Latest / The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History
The Aro Confederacy: Africa's Slave Trading Empire
This episode explores the Aro Confederacy, a powerful merchant network that dominated the slave trade in the Bight of Biafra for over two centuries. Based at the oracle town of Arochukwu in present-day Nigeria, the Aro used the Ibini Ukpabi oracle—the Long Juju—to gain religious and economic control over surrounding communities. Lucas and Luna discuss how Aro merchants integrated into the Atlantic system, trading slaves for European goods via coastal ports like Bonny and Calabar. They examine the Aro's sophisticated trade diaspora, their use of manilla currency, and their role as…
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