r/todayilearned • u/CatPooedInMyShoe • 6h ago

TIL the culture and tradition of the Serer ethnoreligious group in West Africa prohibits slavery. In 1455 when a European slave trader sent his Wolof translator ashore in Serer territory to negotiate terms, the Serers murdered the translator on the spot and the slave trader fled, never to return.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Serers
404 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

58

u/-SaC 6h ago

Not a fan of 'don't shoot the messenger', I take it.

75

u/thissexypoptart 5h ago

The translator for a slaver trying to set up shop is not “the messenger” (like a diplomatic envoy or a mail carrier or something), they are a close business associate of a slave trader, iow in the slave trade themselves.

For anyone who isn’t aware, the Wolof were prolific slavers during this time period and centuries previously. When guns made their debut, they ratcheted that up to the max. More slave raids to trade for more guns.

I only mention that in case anyone makes the mistake in thinking, because the translator wasn’t European, he was just an innocent victim with zero participation in the slave trade.

46

u/CatPooedInMyShoe 6h ago

It was more that they were upset the translator had brought slavers to their door. The Serer had already suffered slave raids in their territories and had killed a previous slave trader for raiding among their people, and now this Wolof guy shows up with a ship of more of them.

25

u/Kofink 2h ago

Non negative post about an African ethnic group in “TIL”?

15 comments inbound.

3

u/BeABetterHumanBeing 1h ago

This is who Netflix should have made their show about.

5

u/Smirky-McLurky 2h ago edited 2h ago

Shoulda murdered both

Fuck your down votes, slavers don't deserve mercy.

16

u/CatPooedInMyShoe 2h ago

I am sure they would have except the slaver was safely on his ship offshore.

7

u/SisterRosaria2021 1h ago

I'm pretty sure the implication of the story is that the slaver was standing too far away to be chased down in time when he fled in terror.

•

u/Emergency_Mine_4455 51m ago

What a fascinating religion. It’s amazing how similar it is to some Abrahamic religions despite not having any common roots.

1

u/Post_office_clerk01 4h ago

Wish they did that to each one of them. And the Arabs as well.

-6

u/FrontLifeguard1962 3h ago

I feel like most people throughout history have prohibited slavery of themselves

29

u/CatPooedInMyShoe 3h ago

The Serer also prohibit slavery of other people within their territory.

3

u/SisterRosaria2021 1h ago

Nice to hear they believe in the idea of universal equality