Slavery's Dirty Little Secret
T his man you most likely never heard of was once one of Africa's most notorious slave traders. His name is Hamad bin Jum'ah bin Rajab Bin Mohammad bin Sa'id al-Murjabi. Thankfully he has a shorter name, Tippu Tip. He was a very powerful Swahili-Zanzibari slave trader who had a strangle hold on the clove and ivory plantations in Eastern Congo and Zanzibar during the latter half of the 19th century. Cloves are flower buds used to make spices. Tippu Tib also controlled the lucrative ivory trade and was said to have acquired as many as 10,000 slaves. How did Tippu Tib acquire and maintain this empire? The same way other empires are built, by force of course. He raided villages in search of slaves and other loot. Those who refused were dealt with by having villages burned and crops destroyed. He was also very friendly with European explorers and assisted them with their foray into the interior of the continent. Such as noted British explorer and abolitionist...