Bordeaux: Port of the Moon

Bordeaux's crescent shape along the Garonne earned it the nickname "Port of the Moon." This poetic name belies a complex history. The port that made Bordeaux rich was central to the triangular slave trade. Ships left loaded with wine and returned with sugar, coffee—and enslaved Africans who enriched the city while suffering unimaginable horrors.

Today's Bordeaux increasingly confronts this history. The Museum of Aquitaine addresses the slave trade directly. Statues celebrating abolitionists now stand alongside monuments to merchants whose wealth came from slavery. The riverside quays, once the site of slave ship departures, now host festivals celebrating African and Caribbean cultures.

"You cannot understand the Garonne without understanding this history," insists historian Dr. Marie-José Tubiana. "The river carried wine out and brought blood money back. Now we must ensure it carries truth and reconciliation. The new Bordeaux must include all voices, especially those whose ancestors suffered for its wealth."