Les routes de l'esclavage

- Season 1

(2018)

476 - 1375: Beyond the desert: 476 AD. Rome falls under the pressure of the barbarian invasions. On its ruins the Arabs founds an empire stretching from the banks of the Indus to south of the Sahara, developing a long-term slave trade network between Africa and the Middle-East, centred on the cities of Cairo and Timbuktu.

1375 - 1620: For all the gold in the world: End of the Middle Ages. Europe opens to the world, discovering that it lies at the edge of an area responsible for producing most of the planet's wealth: Africa. Portuguese navigators return from the Dark Continent with thousands of captives and set up the first colonies entirely populated by slaves.

1620 - 1789: From sugar to rebellion: 17th century. The Atlantic has become the battleground of the sugar war. French, English, Dutch and Spanish fight for the Caribbean to grow sugar cane. To satisfy their dreams of fortune, the European kingdoms open new slave routes between Africa and the New World.

1789 - 1888: Slavery's new frontiers: The abolitionist movement has gained ground in London, Paris and Washington. After the revolt in Saint-Domingue, Great Britain abolishes its trans-Atlantic slave trade. But in the midst of its industrial revolution, Europe needs slaves, turning a blind eye to new forms of exploitation emerging in Brazil and the United States.