African chiefs protested US slavery?

[CC]

I’m reading that some African chiefs, who profited from the slave trade in the 19th century, sent delegations to the West to protest its abolition. However, the citation for that bit on info is a Patrick Buchanan book. Therefore, I wonder about its veracity. Does anyone have any sources that can illuminate this aspect of history? thanks. xo C.

[Satisfying_Andy_Licious]

This site provides an article from the book “Castles and Forts of Ghana” published by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. This article contains citations, as follows:

Kings against abolition
This issue came up when the law abolishing the slave trade was passed. No less than two important kings of West-Africa protested against unilateral abolition. In the 1720’s, Whydah became Dahomey’s major port of trade. Records show that by the 1750’s, it alone was exporting more slaves than all the trading stations of the Gold Coast put together. The King of Dahomey remarked to Governor Abson of the African Company’s fort at Whydah: ‘‘What hurts me most is that some of your people have maliciously represented us in books that never die, alleging that we sell our wives and children for the sake of a few kegs of brandy. No. We are shamefully belied. We do indeed sell to the white men a part of our prisoners and we have a right to do so. Are not all prisoners at the disposal of their captors? And are we to blame if we send delinquents to a far country? I have been told you do the same!’’ (A. Dalzel, The History of Dahomey. London. 1793, p. 219)

In another dialogue with Joseph Dupuis, British Consul at Kumasi, the asantehene Osei Bonsu stated: ‘‘The white men do not understand my country or they would not say the slave trade was bad. But if they think it bad now, why did they think it good before? Is not your law an old law, the same as the Crammo (Moslem) law? Crammos say the law is good because the great God made the book, so they buy slaves. You must put down in my master’s book all I shall say and then he will look to it now he is my friend. And when he sees what is true, he will surely restore that trade. I cannot make war to catch slaves in the bush, like a thief. My ancestors never did so. But if I fight a king and kill him when he is insolent, then certainly I must have his gold and his slaves and the people are mine too. Do not the white kings act like this?’’ (J. Dupuis, Journal of a residence in Ashantee. London 1824).

[Satisfying_Andy_Licious]

Another sidelight, concerning the freed African-American slaves who founded Liberia with U.S. help. They promptly went into the slavery business.

Africa never had an abolition movement as such. The tensions between freed American slaves and the native people in what is now Liberia are still fueling the resentments and violence in West Africa.