The Slave Trade in the Bight of Biafra: Akan and Igbo Diaspora

In this episode of The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked region of the Bight of Biafra, which supplied millions of enslaved Africans—mostly Igbo, Ibibio, and Efik—to the Americas. They discuss the role of the Aro Confederacy, a powerful trading network that used oracles and alliances to capture and sell people from the interior. The episode delves into the impact on Igbo society, the Middle Passage experience specific to Biafran captives, and the cultural legacy in places like Virginia and the Caribbean. Lucas explains how the Aro's military and religious influence allowed them to dominate the slave trade from the 17th to 19th centuries, and how the collapse of the trade led to the Aro Expedition of 1901-1902. Listeners will learn about the port of Old Calabar, the role of European palm oil traders, and the demographic shift that shaped the African diaspora. #BightOfBiafra #AroConfederacy #Igbo #Efik #OldCalabar #SlaveTrade #MiddlePassage #AfricanDiaspora #AroExpedition #Ibibio #NigeriaHistory #IgboUkpabi #PalmOilTrade #17thCentury #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo