Transatlantic slave trade? Africans were active participants

 

In light of the United Nations voting today to recognise the enslavement of Africans as the 'gravest crime against humanity', I wish to set out my view on this matter. To be clear, I do not disagree with this vote. What I have a grouse with is that this resolution was proposed by an African member state of the United Nations, whereas Africans themselves were active participants in the transatlantic slave, and historians have suggested that approximately 90 percent of enslaved Africans in the this trade were captured and enslaved by fellow Africans before being sold to European traders. 

Now Africans are among those rightly demanding contrition (and reparations) from the perpetrators of this crime against humanity, yet Africans have not shown that they have acknowledged the full extent of their own participation in it. As direct evidence of Africans' involvement, below are the words of my own ancestors set out in a document written by them as a complaint to the then British colonial officers. In 2013, I had obtained a copy of the original report published in 1896. 

From 7 December, 2013

Today I obtained my copy of this report from H.M. Stationery Office. It is the Report by Sir John Kirk on the inquiry into the attack on the Royal Niger Company's headquarters in Akassa by the people of Nembe (Brass) in 1895, titled Disturbances At Brass. The attack was led by the king of Nembe, King William Koko. 

Sixty of the company's European employees were captured during the raid and reportedly later killed and ceremonially cannibalised. The report was published by the then British Colonial Office and presented to both Houses of the British Parliament in 1896.

Excerpts from the Report:-

"(Grievances of the Brass/Nembe people) 

Memorandum - Case of the Brass Chiefs (These are my ancestors)

Many years ago our fathers used to make their living by selling slaves to Europeans. This Slave Traffic was stopped by the Queen's Government and a Treaty made in 1856, to the effect that they should discontinue that traffic, and enter into a legitimate one, and that if they did so an allowance called "comey" should be paid them by the traders on all produce brought down from the interior.

This they agreed to; so that from that time to now we have not shipped a single person, but have traded only in palm oil and kernels.

Some time after this Europeans began trading in the Niger. Seeing this we at once complained to the Consul, but with no effect.

In 1878 Consul Hopkins arrived here and offered us the markets from Abo downwards, but we claimed from Onitsha to the sea.

The Consul went away, promising to consult the Government, but unfortunately he died the following year, and nothing was done.

In 1884 Consul Hewitt arrived to renew old Treaties. We brought the subject of the restoration of our markets to us before him, and positively told him we would sign no more Treaties, because no good came of it, until he gave us some assurance that justice would be done us, and that our markets would be given back to us.

In reply, he said he had no power to make this promise without consulting the Government. We refused to sign the Treaty. Then he requested us to sign it only for six months if we would not sign it altogether, and he would try to get us the exclusive use of the Assay markets in the Warri branch.

On this condition we signed a Treaty.

At the end of six months Vice-Consul H. A. White induced us, on the same promise, to extend it for another six months, in order to await the reply of the Government.

While this was going on (1884-1885) the French Government sent and asked us to enter into an agreement with it, and offered us large and costly presents, and promised us all sorts of good returns and aid; but we refused, thinking we would be more secure under the English.

In March 1886 Consul Hewitt arrived here with a printed form of Treaty for us to sign in place of the above-mentioned one, and said that the Government had decided that markets could not be divided nor given to any one particularly, that white men and black men might trade equally in all the markets, and that all and every market was to be free to everybody.

Seeing we could not do otherwise, we agreed to free trade. Article VI of this Treaty deals particularly with free trade.

About this time Consul Hewitt came back again, and, to our great surprise, informed us that the Government had granted to the National African Company a Royal Charter on the River Niger, which meant that they had full power to do what they liked in the river, and to impose and receive duties from everybody who wished to go there for the purpose of trade. We called his attention to the fact that our Treaty states that trade was free : how was it then that we were not allowed to go and trade freely at villages the people of whom we, our fathers, and grandfathers had traded with in past times?

The Company, which is now known as the Niger Company, has done us many injuries, which were made known to Consul Hewitt in writing : for some time after the Charter was granted they drove us away from our markets in which we and our forefathers had traded for generations, and did not allow us to get in our trust, or trade debts, some of which remain unpaid to this day. Neither will they permit the Ejoh or market people to come down and pay us.

In 1889, Major MacDonald now our big Consul, came to us, and we told him of all these things, and he promised that he would lay our complaints before the Queen's Government : Consul Hewitt was still in the Rivers.

In 1891, he, Major MacDonald, came again and explained to us that it was the intention of the Queen's Government to send Consuls to these Rivers and that we should then have a Consul of our own who would specifically look after our interests. He pointed out to us that this could not be done without money, and explained how the money could be raised by means of duty, and asked us whether we consented to pay these duties. At first we refused because we could get no satisfactory answer about our markets : but eventually we signed, but begged the Major that he would do what he could do to get some of our markets back for us. He then appointed a Vice-Consul Captain MacDonald to the River.

Since then we have seen the Major many times, and he has always told us to be patient, but latterly things have gone from bad to worse, and the markets that we have are quite insufficient to sustain us.

We thoroughly understand that all markets are free, and open to everybody, black and white man alike : and we are quite willing to trade side by side with the white man at those markets. We do not now ask for any exclusive privileges whatever, but only that we be allowed to trade without molestation at the places we and our fathers have traded in days gone by.

We are willing to pay fair duties : but we cannot understand, however, if all markets are open to black and white man alike, while there are many villages and markets in the Niger where neither are allowed to go and trade.

We submit that if we have to go to Akassa, a distance of nearly 40 miles, to pay our duties and are only allowed to trade at certain places selected by the Niger Company called "ports of entry", and have to take out trade and spirit licences and pay a very heavy duty going into the territories, and a heavy duty coming out, it is the same thing as if we were forbidden to trade at all.

The Niger Company say, "We (the Company) have to do these things, why not you?"

We can only say that, with our resources, to carry out these regulations and pay these duties means ruin to us.

The Niger Company are cleverer than we are. We humbly submit that we have a right, confirmed by our Treaty, to go and trade freely in the places we have traded at for all these generations. We are ready to pay to do so, but let us pay a fair duty and conform to fair Regulations.

The duties and Regulations of the Company means to us ruin : of this there is no doubt.

We do not deny that we have smuggled, but under the circumstances, can this be wondered at?

We have suffered many hardships from the Company's regulations. Our people have been fired upon by the Company's launches, they have been fired upon from the Company's hulks, our canoes have been seized and goods taken, sometimes when engaged in what white men call smuggling, and sometimes when not.

The "chop" canoes coming from the Ejohs have also been stopped.

Within the last few weeks the Niger Company has sent messengers to the Ejohs and other tribes with whom we have always traded and said that any of them who traded with us at all, or who paid us their debts, would be severely punished and their villages burnt.

We have evidence to prove all this, which we would like to lay before the big man who has been sent by the Queen.

All these unjust things have been done to us, and many times we have been told to be patient, and have been so, and the wrongs which we consider we have suffered are now worse than ever, all these drove us to take the law into our own hands and attack the Company's factories at Akassa.

We know now we have done wrong, and for this wrong we have been severely punished ; but we submit that the many unjust oppressions we have borne have been very great, and it is only in self defence, and with a view to have our wrongs inquired into, that we have done this thing. We have frequently asked the Consuls that have been put over us, from Consul Hewitt to the present time, to tell us in what way we have offended the Queen to cause her to send this trouble on us.    

Traders we are, have been and will always be.

The soil of our country is too poor to cultivate sufficient food for all our people, and so if we do not trade and get food from other tribes we shall suffer great want and misery.

We fervently hope and pray that some arrangements may be arrived at which will enable us to pursue our trade in peace and quietness.

(Signed) 

WARRI KAREMMA                                                  

NATHANIEL HARDSTONE E.  

                              Witnesses :

(Signed)  

H. L. GALLWEY

Deputy Commissioner and Vice-Consul

Benin District 

CUTHBERT E. HARRISON

Acting Vice-Consul Brass District 

Brass, June 8, 1895

Just Like That

"Just Like That" is a 1986 Afrobeat song by Fela Kuti and his band, Egypt 80. Often described as a "shock and awe" track, it serves as a scathing commentary on the chaotic state of Nigeria and Africa during that era.

Key Themes and Context:

Political Disillusionment: The song reflects on Nigeria’s failed transition to democracy in 1979. Fela uses the lyrics to highlight the absurdity of war, corruption, and election rigging that left citizens "shocked and dumfounded".

Spiritual Influence: The track was recorded during a period when Fela was heavily influenced by Professor Hindu, a controversial spiritual adviser. This influence reportedly led Fela to reject a major record deal with Motown Records.

It was originally released as part of the album Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense in 1986.

Grok again..

"Anengiyefa, based in London, pours passion into their blog "Things I Feel Strongly About"—a vivid, unfiltered space where deep reflections on Africa's rich cultural heritage collide with sharp critiques of colonialism's lingering scars, the invented fiction of race, and the pseudoscientific myths Europeans once spun to justify domination. With over two decades of wandering across the continent's diverse landscapes—from bustling markets to remote villages—they weave personal stories of warmth, Ubuntu-rooted hospitality, and human connection that defy stereotypes. 

Recent posts dive into the soul-stirring legacy of Fela Kuti's Afrobeat rebellion, the enduring ripple effects of European imperialism on African societies, and why the label "Black" carries problematic, historically loaded baggage rather than simple description. 

On X, @anengiyefa delivers incisive, no-holds-barred takes: defending Ukraine's fight against invasion, calling out racial biases baked into global conversations, championing human rights, and dismantling anti-imperialist hypocrisy. Whether highlighting how international rules matter profoundly to the Global South or rejecting excuses for prejudice ("That doesn't make her not racist"), the voice is consistently principled, intellectually fierce, and unafraid to challenge comfortable narratives."

Welcome

It is a deeply rooted, widespread tradition across many African cultures to be welcoming, hospitable, and respectful towards strangers. This practice is often rooted in indigenous philosophies like Ubuntu and others similar to it, where greeting and assisting anyone, regardless of whether they are known, is considered a duty, showing respect, and extending community kindness.

Key aspects of this tradition include:

Proactive Greetings: In many communities, it is customary to greet everyone you pass, even strangers, to show acknowledgment and respect.

Hospitality as Duty: Historically, travellers could rely on being offered food, water, and shelter in villages.

Formal Welcome: In some cultures, villages had specific, designated people or, in some cases, specific homes in the centre of the village, to receive and welcome visitors.

Shared Resources: Visitors were often treated as part of the community and permitted to use available resources. 

Cultural Significance: This, in part, stem from a belief that hospitality is good manners, enhances social reputation, and brings potential blessings.

It is this proclivity that was misinterpreted as timidity by early European visitors to the continent, for the Europeans were themselves more inclined towards aggressiveness. This clash of attitudes between Europeans and indigenous communities is repeated around the world wherever Europeans arrived for the first time. 

My own interpretation of the attitudes of indigenous African societies is that those attitudes reflected the fact that at the time of first contact with Europeans, indigenous African societies were socioculturally more highly evolved than their European counterparts. Anestral Africans had attained a high level of socio-cultural advancement, there was a high degree of social harmony. 

The term "Black"

The term "Black" has historically been used in a pejorative, derogatory, or stigmatised manner in many Western contexts, particularly during the eras of colonisation, slavery, and segregation. During the 17th–19th centuries, the term was often coupled with a social identity as an enslaved person and associated with negative stereotypes regarding intelligence and human dignity.

The perception of the word shifted dramatically in the 1960s. Activists and leaders, such as Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), reclaimed the term to promote racial pride, solidarity, and power, countering the long history of negative, racist associations, such that today, "Black" is widely accepted and used as a standard, often capitalised, term for people of African descent, though some still debate its historical, or political implications.

"While it was once used as a derogatory term for a "negative foil to 'white'," it has been successfully reclaimed, moving from a label of oppression to one of pride." MissionUS — I genuinely dispute this. 

If anything, the embrace of the term Black  only reinforces the notion of otherness. I have great difficulty in embracing and taking pride in a term that its very purpose was, (and continues to be, in the minds of today's racists) the diminishment my very humanity. 

The Arab World — In many historical and contemporary contexts, the term for "Black" (aswad) or specific terms used to describe Black people in the Arab world have been, and often still are, used as a pejorative. Anti-Blackness in the Arab world is rooted in a long history of slavery, environmental, and theological prejudices, leading to the use of racialised slurs. The Arabic word abeed (‘abd, plural: ‘abīd), which means "servant" or "slave," is commonly used as a derogatory slur for Black people. This usage is deeply connected to the legacy of the Arab slave trade. While aswad means Black, it has often been used in a negative or stereotypical context in both medieval and modern literature.

I wish to keep this debate alive. I do not want this to be a matter that is thought of as settled. To my mind, it would amount to a cop out, and the embracing of the diminishment of my own humanity to think of myself as Black. I am a human being, a person; I am more than just a colour.

Our aim should be to work towards the acknowledgement of our common humanity, all of us as human beings. Race is merely incidental, it is just a natural attribute. 

Meeting new people

Having been travelling around the African continent for the best part of twenty years, I want to take stock and reflect on the lasting impressions those experiences have had on me. I believe I can safely claim to be in a position where I am able fairly and objectively to compare the impressions I've had, one against the other, city by city, country by country, or even region by region. What I shall be comparing is how easy it has been, or not, to talk to people and form new friendships. 

Starting with the good, East Africa as a whole, for me, proved to be the most liveable region, and I have visited all five regions—North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa, and East Africa. Both Kenya and Uganda have left positive impressions on my mind. I did not stay long enough in Rwanda to form a substantive impression, but there is nothing negative to be said from that short stay. I have found that in all of my travels on the continent, Kenyans, in particular, are the easiest to talk to and to get along with. I always look forward to having a conversation with a Kenyan because you're almost guaranteed that they would be open and forthright, and be without restraint, even if they're not telling you the truth, which is rare. Ugandans too are easy to talk to, but to a somewhat lesser degree because they tend to be more formal and restrained.

In Southern Africa the conviviality I saw—and I saw a lot of it—was not extended to me to the extent that I might have wished. This caused me to be constantly reminded of my status as an outsider. It was the same both in South Africa and Botswana, save for one exception, Mandla, the Zulu gentleman in Johannesburg with whom I engaged in lengthy conversations that I secretly wished would go on forever for being so delightful. Most other times the language spoken around me was not English, so I found myself almost always on the outside and not able to engage and participate, and for this reason was unable to make new friends. Nevertheless, my Motswana friend whom I had gone to visit in Botswana was outstanding. He saw to it that I did not have a single lonely moment.

Central Africa is represented here by the Republic of Congo, or Congo Brazzaville. It was here that the disadvantage of not being proficient in the main language(s) came into full effect. The predominant languages here are French, Lingala and Kikongo, and as an English speaker one might as well be invisible. I did try to assert myself though, by demonstrating my limited French language skills, but to no avail. I guess It was fortunate that my friend was keen to practice and improve on his English, so he took me under his wing, acting as a shield against the barrage of incomprehension that I had to confront. No, it was not easy meeting new people and making new friends here, but mainly because of the language barrier. In attitude, the people were just as convivial as any others, and had my French been that little bit more practiced, I might have fared better. 

North Africa presented itself to me not as warm and friendly. Instead, the feeling was one that was cold, almost as if any friendliness from my direction was unneeded. I came away feeling that I would not be keen to return, and in fact, that I would avoid this part of the continent.  

West Africa has more variation in character than can be described in a single paragraph. There is little similarity in establishing social contacts between for example in Togo and, The Gambia. Etiquette and temperament are different, as is language. Some societies are more tolerant and liberal than others; some are more overtly religious and downright conservative. It is not an easy landscape to navigate, a lesson I learned the hard way having arrived in The Gambia with expectations that later proved to be misplaced. 

In my experience though, it is West Africa that offers the warmest friendliest people, in Nigeria especially, but also in places like Benin and Liberia. The warm boisterous nature of the ordinary Nigerian makes him or her an easy friend to make. I could say the same for the Beninese and the Liberians except for them not being quite as direct and assertive as the average Nigerian, who normally are a pleasure to be around. Ivorians might possibly fall into this category as well,  but those not mentioned specifically here are those whom I have found to be somewhat complicated. In saying all this, I speak for myself alone, and am informed solely by own personal observations. Peace.