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Edited/Yoyo
preface
Slavery has existed in Africa for a long time. Regardless of the definition, slavery has always been important in African history.
In fact, Africa's political economy has undergone a major shift over the past millennium, which can be attributed to slavery.
Evidence shows that slavery was indigenous, as was the rest of the world. Moreover, the trade of the enslaved is multifaceted.
Slavery has affected social and political structures from its earliest days to the present.
This article examines the nature of slavery, from slavery to trafficking, and the impact of the foreign slave trade across the Sahara, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean on Africa.
In addition, this paper examines how slavery patterns in Africa have changed over time.
Definition of slavery in Africa
Slavery is a form of exploitation, whether in Africa or elsewhere, in historical or temporary times.
The definition of slavery derives from the notion that slaves are property, that their origin is foreign and that their inheritance can be deprived of by judicial or other sanctions.
In the case of slaves, coercion could be used at will, and their ability to work was completely at the disposal of their masters.
They do not have their own sexual rights, or their own reproductive capacity and the right to sex selection.
Slave status is inherited unless there are provisions to improve it.
Slavery is fundamentally a means of depriving outsiders of their rights in a particular society.
Very important in African slavery is that slaves are people who do not "belong" to the existing social structure in important ways.
Historically, slavery is not only a theme in African history, but a common history everywhere.
It is now widely recognized that African history is not only the history of the African continent, but also the history of the regions where enslaved Africans live.
Methods of slavery in Africa
Historically, war, military raids and kidnappings were the most common methods of slavery in Africa.
In each case, slavery involved violence, people were killed or injured, and movable property such as livestock was confiscated.
Whether as a form of punishment or as a means of acquiring captives for sale and exploitation, slavery was integrated into the political, economic and social fabric of Africa.
For example, in a letter from 1391, the Borno government protested that Arab raiders were capturing its free subjects and taking them as slaves to North Africa.
According to King Usman Idris of Borno, nomadic warriors crossed the Sahara desert to carry out attacks in order to enslave the people.
These Arabs plundered our land, the land of Bornu, and continue to do so.
They took free people and our parents' generation, Muslims, as slaves, sold them to slave traders in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere, and kept some for themselves.
As this narrative indicates, there is no real dividing line between sub-Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa.
On the contrary, in terms of slavery and servitude, the entire desert was continuous.
This account chronicles attacks across the Sahara, but slavery and raids are well established in areas south of Borno.
This account shows that sub-Saharan Africa is not isolated or distant.
Slavery and labor
The central feature of slavery was that slaves had few choices. They were completely subordinate to the will of their masters, which meant that slaves could be assigned anywhere.
Slavery is fundamentally linked to labor. It is not the only form of forced labor, but slaves can be forced to perform any task in the economy.
They must do their bidding; As a result, they often do the most menial and laborious work, sometimes taking huge risks.
For example, in the kingdom of Kongo at the end of the sixteenth century, it was said that free people did not "cultivate the land", but only slaves worked and served.
The powerful had a large number of slaves that they captured in the war or who they bought.
They even did business through these slaves, sending them to the market to buy and sell according to the orders of their masters.
If individual slaves had been assimilated by local society and could be trusted, slaves not only performed agricultural tasks, but also traded on behalf of their masters.
Similarly, in the heart of Sierra Leone, people were taken as slaves during the war and "only allowed to cultivate the land".
A slave is a tool through which work can be done, and coercion can be used to force people to obey specific orders.
Slaves were told what to do, and if they didn't, they were punished, often harshly.
The master controlled not only the productive capacity of the slaves, but also their sexual and reproductive abilities.
When slaves made up a significant percentage of the population, their sexuality and fertility were tightly controlled.
Islamic slavery
There are important differences between Islamic areas and areas where Islam is not important or non-existent in how slavery is established and how slaves are treated.
In the Islamic context, slavery is governed by reference to legal and religious traditions.
It is also reflected in legal opinions and commentaries, including those of Margili and Ahmed Baba.
Therefore, we need to look for similarities and differences with the rest of the Muslim world.
The influence of the Islamic Dynasty of Morocco and Porter of the Ottoman Empire on politics in sub-Saharan Africa should be highlighted.
Through pilgrimages and literacy, Muslim scholars were trained in Islamic law, which began very early in West Africa.
Instead of being isolated from the rest of the Islamic world, sub-Saharan Muslims maintain close ties.
Thus, the literary and legal traditions of Africa were extended and expanded in the 19th century.
Technical and legal issues are resolved by issuing fatwa, i.e. legal opinions.
The reason for slavery was not belief in Islam, and whoever was captured without believing in religion was legal to own him.
But if he converted to Islam voluntarily, it is not legal.
Ahmed Baba believed that some people who were not Muslims, including the Yoruba people, as he called them, could be enslaved.
Interestingly, the word Yoruba is a Muslim name that was later adopted as a common name at the end of the 19th century.
In contrast, people who have long been Muslims, especially Hausa, Songhai, Mandingo, Soninke, Volodian, should never be enslaved.
Later generations found it difficult to comply with Ahmed Babah's legal fatwa.
But even if ignored in practice, these fatwis are well known in Muslim parts of Africa.
Thus, according to Ahmed Babah, Muslims are morally and legally forbidden to sell people to non-Muslims, especially to Christians.
slave trade
The slave trade in Africa was an aspect of commerce in general. When individuals are bought and sold in Africa, there are always many goods exchanged.
Thus, the slave trade was a part of economic life that involved the use of money, the provision of credit, and the determination of exchange prices.
In the context of African history, the interrelationship between internal forms of slavery and slavery and the slave export trade is an important consideration.
The transatlantic and trans-Saharan slave trade drove millions of enslaved Africans from their homes. This could not have happened unless the slaves were bought and sold.
The relative impact of the external trade in slaves on intra-African development varied by proximity to the Sahara, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic coast from the end of the 15th century onwards.
On the coast of East Africa, from the Red Sea to the coast of Upper Guinea on the Atlantic coast, and from these regions to the interior, there was an extensive network dominated by Muslim traders.
While some of these merchants came from North Africa, the Middle East and India, many also lived in sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa.
They dominated the slave trade before the opening of transatlantic commerce.
In addition, the slave trade also appeared in areas outside the Muslim sphere of influence.
This is precisely because enslaved people must stay away from the regions and peoples they are familiar with, and they may try to flee there.
Slavery was based on control and repeated threats of violence and coercion, which could be achieved through commercial transfers.
Slavery and colonialism
The abolition of the British slave trade in 1807 began a process of change that undermined the legitimacy of slavery first in the Atlantic world and then globally.
This movement inevitably affected the source of those enslaved in Africa. In many parts of the world, slavery was slowly curtailed and then eliminated.
For Africa, anti-slavery was associated with European conquest and colonial rule that began in the 19th century.
Sierra Leone was established to provide refuge for those liberated from slavery by the United States Government.
After 1834, slaves in the British colony of South Africa were emancipated, but not Sierra Leone, which was considered a "protectorate" rather than a colony.
Similarly, the French conquest of Algeria undermined the legitimacy of slavery there.
For all European countries after the Berlin Conference of 1884, the fight against slavery was a justification for European partition and colonial occupation.
However, slavery in Africa did not end with the expansion of European colonial empires. In fact, slavery continued under colonial rule until the 20th century.
In most colonies, the enslaved population was not emancipated, but the legal status of slavery was no longer recognized in colonial courts.
Slavery in contemporary Africa
Since the independence of African countries in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, slavery has largely become an underground force that is no longer legal in most countries.
But slavery also continued in various situations, just as slavery existed almost everywhere in the world.
Some Muslim countries, including the Sahara Territory, such as Mauritania, Niger and others, were particularly hesitant to end slavery.
When slavery was suppressed, the dependencies generated by previous slavery remained, limiting access to land and other resources for the descendants of slaves.
In some Muslim areas, such as Niger and northern Nigeria, the continuation of the concubinage system has also maintained the demand for enslaved women.
These contemporary issues highlight slavery in Africa that continued well into the 20th century.
In these cases, the trade in enslaved children and women is illegal but cannot be suppressed.
Author's point of view
Today, we know more than ever about the origins of enslaved Africans who travelled to the Americas and Muslim parts of the world.
In addition, we have a clearer understanding of the relationship between slavery and African history.
As elsewhere, slaves in Africa resisted slavery as best they could.
Migration through slavery reveals the legacy of violence and insecurity in Africa's past.
The adjustment of social, religious and community life can be seen as a response to and protection of slavery.
Slavery still exists. The distinctions related to slavery continued in the colonial and post-colonial periods into the present day.
Historically, Africa has witnessed steady, varying degrees of population loss, forced and not matched by commensurate inflows.
The impact of this population loss is considerable, just as the arrival of Africans in the Islamic world and the Americas will certainly affect economic and social development.
bibliography
400 Years of African Slave Trade Wu Bingzhen World History 1984-04-30
Research on Civilizational Exchanges and African Slave Trade Ke Xiaoli, Henan Normal University, 2012-04-01
The Abolition of the Black Slave Trade and Its Causes, Gong Huiqiang, History Studies, 2005-02-10