Vestiges: Traces of Record (Jun 2016)
Prostitution in Colonial Lagos and Accra: Evidence from the National Archives Buea, Cameroon, c.1930s-1950s
Abstract
Between 1930s and 1950s the colonial cities of Lagos and Accra along the West African coast, attracted an influx of prostitutes. These prostitutes first came to Lagos through a very complex network and thence to Accra. Because of the lucrative nature of the profession, recruiters (pimps) came to lure these women to the city. This article using mostly files from the National Archives Buea, Cameroon focuses on the mobility of prostitutes between Accra and Lagos and the attempts by the British colonial administration to put them in check.
