Axim

Axim stands on the Nzema coast west of Cape Three Points, where Fort Santo António overlooks the Atlantic. Portuguese traders established the fort in the early sixteenth century, bringing Axim into the network of gold, ivory and enslaved people carried along the coast. In 1642 the Dutch seized the fort and negotiated a treaty with Axim's chiefs. Its provisions set out relations between the Dutch and local authorities after the Portuguese had been displaced, making the town a contested meeting place of African and European interests.