HOW SLAVERY WAS CARRIED OUT IN AFRICA

          Slavery has been criticised, and a lot of people frown at it. However, it once existed in different parts of the world and Africa had its share of Slavery experiences. Africa's kind of slavery was distinct, being a continent of diversity; having different cultures, languages and religions, slavery expressed itself in different ways. In Western Central Africa there were different classes of enslaved groups, and many of them were capable of acquiring varying levels of freedom. Slaves in Western Central Africa could also attain power, this does not imply that Africa did not face agricultural or domestic labour, dehumanization and illegal enslavement. 

         There were various models of slavery adopted in African societies. For instance, the hierarchical slave model was a method of slavery adopted by the Igbo people of Nigeria, the people of Congo, and the people of Mali Songhai. This model consisted of three categories; the royal or court slaves, the military or conscripted slaves and the agricultural or domestic slaves, these slaves had different lifestyles. Slavery in Western Africa dates back to the 7th century and by the 11th century, West African states had acquired enslaved individuals further south and sold them northward across the Sahara. These slaves were sold as conscripted soldiers, concubines and domestic workers. In the year 1071-1072, the leader of Morocco, Yusuf bought enslaved black men as soldiers to aid in defeating Southern Spain. 

      Intriguingly, several Moroccan rulers were children of enslaved black women or concubines. Conscripted slaves like those in Morocco existed throughout West and Central Africa. In Africa, the enslaved individuals had the possibility of exercising power even over free people. The slaves could express power based on the status of their master. This was the top 1% of enslaved individuals in the hierarchical slave model, they were known as the royal or court slaves. A historian, Michael Gomez speaks about the institution of slavery within the empires of Mali and Songhai. He writes that the power exercised by the slaves was an extension of the master's power and authority, allowing the slaves the opportunity to operate at a similar level of influence. There was also an alignment between a slave's status and personal property which led to their elevation. For example, an African ruler in the Western Central Empire had an enslaved individual who controlled a plantation operated by agricultural slaves for the production of rice, his control of the plantation made him very wealthy. This slave was not the only enslaved man who owned a large plantation in that empire, other slaves achieved this feat. 

       It was also possible for African slaves to own other enslaved people and even wield a level of political and military power within empires like Mali. Scholar John Thornton writes about the court slaves of Congo, "slave officials managed affairs at the court and formed the elite and official corps of the royal army they placed the slaves as both judicial and military supervisors over the territorial nobles thereby reducing their power and also ensuring the collection of taxes". Based on these facts, Slavery in Western Africa is stratified, this does not exclude the evidence of dehumanizing experiences suffered by slaves. African enslaved persons faced deprivation, especially as new captives. Hence, there were many quotes to address this. A Yoruba proverb says that "a slave is not a senseless block of wood. When a slave dies, his/her mother hears nothing of it. But when a (freeborn) child dies, there is a lamentation, though the slave was once a child in his/her mother's house". Another Yoruba proverb says that, "scurrying around does not ensure prosperity, working like a slave yields no benefit". These proverbs reveal the sad realities of slaves in Africa. Their separation from their family and ultimately, the devaluing of their lives. 

        A former enslaved Igbo child who later became a writer and an abolitionist writes that "with us (slaves of the Igboland) they do no more work than other members of the community, even their masters. Their food, clothing and lodging were nearly the same as their masters, except that they were not permitted to eat with those who were freeborn, and they were scarce any other difference between them than a superior degree of importance which the head of the family possesses in that state and that authority which as such, he exercises over every part of his household. Some of these slaves have even slaves under them as their property and for their use". 

           In Western Central Africa, there is no straightforward way of understanding slavery, as there are a wide range of cultural contexts due to its variety and form observed throughout various African societies. However, it is important to note that there still existed similar traits; the existence of the royal, military and agricultural slaves, that is; the hierarchical slave model.