The Aro Confederacy: Africa's Slave Trading Empire

This episode explores the Aro Confederacy, a powerful merchant network that dominated the slave trade in the Bight of Biafra for over two centuries. Based at the oracle town of Arochukwu in present-day Nigeria, the Aro used the Ibini Ukpabi oracle—the Long Juju—to gain religious and economic control over surrounding communities. Lucas and Luna discuss how Aro merchants integrated into the Atlantic system, trading slaves for European goods via coastal ports like Bonny and Calabar. They examine the Aro's sophisticated trade diaspora, their use of manilla currency, and their role as middlemen between the hinterland and the coast. The episode also covers the 1901-1902 British punitive expedition that crushed Aro power, and the lasting impact on southeastern Nigerian societies. A conversation about African agency, collaboration, and the complex human networks that fueled the slave trade. #AroConfederacy #Arochukwu #IbiniUkpabi #LongJuju #BightOfBiafra #SlaveTrade #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Nigeria #IgboHistory #AfricanHistory #Colonialism #BritishEmpire #ManillaCurrency #Bonny #Calabar #TradeDiaspora #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo