Ngome Elvis Nkome, (Ph.D.)
Departments of History and African Civilizations | University of Buea | nkomengome@yahoo.co.uk or ngome.elvis@ubuea.cm
It is undoubtable that the territory now called Cameroon was one of the most significant African territories implicated in the historic Trans-Atlantic slave trade with the coastal town of Bimbia being one of the most remarkable sites of remembrance. Bimbia was a hot-spot of the capture, enslavement,
imprisonment and transportation/exportation of human-beings of different ethnic backgrounds into the Americas and the Caribbean as well as other
locations in the world. Memory of this site, its structures and role in the especially the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade has today transformed Bimbia into
a historic and an international tourist destination. The Bimbia Slave trade site is survived by an endangered trail of ruined slave trade structures which
vividly reflect the brutal nature of the in-humane trade. In addition to its touristic value, the ruins and memory of the role that this town played has
made it an important research destination for historians, archaeologists, and ethnologists. Using a mixed research approach, the paper seeks to explore the deeper symbolic meanings and representation of the ruined structures at the site and how they could contribute to the writing of the history of slavery and slave trade in Cameroon from an eco-history perspective.
Keywords: Cameroon, Bimbia, Slave Trade, Trans-Atlantic, heritage
