I wonder if Ward Churchill has ever brought this up in class:
Slavery continues to blight the lives of many millions around the world. Although officially abolished in some countries two centuries ago, people trafficking, bonded labour and child labour still exist … Slavery in Niger is not an obscure thing, nor a curious relic of the past, it is an intrinsic part of society today. A Nigerian study has found that almost 8% of the population are slaves.
The story comes via Tom Palmer, who also recalls this:
Some years ago the New York Times Magazine ran a horrifying story on slavery in Africa. One quotation stuck in my mind: when a journalist interviewed a slave in secret, it took several attempts to ask the question of whether she had been raped by her master. After several rephrasings, she responded, “You mean, when they would come to breed us?” It apparently did not occur to her that there was any violation in the process. As the interpreter explained, “That’s what happens after five hundred years of slavery.”