The Secret Language of the Middle Passage

The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History · Oct 17, 2026 · 6m · transcript

We often think of the Middle Passage as a silence imposed by chains, but enslaved Africans maintained complex communication networks even in the hold. This episode explores how pidgin languages and coded messages facilitated resistance and survival. We examine the role of Creole English in the Caribbean and how it became a tool for organizing revolts. Key figures like Olaudah Equiano provide insight into these linguistic strategies. The discussion covers the evolution of Gullah in the American South and its preservation of West African grammatical structures. We also look at the legal…