Slavery routes – a short history of human trafficking | 4-Part DW Documentary

Slavery routes – a short history of human trafficking (1/4) – DW Documentary

Slavery routes – a short history of human trafficking Part 2

Slavery routes – a short history of human trafficking Part 3

Slavery routes -a short history of human trafficking Part 4 (Final)

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DW Documentary – Apr 4, 2020

The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It has been going on since the dawn of humanity. Part 1 of this four-part documentary series investigates how Africa became the epicenter of human trafficking. The first installment of the series “Slavery Routes – A Short History of Human Trafficking” opens the story of the slave trade. By the 7th Century AD, Africa had already become a slave trading hub. Barbarian invaders brought on the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. Less than two centuries later, the Arabs founded an immense empire on its ruins, stretching from the banks of the Indus River to the southern Sahara. Now a new era of systematic slave hunting began, from the Middle East to Africa. At the heart of this network, two major merchant cities stood out. In the North, at the crossroads of the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, Cairo – the most important Muslim city and Africa’s main commercial hub. In the South, Timbuktu, the stronghold of the great West African empires, and point of departure of the trans-Saharan caravans. This documentary tells how, over the course of centuries, sub-Saharan peoples became the most significant “resource” for the biggest human trafficking networks in history.

NOTA BENE:  For reasons that were never explained to the public this excellent 4 part series from DW, entitled: “Slavery routes – a short history of human trafficking,” has now been removed from public viewing on YouTube.  The 4 parts were located as of April 2020 at these YouTube addresses:

As of August 2021, however, each of these addresses is marked with the message:

No explanation was offered for this change, and it is not clear whether this was a change in availability instituted by DW or by YouTube.  In any case, click here for related videos on similar topics from DW.

View 4 episodes on Vimeo above.