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Slow Death for Slavery: The Course of Abolition in Northern Nigeria 1897-1936 (African Studies)

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In nine chapters, the authors discussed the gradual decline of slavery in Northern Nigeria, specifically in the Sokoto Caliphate. Slavery ended as a result of the different policies of the British in this region of Nigeria. The first efforts at ending slavery were stopping the raiding of slaves. Then there was the policy of granting freedom to all children born after April 1, 1901. Later policies allowed slaves to purchase their own freedom or third parties to ransom them. Women received their freedom through marriage or concubinage. The official abolition of slavery by the British was in 1936. The study by Lovejoy and Hogendorn concentrates on the British part of the Sokoto Caliphate because a majority of the slaves were in this area. The process of emancipation of slaves in this area was "jerky;" it took over four decades, from 1897 - 1936. The policy of emancipation was crafted by Sir Frederick Lugard, the High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria (1900-1906.)It was the 1936 abolition of Ordinance No. 19 which had "maintained the status of slavery for individuals born before April 1, 1901" that legally brought slavery to an end in Northern Nigeria.

This book is a thoroughly researched work with hundreds of sources. The authors carefully analyzed their sources to support the main thesis of their book, which is that the British did not end slavery immediately but it was an evolving process which took about four decades. The book also reveals the complexities involved in ending not only the raiding of slaves but also the institution of slavery. The British who originally claimed the reason they invaded the emirates was to end slavery, found themselves partners with the emirs and village leaders who perpetrated slavery in the next four decades. It was not to the British interest to end slavery immediately and thus, they became accomplices in the institution for which they sought to eliminate. While the policies of the British concerning slaves were directed at male slaves, the authors did a good job extracting and presenting the colonial officials' policy on slave women, most especially, concubinage. Their chapter on concubinage is excellent. The authors also devoted a significant portion of their book to discuss the relationship between slavery and the pre-colonial and post-colonial economy.

The book has some weaknesses. While the authors claim that this book results from several years of research in Northern Nigeria, their history is more an "elitist" history. Their focus is on the colonial policies and the emirs/ village heads. The voices of the slave masters and the slaves themselves are rarely heard in the book. A detailed study of this nature should reflect the experiences of the slave masters and the slaves. It would be a different book if those voices were heard. The second weakness I identified in the book is the repetitions. The authors have a tendency to repeat the same facts over and over again. The same things discussed in previous chapters or sections, get mentioned again. While this might be an attempt to drive important points in the book, it makes reading the book burdensome. The last weakness I identified in the book is that the authors ignored the politics of slavery. In every human institution, there is politics. Questions such as these are ignored: To what extent the British were involved in the local politics? Did slaves within an estate have leaders? Were there emirs who were more favorable to the emancipation of slaves? How did village leaders or emirs got chosen? Were there local leaders who worked with the British against their own people and the institution of slavery?

On the whole, I found this book insightful. While more work needs to be done in this area, this is a good start. Historians studying West Africa or slavery would find this book very resourceful. I strongly recommend this book.