A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana

Book excerpt: Slavery has existed in nearly every society in the world at one time or another: the Romans practiced it and so did the Greeks. A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana examines slavery as it existed in Ghana until the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began. Academic research and publication on indigenous slavery in Ghana and in Africa more widely have not received attention commensurate with the importance of the phenomenon: the history of indigenous slavery, which existed long before the trans-Atlantic slave trade, has been a marginal topic in documented historical, studies on Ghana. Yet its weighty historical, and contemporary relevance inside and outside Africa is undisputed. This book begins to redress this neglect. Drawing on sources including oral data from so-called slave descendants, cultural sites and trade routes, court records and colonial government reports, it presents historical and cultural analysis which aims to enhance historical knowledge and understanding of indigenous slavery. The author further intends to provide a holistic view of the indigenous institution of slavery as a formative factor in the social, political and economic development of precolonial Ghana.