Angolan Prince’s 17th-century Abolition Efforts Preceded Europe’s Campaign

By most accounts, the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade was initiated by Europeans. However, a new book argues that the movement stemmed largely from Africans in the Portuguese empire in the 17th century, including Lourenço da Silva Mendonça. Mendonça, an Angolan prince exiled by Portugal, fought for the end of slavery decades before Western abolitionists emerged. His efforts to abolish the human trade culminated in a 1684 petition to Pope Innocent XI, which resulted in a demand to end the enslaving of Africans, New Christians, and Native Americans. This legal plea, based on principles of human, divine, and civil laws, highlighted the hypocrisy of Atlantic slavery. Though Mendonça’s efforts led to a condemnation from the Vatican, European states ignored the ruling. This account sheds light on Africa’s early contributions to global justice and challenges Eurocentric narratives of abolition.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION