White Man’s Grave: Europeans in West Africa in the 15th to 20th Centuries

The European invasion of West Africa began with the Portuguese traders who arrived at the coast in the middle of the 15th century. What followed were five centuries of exploitation and occupation by the major European nations, most shamefully during the era of the Atlantic Slave Trade. This is the compelling story of the European men and women who became active participants. What was it that motivated them to risk travelling to the region infamously known as the ‘White Man’s Grave’? There was one quality they had in common, and that was a single-minded determination to follow their star, whether it be in pursuit of geographical knowledge, religious conversion, national reputation, social status, or simply commercial profit.