Along the historical route of the trans-Saharan slave trade passing through Ghadames, the pre-desertic area at the border between Tunisia and Libya, the governorate of Mednine, is a privileged place to delve into the analysis of racial issues. Under Tunisia’s Ottoman rule (1574-1881), in fact, Black slaves were shipped from Kanem Bornu Empire and resold to today’s Turkey. Many, however, were retained across the journey and remained as domestic servants in the South of Tunisia, where demand for agricultural labour (especially for the cultivation of dates) made them extremely valuable. Today’s social structure can be read as a living evidence of the legacy of slavery, as it is cut by racial lines echoing profound social, economic, and professional inequalities. Nonetheless, tackling the history of slavery in the region proves to be a very difficult task, as the issue seems to be blanketed by a “culture of silence.” Since slavery in Tunisia was abolished in 1846, before the colonial encounter (1881), French officials photographed and left in the archives only post-abolitionist trajectories, often misunderstanding them. Archival documents are thus incomplete and reflect a hegemonic and colonial perspective, often colluded with former slave owners. Since the post-abolition period played an important role in shaping the development of racial categories, archival documents have to be taken into consideration in the analysis of the racial legacy of slavery in the South of Tunisia. Yet, they have to be counter-read and integrated, allowing the subaltern voices to emerge. Pulling together various strands, such as colonial archives, today’s analysis of the social hierarchies, and oral memories, this paper wishes to delve into the trajectories that slaves and freed slaves have experienced in this peripheral and often neglected area of Tunisia.