BBC History Magazine - Slave Trade Abolition

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For anybody who is interested, this months BBC History magazine has a 32 page magazine to mark the 200 years anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. There is information about the events around the country as well as the usual interviews with media folk.

The Poet Benjamin Zephaniah sums up eloquently how I feel about underlying sentiments marking this watershed in British History which appears to overlook the role of African abolitionists like Olaudah Equiano and if it was not for the Heritage Lottery Fund, the major exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on his life would not have taken place. Yet there are countless books and events celebrating the role of William Wilberforce.

This era of British history was not covered in my history lessons at school in the late 70s. Yet Britain would not be country it is today because it derived a lot of its wealth from this inhumane trade. For example, The National and The National Portrait Museums in London were built from the proceeds of the slave trade. Liverpool and Bristol developed rapidly in response to this trade.

Maybe I should stop being so cynical and be grateful that Britain's role as the largest slave trading nation (approx 2.5 million Africans shipped to Americas for work on plantations) is at least being acknowledged.

Speedymama Have you visted the Transatlantic Slavery exhibition at the Merseyside Maritime Museum? Olaudah Equiano features in this and books on his life are sold in the museum shop. Just thought you might be interested.

it wascovered in schools in the late 80s

adn now also mentions the ocmpliance of some africans in the trade too

Did anyone see that documentary last night?

they are also going to build an international Slavery Museum in Liverpool too see here

Cod, what's with the ? Given that the Europeans had guns etc, have you ever wondered whether the Africans had a choice in the matter? I suspect it was case that they either helped the Europeans or they themselves would have been enslaved.

In the West African nation of Benin, which was a Kingdom from 1300-1600 and was the source for much of the Africans that were enslaved, even some of the prince and princesses were captured and enslaved.

Slavery comes from the word Slav and came about when the Romans captured Eastern Europeans to use in the Roman Empire that spread across Europe. Most ancient civiliations like China, India, Greece and Rome had slavery.
The Europeans turned slavey into an industry and treated their slaves brutally. European wealth is built on their blood, the exploitation of Africa and the genocide of the original inhabitants of the Caribbean, the Arawak Indians. Your , imo, trivialises what slaves suffered and endured.

Mercy, I saw that documentary. It reverberated with me because my family are from Jamaica and interestingly, on my mother side, the plantation owners were Scottish too.

Ledodgy, thanks for the details about Olaudah Equiano and the museum.. I have not been there but I want to take the DTS to see these things when they are older.

would just like to echo ledodgy's recommendation to visit the Maritime Museum slavery exhibition. It is very well done, moving and thought-provoking.

the african often used slavery ( not awlays am not defenin it!) as aw ay of getting rid of troublesome poepel

Only some African societies used slavery. The Kingdom of Benin, in fact was one of the biggest as was Ancient Egypt.

After Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, Denmark etc had wiped out the indigenous population in the West Indies, they needed new stock of free labour so went to Africa and turned the slave trade into an industry on an unprecedented scale and grew rich from it.

im alking west africa
gambia
senegal

True, most of slaves came from West Africa.