Slavery in contemporary Africa
Africa has a long history of slavery. Slavery proably existed there even before there was writing.  Even today, it is one of the regions affected by contemporary slavery. The slave trade intensified with the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trade and again with the trans-Atlantic slave trade; Because there was a high demand for slaves, this created a number of kingdoms in the Sahel-zone. These kingdoms  were at war with each other all the time, as this was the only way to get prisoners of war, which could be turned into slaves to be exported. During the age of colonialism in Africa, in the 18th and 19th centuries,as well as the early 20th century,  these patterns continued. The colonial authorities tried to stop slavery, starting from about 1900, but they were not very successful. After decolonization, slavery continues in many parts of Africa even though it is technically illegal.