Muslim destinations. 1 “Labour shortages occurred within the Southern Iranian and Persian Gulf Region during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries resulting in fresh demands for imported labour to work in the Gulf pots, in the coastal villages and in local militia. The East African slave trade provided the temporary labour until the First World War.”2 It is remarkable the combination of several forms of slavery and coerced labor in the labor market.3 The economic change and the rising demand of slaves from East Africa had several impacts in the supply and reception areas. Large number of pawned and bonded labor in Africa faced a changes in their condition, and were exported away their homes. On the other hand, a 'new understanding' of slavery took place in Muslim 'states', in which slavery was reshaped according their religious interpretations in order of keep it as a legal practice.
Despite the increasing of slave exports to Middle East, Zanzibar Island remained as the main slave destiny for the most of slaves. The 60 per cent of slaves were absorbed by plantations on Zanzibar and Pemba.4 This expansion took place when the Omani Emirate of Zanzibar “imported” to Zanzibar and Pemba the plantation complex from Reunion and Mauritius.5 The sultan of Zanzibar Seyyid Sa'id began after 1820 a spectacular plantation development in Zanzibar and Pemba, seemingly inspired by the French. Plantations in the African Emirate were devoted to the cultivation of cloves for export to the Indian market. Such market had a remarkable growth, likewise slave importations from the mainland were increased, thus the Swahili Coast and Mozambique were involved in a constant export of slaves,6 and their shores were visited by ships owned by merchants f...
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...slavery than even before.”25 Furthermore, slave exports to the Persian Gulf also remained stables, little dhows with slaves traveled across the Indian Ocean avoiding the Royal Navy during the nineteenth century.26 Thus, it is clear that the diplomatic initiative was more symbolic than real, and the slave trade remained healthy through the Indian Ocean. Large number of ports were hostile to the British presence, whereby, the mission of control ships became almost impossible for the Royal Navy. On the other hand, the space to control was beyond the capacity of any Navy. Nevertheless, British were constantly chasing ships with the “banned cargo” and simultaneously pressing on rulers to stop slavery as mean of production. Despite all these attempts the slave trade continued until the official occupation by British of Zanzibar and large parts of the East African Coast,
Shaihu Umar is a novel about slavery in Africa. The author of this book is Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. This book is about the life of Umar who is the main character. When Umar was little, his father passed away due to the jealousy of other slave raiders. He then have to move to live with his grandmother. However, his grandmother’s health was deteriorating. He was then sent to live with his mother as his grandmother did not want him to be sad when she passed away. By then, Umar’s mother had already married to a courtier named Makau. Makau needs to move out of the country and find a new compound to start his life as the other courtier plot against him. The other courtier lied to the chief that he had caught four slaves instead of two when he was sent for a slave raid by the chief’s order. Thus, Makau moved to Makarfi and start his life successfully because he found a bag of silver on the way to Makarfi. When
The concept of slavery was accepted as a part of the culture and even in the fields of Isseke, Africa slaves were put to work. “Sometimes indeed, we sold slaves to them, but they were only prisoners of war, or such among us as had been convicted of kidnapping or adultery, and some other crimes, which we esteemed heinous.” (38)
London and the transatlantic slave trade. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from Port Citites: http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.103/chapterId/2257/outputFormat/print/London-and-the-transatlantic-slave-trade.html
“Segu is a garden where cunning grows. Segu is built on treachery. Speak of Segu outside Segu, but do not speak of Segu in Segu” (Conde 3). These are the symbolic opening words to the novel Segu by Maryse Conde. The kingdom of Segu in the eighteenth and nineteenth century represents the rise and fall of many kingdoms in the pre-colonial Africa. Therefore, Segu indirectly represents the enduring struggles, triumphs, and defeats of people who are of African decent in numerous countries around the world. There are three major historical concepts that are the focus of this book. One is the spread of the Islamic religion. Another is the slave trade, and the last is the new trade in the nineteenth century and the coming of new ideas from Europe (legitimate commerce). However, Segu does not simply explain these circumstances externally, but rather with a re-enactment that tells a story of the state of affairs on a personal level, along with the political one. By doing this, the book actually unfolds many deceitful explanations for the decline of West African countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
Though the Atlantic Slave Trade began in 1441, it wasn’t until nearly a century later that Europeans actually became interested in slave trading on the West African coast. “With no interest in conquering the interior, they concentrated their efforts to obtain human cargo along the West African coast. During the 1590s, the Dutch challenged the Portuguese monopoly to become the main slave trading nation (“Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade”, NA). Besides the trading of slaves, it was also during this time that political changes were being made. The Europe...
In contrast to the Atlantic slave trade, where the male-female ratio was 2:1, the Arab slave trade instead usually had a higher female-to-male ratio. Concubinage and reproduction served as incentives for importing female slaves, though many were also imported mainly for performing household tasks. In both continents, anything a slave owns, is automatically the master’s own too, however in Arabia, a slave may be allowed to earn money to purchase his or her freedom and similarly to pay bride wealth if he was to be married, the marriage requiring the consent of the master first. If the master was to use his slave for sexual gratification, he may not co-habit with a female slave belonging to his wife, neither can he have relations with a female slave if she is co-owned, or already married. In America, a man may have relations with a slave but it wasn’t very likely, as this was taboo and not approved of.
In the 21st century, slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade are viewed as immoral and quite possibly the most horrifying treatment known to man by society and foreign leaders but, was the same view regarded in the 17th century? The short primary sources, “Nzinga Mbemba: Appeal to the King of Portugal”, and “Captain Thomas Phillips: Buying Slaves in 1639”, enables individuals to identify how foreign leaders, specifically the kings of African nations, conducted the issue of slavery and the slave trade. In the words of Nzinga Mbemba and Captain Phillips, the kings of Congo and Ouidah both knowingly accepted slavery in their country but, had strikingly opposing views concerning the Atlantic Slave Trade; King Mbemba prohibited the trading of slaves whereas the King of Ouidah welcomed slave trading.
During the era of 1450-1750 CE, the characteristics of human slavery throughout the world started as a system of assistance gained from the capturing of enemy soldiers and adopting them into the victors society, but changed to a large trafficking business reaching overseas, and then to inherited positions gained from being born into slavery. However, throughout this time period, slavery continued to center in Africa and the Middle East, and remained a prime source of human labor in every society, due to their ability to be easily obtained and cheaply managed.
...help boost worldwide economy while promising a virtually unlimited growth and prosperity, if the British viewed Africa as a commerce partner instead of a source of free labor. A commercial relationship with Africa would open up doors to immense wealth opportunities for the much more industrialized Britain. As an always expanding market for textiles and other hand made goods, treated as human beings of equal worth, would become much valuable customers and many local goods could be exchanged. Additionally the African land is fruitful in mineral and resource wealth of the African continent offered vast opportunity to the more advanced economies. "The hidden treasures of centuries" would be available for European exploitation. "The manufacturing interest and the general interest are synonymous, The abolition of slavery would be in reality an universal good." (Citation)
The majority of the nearly 500,000 slaves on the island, at the end of the eighteenth century endured some of the worst slave conditions in the Caribbean. These people were seen as disposable economic inputs in a colony driven by greed. Thus, they receive...
For most American’s especially African Americans, the abolition of slavery in 1865 was a significant point in history, but for African Americans, although slavery was abolished it gave root for a new form of slavery that showed to be equally as terrorizing for blacks. In the novel Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas Blackmon he examines the reconstruction era, which provided a form of coerced labor in a convict leasing system, where many African Americans were convicted on triumphed up charges for decades.
The film “Slavery by another name" is a one and a half hour documentary produced by Catherine Allan and directed by Sam Pollard, and it was first showcased by Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The film is based on Douglas Blackmonbook Slavery by Another Name, and the plot of the film revolves around the history and life of African Americans after Emancipation Proclamation; which was effected by President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, for the purpose of ending slavery of African Americans in the U.S. The film reveals very brutal stories of how slavery of African Americans persisted in through forced labor and cruelty; especially in the American south which continued until the beginning of World War II. The film brings to light one of my upbringing
The concept of the slave trade came about in the 1430’s, when the Portuguese came to Africa in search of gold (not slaves). They traded copper ware, cloth, tools, wine, horses and later, guns and ammunition with African kingdoms in exchange for ivory, pepper, and gold (which were prized in Europe). There was not a very large demand for slaves in Europe, but the Portuguese realized that they could get a good profit from transporting slaves along the African coast from trading post to trading post. The slaves were bought greedily by Muslim merchants, who used them on the trans-Sahara trade routes and sold them in the Islamic Empire. The Portuguese continued to collect slaves from the whole west side of Africa, all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), and up the east side, traveling as far as Somalia. Along the way, Portugal established trade relations with many African kingdoms, which later helped begin the Atlantic Slave Trade. Because of Portugal’s good for...
"Africa Before Transatlantic Slavery: The Abolition of Slavery Project." Africa Before Transatlantic Slavery: The Abolition of Slavery Project. E2BN, 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
There are a lot of causes of the scramble for Africa, and one of them was to ‘liberate’ the slaves in Africa after the slave trade ended. The slave trade was a time during the age of colonization when the Europeans, American and African traded with each oth...