In 1895, 77 enslaved African(s) were “liberated” in a state-run scheme usually resulting in involuntary indentures, conscription, or re-enslavement. Under the jurisdiction of 12, Case ID LA-E-2565 occurred via the Villages de liberté administratifs, Soudan
| RegID | LA-E-2565 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Villages de liberté administratifs, Cercle de Kita |
| Year | 1895 |
| Government Department | Ministère de la Marine et des Colonies, Republique Française |
| Court | Villages de liberté administratifs, Soudan |
| Trial Outcome | Purchased |
| Enslaved Total | 77 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 77 |
| Registered Total | 0 |
| Notes | These population numbers for the villages de liberté in French colonial Africa are misleading and inaccurate. According to Denise Bouche, "Rares sont les libérations directes, dont le nombre depuis 1897 doit être porté sur les situations numériques des villages de liberté... Il s'agit surtout de libérations par rachat. Le captif se rachète lui-même et il a une situation indépendante (généralement au service de l'Administration), ou il est racheté par sa famille, et il lui est confié. La population totale des villages du Soudan est de 3868 habitants au 1er mai 1894 selon Grodet (5), de 7931 habitants répartis en 44 villages au 1er octobre 1895 selon un rapport de Trentinian daté du 16 novembre 1895. En 1906, selon Deherme, il y a en A.O.F. 75 villages de liberté contenant entre 10 000 et 20 000 habitants (exactement 11 590 d'après la récapitulation des réponses à la circulaire du 10 décembre 1903). Ces chiffres, en dépit de leur apparente précision, sont sujets à caution: ils proviennent de situations numériques établies avec plus ou moins de sérieux par des commandants de cercle surmenés et conservées avec plus ou moins de soin dans les archives. The total documented in Bouche's appendix was just over 22,000, but these population figures occurred in different years and represent highest totals, as most villages usually experienced depopulation as people left at their choosing, which calls into question whether or not these individuals were liberated Africans. |
| Sources | "Liste des villages de liberté," in Denise Bouche, Les villages de liberté en afrique noire française, 1887-1910 (Paris: Mouton & Co., 1968), 259-273. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | |
| Ship Status | Unknown |
| Date of departure from a place or port in Africa generally following the purchase of enslaved people. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Region of departure from Africa. Required entry. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. | Western Savanna |
| Place or port of departure from Africa, if known. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Tambaguina |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Location | |
| Navy | |
| Ship | |
| Captain | |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Region of arrival around the world. Required field. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. Other regions outside of Africa include, Western Europe, East Coast of North America, etc. | Western Savanna |
| Place or port of arrival around the world. Required field. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Tambaguina |