SLAVERY IN AFRICA BEFORE THE ATLANTIC

SLAVE TRADE

BY:

OGBAN UTU SOLOMON

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACILITY OF ART AND HUMANITIES

UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR, CALABAR

MARCH, 2021
INTRODUCTION

Various forms of slavery, servitude, or coerced human labor existed throughout the
world before the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the sixteenth
century. As historian David Eltis explains, “almost all peoples have been both
slaves and slaveholders at some point in their histories.” Still, earlier coerced labor
systems in the Atlantic World generally differed, in terms of scale, legal status, and
racial definitions, from the trans-Atlantic chattel slavery system that developed and
shaped New World societies from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

Slavery was prevalent in many West and Central African societies before and
during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. When diverse African empires, small to
medium-sized nations, or kinship groups came into conflict for various political
and economic reasons, individuals from one African group regularly enslaved
captives from another group because they viewed them as outsiders. The rulers of
these slaveholding societies could then exert power over these captives as prisoners
of war for labor needs, to expand their kinship group or nation, influence and
disseminate spiritual beliefs, or potentially to trade for economic gain. Though
shared African ethnic identities such as Yoruba or Mandinka may have been
influential in this context, the concept of a united black racial identity, or of
individual freedoms and labor rights, were not yet meaningful.

West and Central African elites and royalty from slaveholding societies even relied
on their kinship group, ranging from family members to slaves, to secure and
maintain their wealth and status. By controlling the rights of their kinship group,
western and central African elites owned the products of their labor. In contrast,
before the trans-Atlantic trade, western European elites focused on owning land as
private property to secure their wealth. These elites held rights to the products
produced on their land through various labor systems, rather than owning the
laborers as chattel property. In contrast, land in rural western and central African
regions (outside of densely populated or riverine areas) was often open to
cultivation, rather than divided into individual land holdings, so controlling labor
was a greater priority. The end result in both regional systems was that elites
controlled the profits generated from products cultivated through laborers and land.
The different emphasis on what or whom they owned to guarantee rights over these
pro{ts shaped the role of slavery in these regions before the trans-Atlantic trade.

Scholars also argue that West Africa featured several politically decentralized, or
stateless, societies. In such societies the village, or a confederation of villages, was
the largest political unit. A range of positions of authority existed within these
villages, but no one person or group claimed the positions of ruler or monarchy.
According to historian Walter Hawthorne, in this context, government worked
through group consensus. In addition, many of these small-scale, decentralized
societies rejected slaveholding. As the trans-Atlantic slave trade with Europeans
expanded from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, however, both non
slaveholding and slaveholding West and Central African societies experienced the
pressures of greater demand for enslaved labor. In contrast to the chattel slavery
that later developed in the Ne World, an enslaved person in West and Central
Africa lived within a more flexible kinship group system. Anyone considered a
slave in this region before the trans-Atlantic trade had a greater chance of
becoming free within a lifetime; legal rights were generally not defined by racial
categories; and an enslaved person was not always permanently separated from
biological family networks or familiar home landscapes.
Ancient Africa practiced slavery long before the coming of the Europeans. The
practice was not called ‘slavery’ but many people at the time owned people for
several reasons. These slaves had to work for a period or until they were old
enough to be set free.

Slaves in ancient African societies were the lowest on the social class ladder but
had the opportunity to climb up the social ladder and live normal lives. They were
allowed to marry from well-to-do families, trade or own property of their own.
Slaves also lived very close to their masters or lived with their family and went
over to their master’s house to work depending on the agreed arrangement.

The transatlantic slave trade introduced what is known as Chattel Slavery, where
slave became full property of the owner who then chooses to treat the slave
anyhow they want to. In Chattel Slavery, slaves were not respected as humans but
rather as a beneficial property that could be sold for income. It was also mainly
based on race, and many accounts show that they were treated worse than even
animals.

Five Types of Slaves in Africa before the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Captives and slaves of war

This was possibly the most famous form of slavery in ancient Africa especially
during the reign of powerful kingdoms such as Dahomey, Ghana, Benin and the
Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom. Armies often raided smaller settlements to expand their
kingdoms. In the process, the old were killed and the young captured as slaves. The
captives were shared among royalty and the military, some were then given to
families who in one way or the other pleased the king, and the rest were sold to
wealthy traders. These captives served their new owners who in turn gave them
good living conditions. Slaves had every right to complain to the royal house and
owners were sanctioned if found guilty. Many of such slaves were free to go after a
while and others become part of their new families.

Slaves as punishment for a crime

When a member of society was found guilty of a crime, he or she was made to
serve a designated family for a stated period. Prison systems did not exist in
ancient Africa, so this form of slavery was also prevalent. The number of months
or years that a criminal was made to serve depended on the crime committed.
Families of criminals were sometimes given the option to buy back the freedom of
their family member, and in the case where they were not able to pay, the criminal
was kept as a slave. On rare occasions, criminals were asked to pay a fine, serve as
a slave before being exiled. Criminals serving as slaves could gain back their
freedom on good behaviour or at the death of their master.

For many families who could not make ends meet, domestic slavery was a means
of survival. These slaves were often bought but did not solely belong to their
owners. As part of the agreement, domestic slaves were given a piece of land, a
place to stay and food to eat. If they worked for wealthy merchants, they were
given a small percentage of profit, but this money was only available after the
agreed time of servitude had elapsed. The system was prevalent and ensured good
behaviour as almost everyone in the kingdom was kept busy and making a living.
Military slaves

In many kingdoms, the army was made up of well-selected young men and women
who possessed the potential of strength. When troops went on military conquests,
they often brought back with them a selected group of youth. With approval from
the King and military leader, these young men and women were put in the care of
an army patron and trained as a separate military unit that served the kingdom.
With time, many of the slave military men and women could rise in the ranks and
marry royalty or join the prestigious military. Their duty was mainly to serve the
first military and run errands for royalty. They were also made to protect the
kingdom by living close to the barriers to ward off anything that was a threat.
Those that served well were rewarded with freedom, land and property such as
gold.

Pawning

This was a somewhat rare form of slavery but very popular in West Africa. People
were offered as pawns to secure an agreement, make payment or erase a debt that
could not be paid. People kept as pawns were restricted and often kept under
protection until the other party completed their end of the bargain. Pawns were set
free after a while or after the death of someone involved in the agreement. In very
rare cases, pawns were stuck with their new owners for life but were treated well.
They were often children who would grow to become a part of the family. At their
own will, a pawn could leave for his or her original home once he or she was an
adult.
Chattel Slaves

Chattel slavery like the transatlantic slave trade existed in North Africa and was
practiced mainly by Arab traders before the coming of the Europeans. Many
Africans who partnered with British, Spanish and Portuguese slave traders had no
idea about the inhumane treatment that slaves taken to the West went through until
the trade had become a lucrative and uncontrollable venture. The ignorance of the
local slave traders does not, however, justify the treatment of slaves during the
transatlantic slave trade.

Ultimately, the practice of slavery as an oppressive and exploitative labor system

was prevalent in both Western Africa and the Americas long before the influence
of Europeans. Still, the factors that defined the social, political, and economic
purposes and scale of slavery significantly changed, expanded, and intensified with
the rise of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and American plantation agriculture
launched by European expansion. For these reasons, African and American Indian
slavery before the trans-Atlantic trade differed significantly from the chattel
slavery systems that would later develop in the Atlantic World.
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