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 Home > Archives features > Slavery history
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Slavery in Seychelles
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In 1770, some French settlers and 15 slaves established themselves on St.
Anne and from then the settlement of the Seychelles started. Our Creole
society grew out of slavery and colonization.
From 15 in 1770, the slave population of Seychelles increased to 221 in 1788,
then 1820 in 1803 only four years later this figure jumped to 2,759 and by
1818 there were 6,638 slaves in Seychelles. By 1827 the slave population in
Seychelles was down some 430 slaves, as a result of
the competition between the Seychelles cotton industry which
employed slave
labour and the American cotton industry. This situation came
about by the fact that the Mauritian sugar industry also made
use of slave labour.
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The slaves in Seychelles came from various parts of Africa, hence different
ethnic groups or tribes. The majority, some 45 percent came from the
Sister-Island of Madagascar, while another 40 percent came from East
(mainly Mozambique) and Central Africa. They were scattered on Mahe,
Praslin, La Digue, and the outlying islands like Poivre, Desroches, Marianne
and the Amirantes.
Slaves were ill-treated by their owners and sometimes punishments were
severe and inhuman. In certain instances slaves were sentenced to death
for minor offences in particular when it came to disobeying their masters
or marooning. One of the most famous marooning slaves is Castor.
Slavery was abolished in 1835 but that was effectively
implemented only two years later.
Today there are places in Seychelles which bear
testimony to slavery. ‘Roche Castor’ at Anse Aux Pins named after famous slave ‘Castor’
and was apparently used as a hide out by fugitive slaves. Mission Lodge is
another historical place with links to slavery. It was there
that the children of liberated slaves attended school. Other
such land marks are
Chateaux Mamelles.
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Castor
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There exists in the upper Anse Aux Pins, on Mahé, a place name Castor, a place
with enormous boulders, better known as ‘cap de roches’ in Seychelles and to
which access is extremely difficult. This name is linked with the history
of maroons in Seychelles, as Castor was the name of a famous black maroon
who took refuge in this place more than 150 years ago.
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