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Reply To: | AAM (African Association of Madison) |
Date: | Thu, 18 Nov 1999 12:19:15 -0600 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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The point of basing conclusions on facts is a very good one. One of the
conclusions in "Wonders..." is that Africa's current problems are a curse
for their participation in the Slave Trade. I don't think such as
assertions should go unchallenged. Historical records such as the one
forwarded below raise one of the major points that any objective scholar
talking about African's experience with the Slave Trade should overlook.
I would not be surprised if this video is not used to clear European
traders in the process of reparation for slavery. It is interesting how in
his reply, Gates cannot take responsibility for his work, for what he made
Africans say on camera. I just hope he not only lays all the responsibility
on these "poor Africans", but that he gave them a decent stipend. I'm
particularly thinking about "actors" such as the tour guide at Elmina.
--Emilie
>King Nzinga Mbemba of Kongo(Afonso)on The Evils of the Slave Trade
>in a letter to King of Portugal dated October 18,1526
>
>
>.........And we cannot reckon how great the damage is since the mentioned
>merchants are taking every day our natives, sons of the land and the sons
>of our noblemen and vassals and relatives because the thieves and men of bad
>conscience grab them wishing to have the things and wares of this Kingdom
>which they are ambitious of; they grab them and get them to be sold and so
>great, Sir, is the corruption and licentiousness that our country is being
>completely depopulated and Your highness should not agree with this nor
>accept it as in your service.And to avoid it we need from those your
>Kingdoms
>no more than some priests and a few people to teach in schools and no
>other goods except wine and flour for the holy sacrament. That is why we beg
>of Your Highness to help and assist us in this matter commanding your
>factors that they should not send here either merchants or wares because it
>is our will that in these Kingdoms there should not be any trade of slaves
>nor outlet for them.Concernng what is referred above, again we beg of Your
>Highness to agree with it since otherwise we cannot remedy such an obvious
>damage..........
>
>At our town of Congo, written on the sixth day of July.
>The King Dom Afonso
>
>
>This is an extract from Text 67 in C. Hilliard, Intellectual Traditions of
>Pre-Colonial Africa,McGraw Hill, 1998
>
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Emilie Ngo Nguidjol Email: [log in to unmask]
Academic Librarian Phone: 608-262-3647
Memorial Library, Room 262A FAX: 608-262-8569
University of Wisconsin-Madison
728 Madison, WI 53706 U.S.A.
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