One of the main stops on our walking tour was the slave market. Stone Town was one of the major centres where slaves were imported, imprisoned and held until auctioned off.
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| This is a commemorative sculpture marking this location from the days of the slavery market. |
The captives were held underground in tiny dungeons. They were crammed in and many died from the heat or from suffocation! Two of these dungeons remain and we visited them. It was horrific, chilling and disturbing!
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75 women and children were held in this tiny, tiny space!!!
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We visited the cathedral which had been built on the site of the slave auction areas. We were surprised to learn that although slavery was abolished in the mid 1860's it continued until 1909. David Livingstone influenced policies in Britain when he returned from his work in Africa. In recognition a cross hangs in the church made from the tree under which his heart is buried.
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| This font was placed to commemorate the many,many children who did not survive the ordeals of captivity. |
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| These columns were installed upside down in error |
This was a hard visit and ended with the message that slavery continues to this day in many parts of the world, in different forms.
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