Laptot

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Laptots were African workers and soldiers who served France in West Africa and Madagascar from about 1750 to the early 1900s. The name likely comes from the Wolof phrase lappato bi, meaning interpreters or brokers. Most laptots came from Senegal, recruited at French posts like Saint-Louis and Dakar during the 18th and 19th centuries. They were closely connected to the Tirailleurs sénégalais, a broader colonial army, but laptots served only in Africa and Madagascar, not in France.

The French navy hired laptots on a temporary basis to guard outposts, crew ships, and perform various tasks across French possessions. They typically signed two-year contracts. Compared with European soldiers, laptots were often more reliable because they were less affected by diseases like malaria.

Some laptots joined willingly; others were enslaved men who had to give half their wages to owners. According to historian Francois Manchuelle, pay for laptots on the Senegal River could be competitive with French sailors. For many Soninke men, joining laptot service offered a chance to earn cash and improve status at home.

Laptots were crucial for French administration and later exploration in Central Africa. They accompanied Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza on expeditions into the Congo region starting in 1876 and again in 1880, carrying loads, delivering messages, and providing protection. One laptot, Malamine Camara, became well known for his exploits. Camara and two other laptots helped man France’s first Congo outpost on the banks of the Congo River from 1880 to 1882, at the future site of Brazzaville, and may have helped prevent Belgian control of the area. Laptots supplied the bulk of French manpower in Equatorial Africa until the early 20th century, when more local recruitment began.