Ouidah was not a European colony in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a sovereign kingdom that traded with multiple European powers at once. To manage this trade, the Portuguese, French and English each built a fortified trading post within a few kilometres of each other along the coast. These three forts were the centres of the slave trade on the Slave Coast.

Fortaleza de sao joao baptista de ajuda

The Portuguese fort, built in 1721, is the oldest and best preserved of the three. It still flies the Portuguese flag and houses a small museum. It was from here that thousands of captives were processed and shipped to Brazil. The fort remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, long after the slave trade ended.

Fort francais

The French fort was built in 1752 and was the most commercially aggressive of the three. The French traded mainly in enslaved people destined for the plantations of Saint-Domingue, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Today, the fort houses a museum dedicated to the memory of the slave trade.

Fort anglais

The English fort, built around 1750, was operated by the Royal African Company. It was smaller than its Portuguese and French counterparts but played a significant role in supplying enslaved labour to British colonies in the Caribbean. Little remains of the original structure today.

Visiting the forts

All three forts are located within walking distance of each other in central Ouidah. The Portuguese and French forts are open to visitors and contain exhibits on the history of the slave trade. A combined ticket is sometimes available. Allow half a day to visit all three and walk the short distance between them.

Learn more about Ouidah's slave forts and their history at Ouidah Origins.