It started with someone defending Britain’s role in the abolition of slavery, talking about how they “paid a high price” to free enslaved people (yes, we’ve covered that irony already).
And then, as expected, someone jumped in with:
“But Africans sold their own people into slavery too. Why don’t you talk about that?”
Ah, there it is. The classic “It wasn’t us, blame them” argument.
I almost scrolled past, but something about the way it was said stuck with me.
So, let’s talk about it. Let’s actually talk about it.
Because this argument has been used time and time again… not to educate, not to inform, but to deflect responsibility and shut down conversations about the true horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.
The Convenient Deflection
It always goes the same way. Mention slavery? Someone instantly says:
“Africans sold their own people, so stop blaming Europeans.”
It’s a go-to excuse used to shift the blame, as if European and American nations, who built entire economies off the backs of enslaved Africans, were just innocent bystanders, reluctantly accepting “human cargo” like it was a bad Amazon delivery.
Let’s be clear: Yes, some African rulers and traders participated in the transatlantic slave trade.
That is not up for debate. But let’s not pretend the playing field was equal.
- Were there African groups who sold captives from rival tribes? Yes.
- Did they start the transatlantic slave trade? No.
- Did they control it, benefit from it on the same level, or industrialize human suffering like European empires did? Absolutely not.
So, when people say, “Africans sold Africans too,” what they’re really saying is:
“This wasn’t our fault. This wasn’t our problem. Stop bringing it up.”
It’s an escape route from accountability.
A Trade of Unequal Power
Let’s put things into perspective.
Before Europeans and Americans got involved, forms of servitude existed in some African societies, but it looked nothing like the transatlantic slave trade.
- In many African societies, slavery was debt-based, war-related, or punishment for crimes.
- Enslaved people could marry, own land, and sometimes even gain freedom.
- They were not seen as subhuman or considered property for life. And their children were not automatically enslaved.
Now, compare that to chattel slavery in the Americas, where:
❌People were branded like cattle.
❌Families were torn apart, never to be reunited.
❌Generations after generations were born into slavery with no chance of freedom.
❌They were legally classified as property, with no rights, no freedom, no humanity. Entire identities were stripped away.
See the difference? So no, these are not the same thing. Saying “Africans sold Africans too” without acknowledging how slavery evolved under European hands is like saying:
“Well, people used to have small village disputes, so global wars aren’t a big deal.”
It’s a false equivalence… and a dangerous one.
African Kingdoms Were Not Operating From a Place of Power
When European traders arrived with guns, wealth, and the power of entire empires behind them, African leaders didn’t exactly have much leverage.
Europeans and Americans created the demand for mass enslavement.
They turned it into a global business… something that African societies had never experienced before and had no real control over.
Many African leaders resisted, but they were often met with brutal force.
- The Kingdom of Kongo, under King Afonso I, repeatedly begged Portugal to stop taking his people. His letters? Ignored.
- The Ashanti and Dahomey kingdoms eventually became deeply involved, but largely because refusing meant war with European traders and rival states.
This was not an equal transaction.
Europeans and Americans had superior weapons, economic power, and control over maritime routes and global trade.
African rulers who engaged in the trade did so under duress, coercion, or economic necessity.
Yes, some African leaders were complicit.
Yes, greed played a role.
But by the time many realized the long-term consequences? It was too late.
Who Benefited the Most?
Let’s follow the money.
At its peak, the transatlantic slave trade made European and American nations the richest in the world.
- Britain’s industrial revolution was fueled by profits from sugar and cotton plantations.
- The U.S. economy was built on the backs of enslaved Africans.
- The Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and French empires thrived off human bondage.
- American banks, insurance companies, and universities were built on slavery.
Meanwhile, what did African states get?
❌ Guns. Alcohol. Cheap goods.
❌ Broken economies. Political instability.
❌Depopulation. Lost generations.
Millions of lives were traded for things that couldn’t sustain them.
By the time European colonialism took over the continent in the late 19th century, many African societies were already devastated… thanks in large part to the very trade they had been forced into.
Europeans not only ran the business of slavery, they then came back and colonized the very places they took people from.
If that’s not a rigged game, I don’t know what is.
The Real Question: Why Bring This Up?
When someone says, “Africans sold Africans too,” what are they really trying to say?
If the goal is to acknowledge the full history of the transatlantic slave trade, that’s one thing. But let’s be real, that’s not usually the case.
Most of the time, it’s used as a conversation ender, not a conversation starter.
It’s said to minimize European and American involvement and dismiss discussions about the long-term impact of slavery and colonization.
It’s not about truth… it’s about avoidance.
In a nutshell…
Nobody is denying that some Africans participated in the slave trade. But participation does not equal responsibility.
The transatlantic slave trade was designed, controlled, and industrialized by European and American powers. When trade was abolished, Africans were left weaker, poorer, and devastated, while European nations went on to build global empires.
So, the next time someone says, “But Africans sold Africans too,” remind them:
Yes, some did. But who built the ships? Who ran the markets? Who made slavery the foundation of an entire economic system?
Who profited the most?
Because if you follow the money, the answer is clear.
And it wasn’t Africa.
Sources:
- Thornton, John. Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800.
- Williams, Eric. Capitalism and Slavery.
- Lovejoy, Paul. Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa.
- Davidson, Basil. The African Slave Trade.
