From: osele@acsu.buffalo.edu (itiakorit j osele)
Newsgroups: alt.discrimination,alt.politics.correct,soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: Slavery (was Re: Sexist African Males)
Date: 14 Apr 92 17:07:18 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <viking.703224672@vincent1.iastate.edu> viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
>In <1992Apr13.143312.26515@mercury.cair.du.edu> rhuffman@diana.cair.du.edu
> (Robert T. Huffman) writes:
>
>>In article <viking.703149779@vincent1.iastate.edu> viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
>>>
>>>Dowdy may enjoy the feeling he gets when he thinks of African slavery as
>>>being caused by the white man, but history shows that to be wrong.
>>>
>>I'm not really sure how any rational human being can believe this.  Sure,
>>some opportunistic black Africans benefitted from selling slaves to Arabs
>>and Europeans and Americans.  And perhaps some sub-Saharan African cultures
>>enslaved other peoples from the continent for their own use.  But face up
>>to the facts--it was demand in other parts of the world that caused the
>>larger part of the desturction of Africa's population.  I certainly don't
>>have any stats, but I suspect my country (US) had more slaves than just about
>>any other "civilization" you can name.
>
>	As another data point, Shaka Zulu is credited with taking the Zulu
>nation from a system of ritualistic warfare, where only a few are killed
>in any battle before stopping hostilities, to over 19,000 men killed in a
>single battle.  He did this in less than ten years, partially as a result
>of a nifty new spear design he supposedly saw in a dream.  Shaka Zulu had
>never seen a white man, in case you were wondering.  Demand existed in
>both Africa and anywhere else in the world.  The Egyptians were enslaving
>their own black neighbors long before whites were even known to exist,
>let alone any cultural exchange happening.  The bottom line is that each
>group of people will enslave or otherwise subjugate others no matter what
>their race, color, or creed.  Alexander the Great even slaughtered Greek
>Hoplite mercenaries because they happened to oppose him and fight on the
>losing side, rather than let them negotiate new contracts.  As for
>slave numbers, I fail to see where raw numbers make for a more moral
>method of slavery.  On the contrary, it is all wrong (at least, it is to
>us today).  Demand for slaves does not result in fulfillment unless other
>blacks are willing to sell their conquered neighbors.  Solidarity among
>the blacks could have defeated virtually any slavers you could dream of.

Daniel I think I have to disagree with you here. I certainly don't
subscribe to this myth about solidarity defeating "virtually any
slavers...". The way I see it; it was the technological advantage as it
is today that determined/determines the victor. Granted, African
kings/chiefs used to fight among themselves and the intruders tried to
take advantage of this. But soon or later they must have become aware of the 
ulterior motives. Alas, it was too late, they had been overpowered. 

Africans are said to have even exchanged "gold for matches or beads",
but I don't think they went along willingly for those centuries! At one point
they must have said "what is going on here ?". You can fool some people for
some time but you can't fool all people all the time - I am trying a familiar
adage here. Any way finally it was guns against the spears ! For all
those centuries it had to be that way.

I have read on the net that profit motivated Africans to deal in slave
trade. For all those centuries somebody aught to have noticed they
"ain't making no money, somebody else was". And there is evidence of
resistance [African] to slave trade; unless we are still sold to the
idea that Africans weren't[aren't] smart enough to know what was/is good for
them !

Remember Iraq of 1991. 



>That it didn't happen is proof that color is no measure of humanity.

Not color, but Africans seemed to have unwittingly welcomed Europeans 
graciously. And what did they expect of them - cultural imperialism or
what ? And if that isn't a measure of humanity then maybe we have no
business arrogating ourselves to be the smartest creatures on this
planet. It is not color, it is just plain African.

>
><Daniel R. Sorenson   Dod #1066  |If Iowa State University agreed with me >
><z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu <- work |I'd make $90K/yr.  They don't, I don't. >
><viking@iastate.edu      <- play |"I am *not* goofing off.  I am driving  >
>< myself mercilessly in the pursuit of relaxation." -- T. Weeds           >

Itiakorit
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