Regarding slavery, the standard narrative is that Europeans were the bad guys and Africans were the victims.
In Royal Navy Versus the Slave Traders, author Bernard Edwards supplies ample evidence that Europeans, especially the British Navy, were instrumental in ending the slave trade, despite the efforts of Africans and others to keep it going.
Some memorable parts of the book:
"Contrary to popular belief, slavery in Africa was not initiated by the white man but was homegrown, often the consequence of intertribal warfare. Long before the arrival of foreigners on their shores, it was the habit of local chieftains to make slaves of prisoners taken in battle. Any surviving men, women and children on the losing side were enslaved as a matter of course and for as long as their conquerors wished. In the rare times when peace reigned between tribes, the shortfall was made up by enslaving those who committed crimes against the community."
The book quotes Sir James Yeo, who wrote in 1816, "Neither mountains, rivers nor deserts will prove barriers to the slave trade, as the black chiefs will bring their slaves from every extremity of Africa as long as there is a nation that will afford them a slave market."
Edwards concludes, "It had taken all of ninety years, but thanks to the persistence of the British Government and the valiant work of the Royal Navy, Africa had at last rid itself of the evil of slave trading."
He mentions that about 2000 British sailors died for the cause. Although this is a huge sacrifice, the 11+ million enslaved Africans dwarf that number. Still, what makes this book valuable is that it forces us to rethink the standard story that dead white European men were all bad and that all Africans were victims. The reality is more nuanced.
In the epilogue, he discusses Zimbabwe, which has "typified the end of the African dream."
Indeed, the country had it all. Europeans proved that by making it "one of Africa's success stories."
However, after Robert Mugabe took over, it went from being Africa's breadbasket to its basket case.
His somber conclusion is, "And as self-impoverished Africa slips back into the abyss of the dark ages, the slave trade has returned.... The trade involves most states in sub-Saharan Africa. The children are kidnapped or purchased for $20-70 each by slavers in poorer states, such as Benin and Togo, and sold into slavery sex dens or as unpaid domestic servants for $350 each in weather oil-rich states, such as Nigeria and Gabon."
However, if the British Navy were to intervene in Africa today to stop such slave trade, some would call it neo-colonialism.
