Tourist visits and hijacking the past on Ouidah’s Slave Route

Ouidah’s “Slave Route” is a well-visited memorial dedicated to the Atlantic Slave trade. In order to respond to an audience seeking information, certain inhabitants began to offer commentary on the visits, gradually creating a “body of guides”. Initially informal, this practice was eventually regulated by the City Council in 2007. The article explores the way in which some guides use “narrative strategies” to deflect the official story and introduce individual memories.