Dehumanization is the act of making someone less of a person. Europeans have attempted various ways to dehumanize Africans. First, Europeans ripped Africans off their identity. They have introduced European religious belief and ways of life and condemned the traditions of the African people. This has resulted in the lost of many original African traditions as they turn to follow European style of life. This has dehumanized the people of Africa because they were made to believe their culture was not good and their lifestyle was primitive so they ended up living other people’s life, that of Europeans.
Europeans also dehumanized Africans by killing and enslaving them. On arrival at the coast of Africa, Europeans bought slaves from local African chiefs and kings to work for them on their sugar plantation islands of Cape Verde, Canary, Azores and later on the new found land of America. Europeans at times obtained slaves by kidnapping them from their villages as if they are animals or other living or non living things considered lower than human beings. Europeans tempt local African chiefs with wares in other to coerce them to sell their fellow Africans to them.Even though internal slavery existed long ago before the first Europeans, Portuguese, reached the coast of Africa, slavery at that time was not that intensive and many slave owners obtained slaves after overcoming another tribe in a tribal war. Slaves obtained by Europeans become completely dehumanized, they had no right and were forced to work against their will till they wear out and die. They were beaten, maltreated, cheated on, and killed just like an animal. The African slaves were properties of the European slave masters rather than an equal living being with a voice. This has dehumanized Africans as they have been totally reduced to a property rather than living as a free person that can make self decisions of life and live as they wish.
To conclude, Africans responded to the dehumanization efforts by Europeans in many different ways. Some African slaves couldn’t stand the abuse so they starve themselves to death. Other African slaves stayed stronger and united in slavery and waited for a day when the humiliation will be over. The enslaved Africans learned to fight against invasion by other groups on their settlements and avoid a second capture or enslavement different from their current situations. This type of humiliation and depletion of the population of Africa has affected the continent beyond repairs and the main reason why the continent has very high poverty and lack of unity and trust among the people.
