The Grassfields of Western Cameroon have provided the coastal areas of the Bight of Benin with a constant flow of slaves and subsequently of migrant labour from the end of the 18th century onwards. The hierarchic organisation of the Grassfields kingdoms, the intensification of agricultural and craft labour, the slave trade and political violence combined with an ideology of benevolent protection by kings and notables to engross cadets and women with a working ethos that was carried by slaves all the way to the coastal societies where it has created an enduring stereotype to the present day.