Why did the slave trade in Gabon expand between the 1760s and 1840s?

The expansion of the slave trade in Gabon between the 1760s and 1840s was primarily driven by a significant increase in demand for enslaved labor from Brazil and Cuba.12

During this period, interior groups facilitated this trade by sending captives from warfare and individuals deemed undesirable from their own societies down waterways to the coast. These captives were held in temporary enclosures known as barracoons to await European ships. Several coastal groups organized their economies around this commerce:12

• The Orungu clans at Cape Lopez established a kingdom that controlled trade through the Ogooué River mouths.12
• The Mpongwe clans of the estuary and the Vili of Loango also profited significantly from these activities.12

The enslavement of human beings is a profound violation of fundamental human rights and dignity. While the Fang people generally refused to participate in the slave trade, their migration southward during the 19th century contributed to the displacement and instability of other interior populations.12