Seychelles and the Legacy of Slavery

The Seychelles islands: an archipelago of 115 islands in the Western Indian Ocean, just off the East African coastline. Not everyone will have heard of the Seychelles, but those who have associate it with white sand and luxury holidays. What most people don’t know is that Seychelles has a dark history associated with slavery since the islands were first settled 250 years ago, and for the next few decades the islands would be used as a strategically important base for the storage and transportation of Africans captured on the mainland.

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Episodes

Part Eight - Freedom from colonial rule

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this final episode of this limited series, we will be talking instead not about the stories of the slaves but the legacy of slavery and its impact on the generations that came after them to form the Creole people living in today’s modern society. In recent years, the cultural identity of the Seychellois people has become the subject of academic interest, especially as there is now a large proportion of Seychellois educ...

Jul 31, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Part Seven - A ‘school’ for the slave children

In this episode, we look at what happened to the African slave children who were “liberated” by the Royal Navy and unceremoniously dumped on the shores of Seychelles, thousands of miles from their homes and families. This led to the eventual establishment of what would become known as “Venn’s Town” - a missionary school for the liberated slave children, far away and out of trouble on the highest mountain. The ruins of Venn’s Town, for many years neglected, overgrown and unsignposted, were largel...

Jul 23, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Part Six - The false hope of liberation

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this episode, we will be talking about the effect the emancipation movement and subsequent abolition of the slave trade had on the Seychelles and the wider Indian Ocean, and why freedom was more of a theoretical concept than a reality long after slavery was abolished. If you'd like to get in touch with your comments and feedback, you can leave a message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seychelles Sounds vi...

Jul 20, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Part Five - Runaway slaves

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this episode, we will be talking about maroons - Seychellois slaves who rebelled or ran away; those who managed to stay away, and the poor souls who were recaptured to face the fury and vindictiveness of both their owners and the authorities. If you'd like to get in touch with your comments and feedback, you can leave a message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seychelles Sounds via Zapsplat.com and Pixabay...

Jan 04, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Part Four - Lost identities

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this episode, we will be looking at how the slaves who ended up in Seychelles were stripped of their identities, but went on to develop a new common language and culture, heavily influenced by their colonial masters, but colourfully infused with the echoes and whispers of various mainland African languages and cultures. I’ll also talk about how certain practices connected with slavery have become an important part of o...

Dec 10, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Part Three - Tragedies and triumphs of Seychellois slaves

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this episode, we will be exploring some of the tragedies and triumphs of the few Seychellois slaves that are still known to us. I have gathered a selection of individual slave stories from various historical texts for a more in-depth look at what it was like to live as a slave in these times. If you'd like to get in touch with your comments and feedback, you can leave a message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...

Nov 27, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Part Two - The Seychellois Slave Traders

This is Seychelles and the legacy of Slavery, a podcast series in 8 parts. In this episode, we investigate the shocking mortality rates and diseases suffered by the slaves being shipped from the East coast of Africa, and the role of Seychelles as a vital recuperation and reprovisioning point in the Indian Ocean slave trade. We also examine which local landowners may have benefitted from the trade, and how they helped to hide the immoral and criminal practice from the British authorities who were...

Dec 30, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Part One - The Bell and the Cannon

The Seychelles islands: an archipelago of 115 islands in the Western Indian Ocean, just off the East African coastline. Not everyone will have heard of the Seychelles, but those who have make some pretty quick associations. White sand, tropical sun, crystal clear waters, luxury holidays. A romantic honeymoon. What most people don’t know is that Seychelles has a dark history associated with slavery since the islands were first settled 250 years ago, and for the next few decades the islands would ...

Jun 18, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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