SLAVE HOUSE OR WOOD HOME

Belonging to an English merchant and slave trader by the name of Wood, this house was built in 1835, shortly after a fraction of the Adjigo clan, driven out of Aného and led by Chief Assiakoley, settled in Agbodrafo. The slave trade on Togo's coasts lasted from the last quarter of the ^17th century to the ^19th century. It officially ended on January 27, 1852, when an emissary from the Crown of England visited the king bearing a message and a cane symbolizing the end of slavery: "Sent by the Queen of England as a symbol of the abolition of the slave trade to the chief of Porto Seguro ". Rediscovered, the Maison des Esclaves received Unesco support for its renovation, and has been on Togo's list of World Heritage Sites since 2002. The Afro-Brazilian-style building has remained virtually untouched since that time, and is now falling into disuse. Here you can discover the underground labyrinth through which slaves used to enter the house. In the central room of the house, the trapdoor provides access to the basement where the prisoners were crammed. You have to go down under the dilapidated floor to realize the inhuman treatment inflicted on the slaves. In this damp cellar, they were unable to stand up, and had to sit or lie down. Some period furniture still decorates the living room. A place full of history. The visit may disappoint some, but it's all in the symbolism.