The Old Slave Market, located in the historic Kalabari town of Abonnema, was once a bustling ground where the pain of human trafficking played out in brutal reality. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this site served as a major auction point during the transatlantic slave trade, where enslaved men, women, and children were displayed, negotiated over, and sold off to foreign traders.
Here, captives brought from the hinterlands were chained, branded, and lined up for inspection. European merchants, often in collusion with local middlemen, conducted business in human lives, turning this square into a place where freedom was lost with the sound of a hammer. Oral histories from the Kalabari people recall the sorrowful echoes of that era, families torn apart, bodies dragged away, and spirits broken under the weight of profit.
Today, the market square may look ordinary, touched by modern life and time, but its ground still carries memory. Though not heavily commercialized or formally preserved, it remains a solemn site of cultural memory in Rivers State. The Old Slave Market is a place where stories linger, not just of despair, but of resilience and remembrance, urging every visitor to reflect on a history that must never be forgotten.
