Unbroken Chains : A 5,000-Year History of African Enslavement

A groundbreaking new history that illuminates the full story of slavery in Africa, from Ancient Egypt to the present.

Slavery has torn apart African societies since at least 2,500 BCE, from Egypt to the Cape; from Mauritania to Somalia. Yet most writing covers just one fraction of this history: the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Historians and commentators long neglected the equally sizeable, far more protracted phenomenon of Indian Ocean slavery, and all but passed over Africa’s internal practices—from Ethiopian kingdoms enslaving conquered peoples, to the Sokoto Caliphate capturing non-Muslims on a scale matching that of the US plantations.

Yet overlooked stories of enslavement matter. In 1794, Congress authorised construction of the US Navy’s first six ships—in response to civilian vessels being seized by North Africa’s Barbary corsairs, who raided as far as Britain and the Caribbean, enslaving hundreds of thousands of Europeans. And, since abolition of the trans- Atlantic trade, international concern has moved from traditional to ‘modern’ forms of slavery, leaving Africans enslaved as chattel today with few champions abroad. The UN and African Union are too embarrassed to confront the African leaders still permitting this practice.

Unbroken Chains offers readers a full, accessible history of the myriad bondage systems that have devastated African communities over the millennia. It is a haunting, sensitive, powerful read.

A new, full history of slavery in Africa, from the Pharaohs to the present.

Slavery has ravaged African societies since at least 2,500 BCE, from Egypt to the Cape; from Mauritania to Somalia. Most writing covers just one fraction of this history: the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Yet Indian Ocean slavery was equally sizeable, and far longer-lived. Historians often neglect the continent''s internal practices, too--Ethiopian kingdoms enslaving conquered peoples; the Sokoto Caliphate capturing men and women on a scale matching the US plantations.

Overlooked stories of enslavement matter. In 1794, Congress authorised construction of the US Navy''s first six ships--to protect civilian vessels from North Africa''s Barbary corsairs, who raided as far as Britain and the Caribbean, enslaving hundreds of thousands of Europeans. And, since abolition of the trans-Atlantic trade, international focus on ''modern'' slavery has left Africans enslaved as chattel today with few champions. The UN and African Union are too embarrassed to confront leaders still permitting this practice.

Unbroken Chains is the first full account of the bondage systems that have scarred African communities over the millennia. It is an illuminating, powerful read.