6. Karte von Central Afrika

Slavery in the Sokotokaliphate

Heinrich Barth, a German Arabist, provides an account of his ‘voyage of discovery’ through Central and West Africa, which is traced by the red lines on the map. Barth’s argument revolves around the idea that the ethnic identity of the peoples he encounters is determined by their history. During his expedition, he comes across the slavery-based plantation economy in the vast Sokoto caliphate (1804-1903), highlighted by the yellow and white areas within green borders. In the mid-19th century, enslaved individuals made up as much as half of the population in this region, comparable to that in the southern United States during the same period.