Lecture Notes on the Arab Slave Trade

Overview

• Focus on the Arab Slave Trade, contrasting it with the Atlantic Slave Trade.
• Arab Slave Trade began in the 7th century with Arab invasions of North Africa.
• Contributed to significant disruptions in African history.

Early Arab Invasions

• Arabs invaded North Africa starting with Egypt in 639 AD.
  • General Amir Aben Al-As led a force of 4,000 men.
  • Initial doubts from the Muslim Caliph Omar about the feasibility of the conquest.
  • Successful expansion into Byzantine territories like Tunisia and Western Libya.

Establishment and Expansion

• Tribute of 360 slaves imposed on controlled regions.
• Expansion southward to Mali, Senegal, Chad, and Northern Nigeria.
• Notable methods included deceptive trading practices to capture slaves.

Scale and Impact

• Estimated 6,000 to 7,000 slaves transported annually from the 10th to the 19th century.
• Brutal desert journey claimed many African lives.
• Henry Hamilton Johnston noted slaves dying before reaching water.

Eastern African Slave Trade

• Enslaved Africans known as Zanj were in high demand.
• Used for agriculture, household labor, concubines, and soldiers.
• Evidence of trade reaching as far as China.
• Large markets in Zanzibar and Pemba; up to 20,000 slaves annually.

Regional Slave Dynamics

• Oman Sultan moved seat to Zanzibar due to the trade's significance.
• East African groups (Nimwesi, Ngoni, Yao, Makua) traded captives for firearms.
• Some slaves remained on plantations in East Africa.

Comparison to Atlantic Slave Trade

• Arab Slave Trade occurred 700 years before the Atlantic Slave Trade.
• Equally dehumanizing and horrific.
• Lasted much longer; estimated 17 million enslaved.

Personal Accounts

• David Livingston, a British traveler, documented the trade's brutality.
  • Descriptions of inhumane treatment and conditions.
  • Estimated 80,000 Africans died annually before reaching markets.

Legacy and Importance

• Slave trade history continues to impact regions like Libya today.
• Importance of acknowledging and spreading awareness of this history.
• Encouragement for Afro-descended people to share and remember these histories.

Conclusion

• Understanding and remembrance of the Arab Slave Trade are crucial for historical acknowledgment.
• Support for continued dissemination of this knowledge is encouraged through platforms like Patreon.