Cacheu
Early colonial settlement and slave trading hub in Guinea-Bissau.
Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau, situated on the Cacheu River and serving as the capital of its region. Its population was estimated at 9,849 as of 2008. The settlement is notable as one of the earliest European colonial outposts in sub-Saharan Africa.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1588
- Population
- 9882
- Elevation (m)
- 44
Facts from the source article.
History
Cacheu became one of the earliest European colonial footholds in sub-Saharan Africa thanks to its location on the Cacheu River. Starting in the late 1500s, Cape Verdean and Portuguese traders, adventurers, and outcasts known as lançados settled there informally, joined by degredados—people exiled from Portugal for various crimes. In 1567, the English slave trader John Hawkins attacked the settlement. After ongoing tensions and conflict with the local Papel people, the traders got permission from the king of Cacheu in 1589 to build a fort. They abandoned the original town in 1591 and moved into the stockade to escape local authority. The Papels tried and failed to storm the fort, then negotiated a deal to live alongside the settlers. The fort had no reliable water source, so the locals used their control over water to force trade concessions from the Portuguese. A priest was assigned in 1598, and in 1605 the Portuguese crown granted the settlement a municipal charter. At that time, Cacheu had about 1,500 residents, 500 of them white. A new stone fort, still standing, was built in the 1640s. Cacheu became a major slave-trading hub for the Portuguese in Upper Guinea, where the crown tried to collect duties on all exported slaves. It was also a boat-building center, with most craftsmen being African. Lançados, Papels, and other European traders frequently broke the supposed monopoly. In 1676, Portugal created the Company of Cacheu and Rivers and Commerce of Guinea, the first of several failed attempts to control the slave trade from there. In 1684, the prominent lançado slave trader Bibiana Vaz captured the captain-major and held him prisoner at Farim for 14 months. When company officials arrived, the so-called Republic of Cacheu refused to let them land, demanding control over trade and direct contact with the king. A triumvirate that included Bibiana’s brother ruled the town in the name of the people—meaning the Afro-Portuguese traders—for several months before the company regained power.
Current attractions
Roads in Cacheu are paved with oil palm kernels. Notable buildings include the Portuguese-built 16th-century fort and the Cacheu Memorial of Slavery & Black Traffic memorial museum, which provides historical context. The Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park and a regular market are also attractions; the market serves areas exporting coconuts, palm oil, and rice.
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