With so much emphasis on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, details about the equally horrifying Sub-Saharan slave trade have been swept under the carpet for many years creating a heap of undiscovered history of a more disheartening experience for victims. Starting more than 700 years before the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Sub-Saharan Slave Trade, also known as the Arab Slave Trade began in the late 7th century after the Arabs successfully defeated and took over Egypt and soon controlled North Africa, East Africa and parts of West Africa such as Northern Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The castration process usually had the testicles of the young boys removed, however, in some extreme cases the penis was cut off altogether. Castrated slave boys grew to become prestigious people in society at the time. The Sub-Saharan Slave Trade and castration of young boys, more than half of whom did not survive the procedure, continued for several years even long after the end of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 26, 2019 12:56 UTC