History 105 Spring 2019: Analysis of Portuguese Slave Forts

This essay provides a critical analysis of Portuguese slave forts in West Africa and Angola, drawing upon scholarly articles to explore the colonial impact and memory-making associated with these sites. It examines how these forts are perceived as monumental representations of Portuguese imperial conquests and their role in shaping cultural identity. The essay argues that colonial expansion continues to resonate in the modern world, influencing the landscapes and memories of West Africa and Angola. The author's perspective and potential biases are also considered, alongside the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen article. The essay concludes by emphasizing the forts as crucial reminders of colonial history and their enduring connection to the past.

Running head: SLAVE FORTS
Slave Forts
Name of the Student-
Name of the University-
Author note-

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SLAVE FORTS
Introduction
This essay endeavors to generate a fair and comprehensive view of the Portuguese Slave
Ports in the regions of West Africa and Angola. This paper also strives to garner an overview and
critical analysis of the reading that depicts the various nuances of the colonial rule and its
repercussions in the modern world. This essay will try to argue for the fact that colonial
expansion and effects can be felt in the modern world.
Discussion
The article, “A Sweet and Amnesic Present: The Postcolonial Landscape and memory
making in Cape Verde”, throws light on the various aspects of colonial ideologies in relation to
the context of Portuguese forts in West Africa and Angola 1.The article mentions and justifies
that the Portuguese considered the forts to be monumental representation of their imperial
conquests. In a very elaborate manner, the article strives to present the manner in which
memories are created, recreated and demolished in the three areas where the Portuguese had
expanded their colonial ideologies. The article also mentions about the functions that these slave
forts serve in the cultural identity of West Africa and modern day Angola. The article mentions
that the slave forts are manifestations of the various ideologies and memories related to the past.
The author of this article is João Sarment. A closer reading of the article will reveal that
the author is biased towards the presentation of the Portuguese slave forts in West Africa and
Angola as the manifestation of the desire to connect to past. However, he does not consider that
the slave forts are representations of tortures. Hence, the author is biased towards the white
culture. The author had written this article to generate awareness about the nature of the forts and
1 João Sarmento, "A Sweet And Amnesic Present: The Postcolonial Landscape And Memory
Makings In Cape Verde." Social & Cultural Geography (2009).

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their overarching presence in the present world. Further, the author writes this article after taking
into consideration the historical context of Portuguese imperialism and the remnants. The chief
focus of the article is to devise a way to amalgamate the experiences to generate a holistic view
of the Fort and the Portuguese interrelations to erase the issue of forgetting the past. A closer
reading of the article will reveal that the intended audience of the article are the Portuguese,
West African dwellers and dwellers in Angola. This article is directed to the intended audience to
conjure the various nuances related to memories of the past in relation to the slave forts. A
scrutiny will reveal that the author has concealed certain information related to the slave forts
that can be read as the embodiment of the heinous history of slavery. The major strength of this
article is that it delves into an in-depth analysis of the idea of memories in relation to the
Portuguese slave forts that have now transformed, yet retains the status of being the connectors.
Another strength is that it provides an insight into the three landscapes that have been touched by
Portuguese ideologies. The weakness of this article is that it does not include the other major
issues related to the topic.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the Portuguese salve forts in West Africa and Angola are crucial
reminders of the colonial temperaments. It can also be concluded that these forts are
manifestations of the connections with the past.

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SLAVE FORTS
Bibliography
Sarmento, João. "A sweet and amnesic present: The postcolonial landscape and memory
makings in Cape Verde." Social & Cultural Geography 10, no. 5 (2009): 523-544.