The Fante Confederation: An African State Built on the Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History · Aug 29, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gold Coast's Fante people built a powerful confederation on the profits of the Atlantic slave trade. Their coastal cities, like Cape Coast and Elmina, were hubs where European forts buzzed with commerce and captives. Led by figures like John Kabes and John Currantee, the Fante monopolized trade with European companies, growing rich on the exchange of gold and enslaved Africans. But their prosperity was forged in conflict: the inland Asante Kingdom sought a direct route to the coast, leading to a century of war. This episode explores the Fante…