharan commerce in slaves and modern forms of slavery have all impacted upon Ghanaian life, and abundant material evidence for these various forms of slavery survives. Yet until recently, attention has largely focused on the European trading fortresses dotted along the coastline of Ghana. This article will argue that material remains in the northern Ghanaian hinterland have an equal potential to enhance our understanding of slavery, and its legacy, in 2007 and beyond.