ABSTRACT
Bombas were West African slave overseers working on Dutch slave ships. Through studying the life and labours of bombas, this chapter unravels European and African security management in the worlds of the transatlantic slave trade. As the first part of this chapter shows, bombas were instrumental to the safety of the crew and the assurance of a profitable voyage for captains and trading companies. The second part shifts its attention to the lives and social connections of the West African individuals who worked as bombas, unravelling strategies developed by West African communities to protect members of kin who worked in Atlantic maritime environments against the risks of kidnapping and enslavement.
