Monday, February 19, 2018
"Forgive us, because we sold them," says African ambassador on possible slave ship find.
"Having gotten ashore safely, I met with interpreter who kindly congratulated me and gave me in charge of three natives, who put me in a hammock with canopy and carried me into the city of Whyda, (modern day Ouidah) six miles distant: Upon arrival, I found splendid accommodations for traders. I spent the night in 'Merchant Exchange.' Having breakfasted early I with Cicerone sallied forth to see the city and transact my business with the Prince. Cicerone presented me to the ebony Prince, a man of 250 lbs.
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Contrary to what you would think after viewing Roots all of the African slaves were captured by Africans and sold to Arab/Muslim slavers who would then sell them to "mostly" European ships captains who brought them to the new world. Before the new world market for slaves opened up they simply sold them through out Africa and the Middle East. The slave trade predates the discovery of America. African girls were sold to Muslims for their harems BUT in fact European women were preferred for the harems and millions of white Europeans were sold as slaves by the Arab/muslim slavers. The Arab pirates would make raids up the coasts of Europe, England and Ireland raiding coastal cities and abducting young girls and able bodied men to be sold as slave.
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade is older than history.
DeleteThe irony is slavery in the US was Club Med compared to Jamaica and Brazil.
ReplyDeleteThe many bloody slave rebellions in Jamaica were the reason William Wilberforce fought to outlaw the slave trade. The 9 month growing season for sugar cane meant many were worked to death.
In Brazil, it was even worse. Planters knew exactly how many slaves they would have to buy each year because the ones who had been bought last year would all be dead. Because of this, there was a particular layout in all the Brazilian plantation houses:
Every wall that didn't have a window had a mirror. This was so the planters would have enough time once they saw them coming.
I was just reading about the Benin culture the other day, and found it interesting and a bit trite that it was da homies (dahomeys) who captured them and sold them as slaves. And in today's news is a bit about DNA screening on a leg bone from the wreck of the pirate ship Wydah, named for this same city, a ship that started out as a slaver on the triangle trade but was captured. The researchers are hoping the bone might belong to 1717 pirate captain Sam Bellamy.
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