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In reply to the discussion: I am sorry for slavery. Part of the privilege of being white is that I don't often need to [View all]Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)44. Wrong.
http://mondediplo.com/1998/04/02africa
Coastal African heads of states were gradually brow-beaten into accepting the inevitable from the outsized and brutal forces of the Europeans. Africa in general resisted.
Clearly, the ideological weapons used to justify the slave trade reflected neither the reality nor the dynamics of African society. Africans, like all other peoples, had no particular liking for slavery. Slavery was generated and maintained by a specific system. While the revolts of black slaves during the Atlantic crossing and in America are well documented, there is much less awareness of the scale and diversity of resistance to slavery within Africa. Both to the Atlantic slave trade as such and to the slavery in Africa which it induced or aggravated.
One long neglected source is Lloyds List. It throws unexpected light on the rejection of the slave trade in the African coastal societies. It is packed full of details of damage to vessels insured by the famous London company from its foundation in 1689. The figures show that in more than 17% of cases, the damage was due to local rebellion or plundering in Africa. The perpetrators of these revolts were the slaves themselves, assisted by the coastal population. It is as if there were two separate interests at work: the interest of states that had allowed themselves to become incorporated in the slavery system, and the interest of free peoples who were under constant threat of enslavement and were moved to act in solidarity with those already reduced to slavery.
As for slavery within African society itself, everything appears to indicate that it grew in parallel with the Atlantic slave trade and was reinforced by it. It similarly gave rise to many forms of resistance: flight, open rebellion, and recourse to the protection afforded by religion (attested in both Islamic and Christian countries). In the Senegal valley, for example, the attempts by certain monarchs to enslave and sell their own subjects gave rise, at the end of the 17th century, to the Marabout war and the Toubenan movement (from the word tuub, meaning to convert to Islam). Its founder, Nasir al-Din, proclaimed that God does not permit kings to pillage, kill or enslave their peoples. He appointed them, on the contrary, to preserve their subjects and protect them from their enemies. Peoples were not made for kings, but kings for peoples.
Further south, in what is now Angola, the Kongo peoples invoked Christianity in the same way, both against the missionaries, who were compromised in the slave trade, and against the local powers. At the beginning of the 18th century a prophetess in her twenties, Kimpa Vita (also known as Doña Beatrice), turned the slave traders racist arguments on their head and began to preach that there are no Blacks or Whites in heaven and that Jesus Christ and other saints are black and come from the Congo. Similar appeals to religion are still a feature of demands for freedom and equality in various parts of Africa. Clearly, the slave trade was far from marginal. It is central to modern African history, and resistance to it engendered attitudes and practices that have persisted to the present day.
<snip>
Coastal African heads of states were gradually brow-beaten into accepting the inevitable from the outsized and brutal forces of the Europeans. Africa in general resisted.
Clearly, the ideological weapons used to justify the slave trade reflected neither the reality nor the dynamics of African society. Africans, like all other peoples, had no particular liking for slavery. Slavery was generated and maintained by a specific system. While the revolts of black slaves during the Atlantic crossing and in America are well documented, there is much less awareness of the scale and diversity of resistance to slavery within Africa. Both to the Atlantic slave trade as such and to the slavery in Africa which it induced or aggravated.
One long neglected source is Lloyds List. It throws unexpected light on the rejection of the slave trade in the African coastal societies. It is packed full of details of damage to vessels insured by the famous London company from its foundation in 1689. The figures show that in more than 17% of cases, the damage was due to local rebellion or plundering in Africa. The perpetrators of these revolts were the slaves themselves, assisted by the coastal population. It is as if there were two separate interests at work: the interest of states that had allowed themselves to become incorporated in the slavery system, and the interest of free peoples who were under constant threat of enslavement and were moved to act in solidarity with those already reduced to slavery.
As for slavery within African society itself, everything appears to indicate that it grew in parallel with the Atlantic slave trade and was reinforced by it. It similarly gave rise to many forms of resistance: flight, open rebellion, and recourse to the protection afforded by religion (attested in both Islamic and Christian countries). In the Senegal valley, for example, the attempts by certain monarchs to enslave and sell their own subjects gave rise, at the end of the 17th century, to the Marabout war and the Toubenan movement (from the word tuub, meaning to convert to Islam). Its founder, Nasir al-Din, proclaimed that God does not permit kings to pillage, kill or enslave their peoples. He appointed them, on the contrary, to preserve their subjects and protect them from their enemies. Peoples were not made for kings, but kings for peoples.
Further south, in what is now Angola, the Kongo peoples invoked Christianity in the same way, both against the missionaries, who were compromised in the slave trade, and against the local powers. At the beginning of the 18th century a prophetess in her twenties, Kimpa Vita (also known as Doña Beatrice), turned the slave traders racist arguments on their head and began to preach that there are no Blacks or Whites in heaven and that Jesus Christ and other saints are black and come from the Congo. Similar appeals to religion are still a feature of demands for freedom and equality in various parts of Africa. Clearly, the slave trade was far from marginal. It is central to modern African history, and resistance to it engendered attitudes and practices that have persisted to the present day.
<snip>
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I am sorry for slavery. Part of the privilege of being white is that I don't often need to [View all]
Ed Suspicious
Jul 2015
OP
We aren't directly morally culpable for slavery. We *are* directly morally culpable for the racist
Romulox
Jul 2015
#10
Slavery based on color is has not happened throughout history. Also when you are talking about
jwirr
Jul 2015
#31
Isn't mind boggling? Civilization began in Africa. These racists here don't know shit!
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#53
The utterly ridiculous statement made in the post above! It also educates EVERYONE--racists and not-
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#64
1StrongBlackMan caught it, too. Go back and read your comment. Read 1SBM's response.
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#85
American slavery was uniquely based on white supremacy rather than class or circumstances.
freshwest
Jul 2015
#127
That's interesting. I have not read anything about that, can you recommend a book?
cui bono
Jul 2015
#130
One of the 'female persuasion,' huh? Triple whammy for you! Expect incoming! :)
freshwest
Jul 2015
#117
LOL!! I thought everyone knew that about me. You mean, all my flirting and kisses weren't enough? :)
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#119
Oh, I knew that a long time ago. But you have just got another mark against you!
freshwest
Jul 2015
#121
LMAO!! Oh, but of course. I gotta love Sanitarium, though. He's the best racist ReThug out there...
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#122
It didn't happen, and it looks like me & 4 other jurors thought it was a weak alert.
Tarheel_Dem
Jul 2015
#106
But she wasn't talking about either of those people. Rather, The2ndWheel was the target
Scootaloo
Jul 2015
#156
Glad someone's laughing. Don't know whether to laugh or cry to be honest. Just SMDH!
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#102
ACtually what we should do is pay reparations and consider ourselves lucky that is all we have to do
randys1
Jul 2015
#72
I'm saddened that you had to take a dig at my reading "a couple books while attending college"
Ed Suspicious
Jul 2015
#20
Well let me see - Am I sorry for the holocaust - as a German American - yes. Am I sorry for
jwirr
Jul 2015
#41
Those slave traders in Africa weren't from nations founded on the basis of individual
blm
Jul 2015
#35
Racism is permeated throughout DU and the Moderators aren't doing shit about it!
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#57
There is that...White privilege allows some to simply not see what is SEARED into your brain
randys1
Jul 2015
#75
I assume that you are talking about the fact that the slaves were often sold by other Afican tribes
jwirr
Jul 2015
#48
I struggled responding to this line of "reasoning"; so I will just recommend that ...
1StrongBlackMan
Jul 2015
#52
Yes, there are some who want to silence you and anyone who supports you so live to
randys1
Jul 2015
#76
Seriously deranged bit of RW derailing there- "blacks did it too!". Fuck that noise.
bettyellen
Jul 2015
#42
I'm Juror #3 and I'm afraid that there are so many racists here on DU that this place will become...
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jul 2015
#50
And the long winded explanations of why slavery, while sort of bad, really is blah blah blah
randys1
Jul 2015
#81
the title Ending the Slavery "Blame Game" explains their POV completely- it's a game, or card played
bettyellen
Jul 2015
#84
It's an abdication from the responsibility we have as US society to make whole the harm from racism.
Starry Messenger
Jul 2015
#105
your posts about Africa, Africans or African Americans are not needles in a haystack
CreekDog
Jul 2015
#89
We can put you in charge of going to Africa and arranging for reparations, in the meantime
randys1
Jul 2015
#74
I read Howard Zinn on how slaves were transported, and "packed." I still gasp for air
Hoyt
Jul 2015
#80
There is an abundant amount of documentation supporting reparations which would bring much
Jefferson23
Jul 2015
#116
Wait a minute. Now I'm not the smartest guy in the room, pretty much ever, but I hear people say
Ed Suspicious
Jul 2015
#144
All am saying is that you do not have to apologise for what your ancestors did!
akbacchus_BC
Jul 2015
#145
Thanks. I appreciate what you are saying, but if it's good enough for the Pope . . .
Ed Suspicious
Jul 2015
#146
Things you should never feel guilty for: Being horny and stuff your ancestors did.
redgreenandblue
Jul 2015
#147