Slavery in Africa

Types of African slavery

There were several forms of slavery practised in Africa, including:
* chattel slavery
* pawnship

Chattel slavery

In chattel slavery, slaves are property. Slaves can be traded, inherited, sold, loaned or rented out. Chattel slaves have no rights.

Chattel slavery was the type of slavery practiced in the Americas during the time of the Atlantic slave trade.

Pawnship

Pawnship or debt bondage slavery involves the use of people as collateral for debt.

Slave labor is performed by the debtor, or a relative of the debtor (usually a child). Typically, a child, used as collateral in pawnship, married into the creditor's family causing the debt to be forgiven.

Origins

Slavery existed in Africa well before the Atlantic slave trade and even before Islamic slave trade.

Slavery in Africa more than likely originated from wartime. When a kingdom won a war or battle, opponents were taken captive and used as slaves.

Another reason for slavery was to increase ownership of land by increasing the amount of laborers available to work the land. It is for this reason that slave raids became common on neighboring villages.

Abolition

Slavery in Africa decreased immensely due to the effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Complete legal abolition of slavery did not cease in Africa until about the 1930’s.

References

* [http://autocww.colorado.edu/~blackmon/E64ContentFiles/AfricanHistory/SlaveryInAfrica.html History of Slavery and Africa]
* [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/black_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=7 Digital History: Slavery in Africa]
* [http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/p/SlaveryTypes.htm?terms=slavery+in%20africa About: African History]