XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Dahomey and the Bight of Benin
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Kingdom of Dahomey maintained the slave trade as a central support of its ruling house during the early nineteenth century. Under King Gezo, Francisco Felix Da Souza became chacha, an office combining economic advice and administration of the Whydah trade. The system organized taxation, provisioning, accounting, foreign supervision, and military procurement, linking coastal markets with Yoruba territories and the Central Sudan.
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Le récit
In Dahomey, the slave trade was one of the principal supports of the ruling house. The monarchy delegated its administration to senior vassals, who coordinated transactions between local authorities, foreign merchants, brokers, and coastal markets. This arrangement gave the trade an institutional character rather than leaving it to isolated private traders.
In 1818 King Gezo appointed the Brazilian mulatto Francisco Felix Da Souza as chacha after Da Souza had become indebted to him. The chacha was described as a white-man’s chief who served as economic adviser and administrator of the Whydah trade. The office survived Da Souza’s death in 1849 and passed to his son, indicating that the position had become a durable component of Dahomey’s commercial administration.
The chachas maintained stocks of European goods, balanced debits and credits, prepared cargoes for rapid loading, collected taxes, monitored foreign visitors, and provided entertainment for customers. Captives were obtained through annual military expeditions against neighbouring countries, especially Yoruba territories, and through caravans from the Central Sudan. The system could also be adapted to other commodities, revealing the broader commercial infrastructure behind the coastal market.
XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Dahomey and the Bight of Benin
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Kingdom of Dahomey maintained the slave trade as a central support of its ruling house during the early nineteenth century. Under King Gezo, Francisco Felix Da Souza became chacha, an office combining economic advice and administration of the Whydah trade. The system organized taxation, provisioning, accounting, foreign supervision, and military procurement, linking coastal markets with Yoruba territories and the Central Sudan.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
In Dahomey, the slave trade was one of the principal supports of the ruling house. The monarchy delegated its administration to senior vassals, who coordinated transactions between local authorities, foreign merchants, brokers, and coastal markets. This arrangement gave the trade an institutional character rather than leaving it to isolated private traders.
In 1818 King Gezo appointed the Brazilian mulatto Francisco Felix Da Souza as chacha after Da Souza had become indebted to him. The chacha was described as a white-man’s chief who served as economic adviser and administrator of the Whydah trade. The office survived Da Souza’s death in 1849 and passed to his son, indicating that the position had become a durable component of Dahomey’s commercial administration.
The chachas maintained stocks of European goods, balanced debits and credits, prepared cargoes for rapid loading, collected taxes, monitored foreign visitors, and provided entertainment for customers. Captives were obtained through annual military expeditions against neighbouring countries, especially Yoruba territories, and through caravans from the Central Sudan. The system could also be adapted to other commodities, revealing the broader commercial infrastructure behind the coastal market.