Lagos’ connection to the slave trade was already known, but this is considered the first discovery of a piece used specifically as currency to buy people, which “confirms that the slave trade took place here”, stressed the museum’s director, Elena Morán. This shackle, dating from the 16th century, coincides with the time when the slave trade began,”
According to Elena Morán, Gomes Eanes de Zurara, chronicler of Prince Henry the Navigator, already made reference in the “Crónica de Guiné” to what was supposedly the first major slave sale in Lagos, in which 235 people were sold, near the town gate, a version now attested by the recent discovery.
In the same area, next to the town gate, archaeologists made another discovery: a pit with five burials. According to the person in charge, at this time, the urban centre was organized with parish churches and associated cemeteries, and it was not common for burials to take place outside these spaces unless they were people with contagious diseases, anomalies or slaves.
“All that collection is enough for thousands of studies and what is being studied in continuity are the anthropological studies. The studies are integrated into worldwide databases that are making it possible to determine the origin of those people”, she highlighted.
The rules for an ideas competition to build a memorial to enslaved people are being prepared, a way to pay tribute to them and draw attention to a problem that still exists today.
“Slavery is not a thing of the past, the fact that we can talk about these issues helps to raise awareness, to be more alert, to identify the signs and eventually to be able to report it”, argued Elena Morán.
The public art piece will be placed in Gafaria, as part of a project that is still being developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication (IADE) of the European University.