Wonders of the African World

Initially, Europeans wanted three things: 1. To break the islamic and Arabic control. 2. To contol the gold mines. 3. To find a route to the east. Initially trading was done between Europeans and Africans in the matter of weapons gold and other commodities. Because of the high labor demand in the new World, human beings became a high commodity to be sold.
Servitude in Africa differed vastly from the slavery in America. Slaves in Amerca didnt even have basic fundamental rights as human beings. They were chattle, or property. They were also beaten and starved into obedience. Slaves in Africa were viewed more so like members of their masters family. Females sometimes became concubines of their master.  Enslaving people did not seem to be as economical as the transatlantic slave trade.
Some differeneces between internal slavery in Africa and in the west is that in the west, slaves were looked at as property and denied sexual rights. In Africa, a slave was looked at as a servant or worker for kings and cheifs.
Generally slavery in Africa was instituted by winning wars and taking over villages, and towns.  Sometimes more powerful towns forced people into slavery by constant harrassment, starvation, and famine.  Criminals who lost their rights were also enslaved. In Africa, slaves often became domestic servants and became part of the kinship group and the family of their masters. (Azevedo,p.75)  Some of the young females became wives to their masters. The women were held in high regard as babysitters and entrusted members of the family.
Europeans first tried to take slaves by force until Africans started forming regimes tha that fought back. They began to barter with manufactured goods to trade for human slaves.
Many African Scholars believe that Slavery is the reason why Africa is still a third world country today and has never experienced a boom in industrialism. Also, the removal of that many people from Africa depleted many thriving areas and left most towns in Africa desolent. This has opened my eyes to so much. We are taught that Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean to discover new land and discovered people who were already living in deprivity and dismay. According to the documentary, when Europeans arrived, Africa was already a thriving society with a  solid economic and political system. I was very suprised to see that Africans played a big role in one of the most horrific events in history.