Africa - Essaka

Image 1: Slaves on their way to the coast, an illustration inspired by Sarah Tucker's travels to the Ibo regions of Benin in the early 1850s. Tucker was a missionary and abolitionist.

Like many medieval societies, slavery was prevalent in Africa prior to the the Transatlantic Slave Trades. However, Equiano describes “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 (Equiano 6). Outside sources seem to agree with this description of slavery in West-Central Africa, as the majority of slaves were taken as the result of conflicts between different communities (Battle).


As opposed to the chattel version of slavery so prevalent in the Americas, slavery in African society was much less cruel. There was a fairly high chance of freedom and slaves often were not split from their families or moved far from their homeland. Additionally, slaves, while primarily used as laborers, were seen as property. Another important distinction was that African slavery was not racially motivated, as members of other tribes were simply seen as outsiders (Battle). Again, Equiano’s narrative supports these claims, as he is generally much better treated as a slave in Africa than he is in the New World. For instance, Equiano attempts to escape from his first captors, but gives himself up and only receives a light reprimand. In Barbados, Equiano reports unspeakable atrocities perpetrated by white slave owners, including killing, maiming, and raping slaves.

Another aspect of slavery in Africa was the actual acquiring of slaves for the Americas. In general, there were two methods of getting slaves: through trading and raiding. While it is true that there was an exchange of slaves between European and African nations, this more humane method of acquiring slaves has been overstated by revisionist history (Ntloedibe). In reality, Europeans like John Hawkins often led raids on African villages, burning towns, killing Africans, and enslaving the rest. Also, Europeans employed other African tribes to get slaves. The Portuguese sponsored wars between groups with the goal of obtaining slaves. African military states like the Dahomey and Ashanti also conducted raids and kidnappings, and smaller groups performed individual kidnappings, according to an Efik trading chief who operated in modern-day Nigeria, where Equiano was born and raised (Ntloedibe). This last method seems to be the form of abduction that Equiano experienced, and he describes three assailants who carried off him and his sister. Based on Equiano’s description, it can be inferred that these kidnappers were African, as he makes no notes on their physical appearance, which he does later upon seeing Europeans.


While it is clear that Africans had slaves before the arrival of Europeans on the continent, the differences between chattel slavery in the Americas and enslavement in Africa were significant. In addition, Ntloedibe makes it clear that many European historians have tried to revise history to place more blame on the African people, overstating the role of trade while not fully reporting the quantity and barbarity of raids across Africa. Equiano’s experiences with slavery, both as an observer and victim, are supported by outside sources, and sheds light on some of the horrors of the Slave Trade.