African Complicity in the Slave Trade: Should African Kingdoms Be Held Morally Accountable Today?

The transatlantic slave trade remains one of history’s most harrowing episodes, marked by unimaginable suffering and the forced displacement of millions of Africans. While European and American slavers bear the brunt of historical condemnation, the role of African kingdoms in facilitating the trade raises complex moral questions. Should these African societies—many of which actively participated in capturing and selling enslaved people—be held morally accountable today? 

 

The Historical Reality of African Involvement 

 

The African slave trade was not a one-sided enterprise. Many powerful West and Central African kingdoms, such as Dahomey, the Ashanti Empire, and the Kingdom of Kongo, engaged in the capture and sale of enslaved people to European traders. African middlemen, warlords, and rulers profited immensely from the trade, exchanging captives for guns, textiles, and other goods. 

 

As historian **John Thornton** notes: 

"Africans were not passive victims but active participants in the slave trade. Many societies saw it as a business, and warfare was often conducted for the primary purpose of taking captives for sale." 

 

Similarly, **Nigerian writer Chinweizu** argues: 

*"The transatlantic slave trade was a joint venture between European buyers and African sellers. To ignore African complicity is to distort history." 

 

These perspectives challenge the simplistic narrative of Africans solely as victims, highlighting a more uncomfortable truth: some African elites were willing collaborators. 

 

Moral Accountability: A Contemporary Debate

 

The question of whether modern African nations or descendants of slave-trading kingdoms should apologize or make reparations is contentious. Some argue that moral responsibility fades over time, while others insist that acknowledging historical wrongdoing is essential for reconciliation. 

 

**Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah** reflects: 

"We cannot judge the past by the moral standards of today, but we must also not sanitize history. Recognizing African involvement does not diminish European guilt—it complicates our understanding." 

 

Others, like **Senegalese scholar Tidiane N’Diaye**, emphasize the need for introspection: 

"Africans must confront their own history. The slave trade was a betrayal of our own people, and while we cannot undo it, we must learn from it." 

 

Reparations and Reconciliation 

 

If accountability is to be pursued, how should it manifest? While European and American institutions have faced calls for reparations, African kingdoms no longer exist in their original forms. Some modern African governments, like Ghana and Benin, have acknowledged their ancestors' roles and sought symbolic atonement through memorials and apologies. 

 

Yet, as **Nigerian author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani** writes: 

"Expecting present-day Africans to atone for the sins of long-dead kingdoms is impractical. But education about this history is crucial—not to assign blame, but to ensure it never happens again." 

 

 

The African role in the slave trade does not absolve Europeans of their central responsibility, but it does complicate the narrative. Moral accountability today is less about retribution and more about honest reckoning. As the descendants of both the enslaved and the enslavers, Africans must confront this painful past—not to dwell in guilt, but to build a future rooted in justice and truth. 

 

In the words of **Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o**: 

"History is not a chain to bind us, but a mirror to show us who we were—so we can decide who we want to be." 

 

The conversation continues, demanding both honesty and humility as we navigate the shadows of history.