A museum that depicts the history of slavery!

In the outskirts of Luanda, the capital of Angola, a small museum is located in a centuries-old mansion that was once the center of one of the greatest human tragedies. Luanda was the center of the Atlantic slave trade and today the National Slavery Museum (Museu Nacional da Escravatura) is trying to become a place to educate the descendants of slaves; A place not only to learn history, but to search the archives that might reveal their roots. (CNN)

Photographer: Zute Lightfoot / Alamy Stock Photo

The National Museum of Slavery has been established in the former property of a Portuguese immigrant; A man who enslaved so many people that it is said that he received a letter of appreciation for this work. It is estimated that from the 15th century to 1867, about 12.5 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean, and researchers believe that almost half of them, about 45 percent, came from the area that is today modern Angola.

Photographer: Dogukan Keskinkilic/Getty Images

Perhaps the most moving part of the museum is the small Catholic church that once stood on the property. A wooden cross and a baptismal font are the relics of that era. This pond was a tool for the Portuguese colonists to take the identity of the enslaved Angolans from them. Before taking them to the ship, they were forcibly baptized and their names were changed.

Photographer: Dogukan Keskinkilic/Getty Images

Next to the church, barbaric tools for chaining people are on display, including guns, shackles, and iron handcuffs. Paintings from that period show slavers beating the palms of Angolans with nailed boards. Even alcohol was a tool to subjugate them so that when they were unconscious, they would be easier to control and they could be piled up like goods in the ship’s holds.

The National Slavery Museum has a unique feature and does not tell the story of Angolans only as victims. A part of the exhibitions is dedicated to the long and stubborn resistance against slavery and colonialism. The weapons used by the Angolans, from poison darts to rifles bought in exchange for local produce, show that they fought for their freedom.

Photographer: Dogukan Keskinkilic/Getty Images

Today, museum directors, in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Brazil, have a bigger dream: to digitize Luanda’s archives so that anyone, anywhere in the world, can trace their roots. Although African names were never recorded, documents show where people were taken and on which ships, which can provide clues to their hidden pasts.

The digital archiving project is facing major challenges, including lack of funding and inadequate document storage conditions. However, they hope to preserve this historic treasure for future generations by fundraising.

Photographer: Unknown / Daily Sabah

What do you think about trying to preserve such bitter histories? Share your opinion with us and other users.

Cover photo source: Wikimedia Commons Photographer: US Secretary of Defense