African Slavery in the Middle East & North Africa: A Lesson on Sex, War, & Excuses

Mar 30, 2025

Dive into the dark history of the Arab slave trade, uncovering the perilous trans-Saharan routes and the grim realities faced by enslaved Africans. Explore the lives of kaina, female entertainers manipulated by religious justifications, and discover the horrors of the slave market that commodified women's bodies. Learn about the influential roles of eunuchs and the interconnectedness of slavery and power, while confronting the ongoing legacy of racism in Iraq. This deep exploration challenges listeners to reflect on a haunting history that still resonates today.

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INSIGHT

Origins and Persistence of Arab Slave Trade

The Arab slave trade was deeply rooted and began with Arabs enslaving themselves before expanding to Africans and others.
It persisted over centuries, influencing regions beyond Africa to the Middle East profoundly.

INSIGHT

Younger Females Were Targeted

The Arab slave trade targeted mainly younger Africans, skewing heavily towards females with a two-to-one female-to-male ratio.
This differential targeting shaped the demographic and genetic makeup in Middle Eastern populations today.

INSIGHT

Female Slaves' Role and Treatment

Female slaves, called jawari, were trained as musicians, poets, and sexual slaves, with virginity highly prized.
Despite Islamic prohibitions, these women were commodified and sold, treated essentially as objects without rights.

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In this episode we focus mainly on the Arab Slave Trade in Africa. This was a hard episode to make. Hope it leaves an impact on all who listens. We would love to hear your thoughts on the episode.

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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

REFERENCES:

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3. Bennett, N. R. (1960). Christian and Negro slavery in eighteenth-century North Africa. The Journal of African History, 1(1), 65-82.

4. Prince-Eichner, E. (n.d.). Embodying the Empire: Singing Slave Girls in Medieval Islamicate [Unpublished master's thesis]. Claremont Colleges.

5. Kehinde, M. (2018). Trans-Saharan Slave Trade. In F. D. Bean & S. K. Brown (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Migration (pp. 1-4). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6179-7_29-1

6. Kloss, M. M. (2023). Slavery in Medieval Arabia. In D. A. Fargues & J. Schiel (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery Throughout History (pp. 139-108). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15260-5_8

7. Marmon S. Intersections of Gender, Sex, and Slavery: Female Sexual Slavery. In: Perry C, Eltis D, Engerman SL, Richardson D, eds. The Cambridge World History of Slavery. The Cambridge World History of Slavery. Cambridge University Press; 2021:185-213.

8. Alexander, J. (2001). Islam, archaeology and slavery in Africa. World Archaeology, 33(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438240120047627

9. Clarence-Smith, W. G. (2006). Islam and the abolition of slavery. Oxford University Press.

10. Miran, J. (2022, April 20). Red Sea Slave Trade. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.868

11. Savage, E. (1992). Berbers and Blacks: Ibāḍī Slave Traffic in Eighth-Century North Africa. The Journal of African History, 33(3), 351-368.

12. Uzoigwe, G. N. (1973). THE SLAVE TRADE AND AFRICAN SOCIETIES. Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, 14(2), 187–212. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41406525