The Slave Trade's African Courts: Kings, Captives, and the Price of Power

In Episode 202 of The Atlantic Slave Trade, Lucas and Luna explore a side of the transatlantic trade that rarely makes the headlines: the internal African politics that fueled it. They look at the Kingdom of Dahomey, where King Agaja's wars turned captives into commodities, and the role of the Oyo Empire, whose cavalry raids fed the coastal markets. They discuss the controversial figure of Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, who fought the Portuguese yet traded in slaves, and the complex economics of the Aro Confederacy's Long Juju oracle. Along the way, they touch on the impact of European goods like cowrie shells and manillas, and the moral compromises of African leaders. This episode offers a nuanced look at the agency and tragedy of African states within a system of global exploitation. #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Dahomey #Agaja #OyoEmpire #QueenNzinga #Ndongo #Matamba #AroConfederacy #LongJuju #CowrieShells #Manillas #AfricanHistory #SlaveTrade #17thCentury #18thCentury #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo