Slavery and Colonial Rule in French West Africa (African Studies)

378 Pages·1998·16.77 MB·English

by  Martin A. Klein

Martin Klein's eagerly awaited book is a history of slaves during the nine-
teenth and twentieth centuries in three former French colonies. It investi-
gates the changing nature of local slavery over time, and the evolving French
attitudes towards it, through the phases of trade, conquest and colonial rule.
The heart of the study focuses on the period between 1876 and 1922, when a
French army composed largely of slave soldiers took massive numbers of
slaves in the interior, while in areas near the coast, hesitant actions were
taken against slave-raiding, trading and use. After 1900, the French withdrew
state support of slavery, and as many as a million slaves left their masters. A
second exodus occurred after World War I, when soldiers of slave origin
returned home. The renegotiation of relationships between those who re-
mained and their masters carries the story into the contemporary world.

Slavery and colonial rule in French West Africa
African Studies Series 94
Editorial Board
Professor Naomi Chazan, The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the
Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Professor Christopher Clapham, Department of Politics and International
Relations, Lancaster University
Professor Peter Ekeh, Department of African American Studies, State
University of New York, Buffalo
Dr John Lonsdale, Trinity College, Cambridge
Professor Patrick Manning, Department of History, Northeastern
University, Boston
Published in collaboration with
THE AFRICAN STUDIES CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE
A list of books in this series will be found at the end of this volume
Slavery and colonial rule in
French West Africa
Martin A. Klein
University of Toronto
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge, CB2 2RU, United Kingdom
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia
© Martin A. Klein 1998
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1998
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
Typeset in 10/11.5 pt Times [VN]
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Klein, Martin A.
Slavery and colonial rule in French West Africa
/ Martin A. Klein.
p. cm. - (African studies series; 94)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0 521 59324 7 (hb). - ISBN 0 521 59678 5 (pb)
1. Slavery — Africa, French-speaking West — History. 2. Slavery —
Senegal - History. 3. Slavery - Guinea - History. 4. Slavery - Mali -
History. I. Title. II. Series.
HT1396.K54 1998
306.3'62'09660917541-dc21 97-27996 CIP
ISBN 0 521 59324 7 hardback
ISBN 0 521 59678 5 paperback
In memory of
Etta Marcus Klein
1910-1993

Contents
List of illustrations page x
List of maps xi
List of tables xii
Preface xiii
List of abbreviations xvii
Glossary xviii
1 Slavery in the Western Sudan 1
2 Abolition and retreat. Senegal 1848-1876 19
3 Slavery, slave-trading and social revolution 37
4 Senegal after Briere 59
5 Conquest of the Sudan: Desbordes to Archinard 77
6 Senegal in the 1890s 94
7 The end of the conquest 108
8 The imposition of metropolitan priorities on slavery 126
9 With smoke and mirrors: slavery and the conquest of Guinea 141
10 The Banamba Exodus 159
11 French fears and the limits to an emancipation policy 178
12 Looking for the tracks. How they did it 197
13 After the War: renegotiating social relations 216
14 A question of honor 237
Appendixes 252
Notes 260
Bibliography 317
Index 347
ix
Illustrations
Proper sitting positions in Soninke Society. From Eric Pollet page 8
and Grace Winter, La Societe Soninke (Dyahun, Mali). Brus-
sels, 1971
Slave women given by Mossi leader to French explorer, 17
Louis-Gustave Binger. From Louis-Gustave Binger, Du
Niger au Golfe de Guinee par le pays du Kong et de Mossi,
1887-1889. Paris, 1892
Slave caravan in Malinke area of Sudan. From Joseph 55
Gallieni, Voyage au Soudan francais (Haut-Senegal et pays de
Segou), 1879-1881. Paris, 1885
Distribution of slave women after defeat of Mamadu Lamine. 82
From Joseph Gallieni, Deux campagnes au Soudan francais,
1886-1888. Paris, 1891
Street in a liberty village. From Joseph Gallieni, Deux 88
campagnes au Soudan francais
Tata of Sikasso and Diassa, fort built by Samori's forces on 110
siege line. From Louis-Gustave Binger, Du Niger au Golfe de
Guinee
Samori prepares for prayer an hour after his capture. From 120
Henri Gouraud, Souvenir d'un Africain: au Soudan. Paris,
1939
Mossi horsemen return from slave raid with captives. From 123
Louis-Gustave Binger, Du Niger au Golfe de Guinee
Forced labor levy gets ready to work on railroad 129
construction. From Joseph Gallieni, Deux campagnes au
Soudan francais