Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau lying on the Cacheu River, capital of the eponymous region. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 .
Etymology
The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bainuk origin: Caticheu, meaning 'the place where we rest'.
History
Cacheu was one of the earliest European colonial settlements in sub-saharan Africa, due to its strategic location on the Cacheu River. Cacheu developed a European/Afro-European population from the late sixteenth century through informal settlement of Cape Verdian and Portuguese traders, adventurers and outcasts (lançados). The authorities in mainland Portugal also sent to Cacheu degredados - people condemned to exile for a variety of offences.
In 1567 the English slaver John Hawkins raided the settlement. Due to such threats and a period of social conflict with their hosts the Papels, in 1589 the traders sought and received permission from the king of Cacheu to build a fort. They then abandoned the town and moved en masse into the new stockade in 1591 in an attempt to avoid the control of the local government. The Papels unsuccessfully stormed the fort before an agreement was reached allowing cohabitation. The fort did not have a secure water supply, however, and the locals used their control over water to pressure the Portuguese into trade concessions.
left|thumb|A well in Cacheu, circa 1900
In 1598 a resident priest was appointed, and in 1605 the settlement was offered a municipal charter by the Portuguese crown.
Cacheu was an important slave trading point for the Portuguese in the Upper Guinea region, where the crown endeavoured to ensure that duties on all slaves exported were paid. It was also a center of boat-building, with most of the artisans being African. The lancados, Papels, and other European traders all regularly violated this supposed monopoly. To bolster these attempts, in 1676 the Portuguese launched the Company of Cacheu and Rivers and Commerce of Guinea, the first of several that tried and failed to control the trade of slaves from Cacheu to the New World.
Other attractions in the town include the Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park and a regular market. The market serves the surrounding areas which export coconuts, palm oil and rice.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Cacheu is twinned with:
- Lisbon, Portugal