Africa and the Slave Trade

Origins  Sugar plantations in Muslim World, Azores, Canary Islands worked by slaves  Spanish establish sugar plantations in the West Indies  Native population dies  Slaves from Africa imported to work on plantations  Spanish example soon followed by Portuguese, British, French, Dutch  Sugar becomes main export of Americas

 Triangular Trade

Trade between Africans and Europeans  Goods to Africa: guns, textiles, hardware, glass beads  Goods from Africa: slaves, other goods 40% (gold, ivory, forest products)

 Europeans had to observe African trading customs  Did not take control of large territory  Rivalries between European nations make it easier for African kings to play them against each other

 Slaves on a Ship

Kingdoms in West Africa

Some kingdoms try to resist slave trade – Benin -old, wealthy kingdom in modern day Nigeria -King controlled trade, forbade export of male slaves -Exports cotton cloth and peppers -Becomes involved in slave trade after exports decline

Some kingdoms and areas disintegrated because of the slave trade – Oyo and Kongo, Bight Of Biafra  Small scale societies lack protection, affected severly (Bight of Biafra, Angola)  Kidnapping major source of slaves, also criminals, poverty  Portuguese control larger territory (Luanda), Other ports controlled by African kings  Portuguese involved in overland slave trade  Armed conflicts increase in region  most slaves from Angola prisoners of war, often hundreds of miles away  Refugees sometimes taken in by African kings, women and children could stay, men sold into slavery

Some kingdoms become actively involved in the slave trade – Dahomey -Arose in early 18th century -Authoritarian state (unusual for Africa) -Tried to limit slave trade for awhile -Need of firearms leads to vigorous slave trade -Use firearms to conquer neighboring kingdoms (Oyo)

 Slaves mostly prisoners of war  “I cannot make war to catch slaves in the bush like a thief. But if I fight a king….then certainly I must have his gold, and his slaves, and his people are mine too.”  Slaves have opportunity to gain freedom

Slave trade to Muslim Countries  Slave trade part of Trans-Sahara trade since ancient times  In 1591 Morocco defeated empire of Songhay  Slave trade between West Africa and Morocco increased  Besides slaves salt, gold, forest products exported for weapons, hardware, textiles

 Slaves in Muslim world mostly used as household slaves, also as slave soldiers and only few on sugar plantations  More women and children (eunuchs) traded than across Atlantic  Between 1500 and 1800 about 2 million slaves exported from Africa to Muslim countries

Economic Impact  Goods received by Africans did not promote economic development  New foods (corn, manioc) provide better food supply in Africa  Mostly beneficial for small African elite  European merchants benefit the most  Profits gained by plantation owners fuel Industrial Revolution  Overall 10 millions slaves exported between 1500 and 1850

Cultural Impact  Life on plantations about 7 years  Not much mixing of races in North America  Large mulatto population in many parts of South America (Cuba, Caribbean, Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela)  African foods, religious views, music  Maroons: run-away slaves, form communities in the jungle

Vodun, Candomble  Syncretic religions in the Americas founded by slaves  Mixed Christian and African religious beliefs  Vodun(Caribbean): supreme deity (Christian), lesser gods (African)  Candomble (Brazil): polytheistic, but gods have the names and appearances of Christian saints

 Worship and beliefs -Witchcraft, falling into trance like state, male and female priests, sacrifice of animals - Candomble temples looked often like churches with crosses and statues of saints to avoid persecution

Candomble Worshippers from Brazil

Xapanã Candomble worshipper acting as a royal spirit from the Dambirá family. Candomblé practitioners revere nature, and worship the spirits that are found in trees, plants and other natural things. However, ancestor worship forms a large part of Candomblé practice. Past ancestors are venerated and deified.