The slave trade brought unimaginable destruction and suffering even to Africans that werent enslaved

From Before the Slave Trade by Robin Walker The Select Committee on the Slave Trade (1790) King Dalmanny had entirely prohibited the Slave trade throughout his whole Kingdom. He also banned the sale of alcohol. However, the Senegal Company, a French concern, initially attempted to bribe the King to change his policy on the trade in people, but he refused their presents. Consequently, the Senegal Company resorted to bribing the lighter-skinned Moors to attack and kidnap Dalmannys subjects. The Company supplied the Moors with the necessary arms, gunpowder and ammunition to carry out the raids. The result of the aggression, according to Wadstrom, was the chief hindrance to the improvement of the cultivation; in so far as the Negroes never venture to go out into the fields unless very well armed. (Ibid., p.36.) Significantly, the Select Committee asked: Do you mean to say, that if the Slave Trade was abolished, they would extend their cultivation and manufactures? Wadstrom answered: Yes; particularly if some good European people had enterprising spirit enough to settle among them in another way than is the case at present. (Ibid., p.35.) The testimony of Charles Wadstrom is highly important. How many people know that Africans used to manufacture soap? How many people are aware that Africans manufactured in gold so well that no better made articles of the goldsmiths craft were to be found in Europe? This is also evidence that the image of a primitive and backward Africa was NOT believed by the British Government. They knew better. This is noteworthy and ironic since they were the leading players behind the kidnapping and mass enslavement of Africans! Moreover, the Select Committee were shown exquisite items of African manufacture that may STILL be in the possession of the British Government or its kindred institutions. Other witnesses before the Select Committee mentioned the large number of West Africans who were trilingual - i.e. fluent in English, French and Portuguese - in addition to speaking their own languages Wolof, Mandinga, etc. This high facility with language occurs over and over in African history. http://www.beforetheslavetrade.com/page_1221780719310.html Dahomey and the Slave Trade: Reflections on the Historiography of the Rise of Dahomey by Robin Law "The Discerning Natives account it their greatest Unhappiness, that they were ever visited by the Europeans. They say that we Christians introduced the Traffic of slaves, and that before our Coming they lived in peace." http://www.fiu.edu/~ogundira/Law_Historiography_of_the_Rise_of_Dahomey.pdf For anyone who wishes to learn about early African-European relations a great article: Ambassadors, Explorers, and Allies. A Study of African-European Diplomatic Relationships, 1400-1600 by Andrea Felber Seligman http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=curej

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YouTube | December 12, 2008

Tags:. .kindred. .enslavement. .fluent. .primitive. .unimaginable