This book goes back into the history of slavery from the Slavery in the classic world, slavery in medieval Europe and slavery in Islam up to abolition and emancipation.

Story Time:

When I was in Lisbon, Portugal, I went to visit their history museum. In this museum was a library. I walked into the library looking specifically for their history books on Portugal's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. I was shocked to find nothing except one book that only had art illustrations of freed African slaves from the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique based in Portugal along with Cabo Verdeans.

I asked the librarian if they had any books on the history of the transatlantic slave trade involving Portugal and Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cabo Verde and Brazil. The librarian said they did not. I looked at her in disbelief and asked her why not? That this is an important part of Portuguese and African History. Why are there no books in your library, especially this particular library in your history museum. The librarian looked at me embarrassed and shrugged her shoulders and said 'sorry'. I looked at her and shook my head in disappointment.

I sat down and went through the art illustration book and about 10 minutes later the librarian walked towards me with a big book and said to me 'I found this book here in our library that will interest you'.

The book that she gave me was thick with a lot of pages (which I expected). It went into a lot of detail on the slave trade between Portugal, the African countries that were under Portuguese colony and Brazil. It was the ONLY book that was available in this library.

Links:

Escaping slavery in Libya

Cameroon: Migrants Tell of Libya Slave Market Hell

Frontline Insights :Photographing Libya's Slaves

Documentary on migrant workers in Qatar

Song: Modern Slavery