Slavery

I clicked on a link in a Burro Hall post about Bimbo Negrito and fell down the rabbit hole, where I discovered this comment on Mi blog es tu blog:

In Mexico they see it from a different perspective. Kind of how children do things that may seem wrong to others but, because of their inocence, its done without malice. The african slave trafficking was virtually unexistant in Mexico back in the days of the Spanish colony so none of this “Black revolution” movement occured like it did in the US with Martin Luther King. We all enjoy Negrito bimbo here in Mexico, its not politically incorrect.

This was all I found on the subject of slavery in Mexico:

In 1829 president Guerrero abolished slavery.

which kind of surprised me. I kind of thought the conquistadors would be big on that kind of thing.

Moving on. Introduction from the Wikipedia article on slavery:

    Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation. Historically, slavery was institutionally recognized by most societies; in more recent times, slavery has been outlawed in all countries, but it continues through the practices of debt bondage, indentured servitude, serfdom, domestic servants kept in captivity, certain adoptions in which children are forced to work as slaves, child soldiers, and forced marriage. Slavery is officially illegal in all countries, but there are still an estimated 20 million to 30 million slaves worldwide. Mauritania was the last jurisdiction to officially outlaw slavery (in 1981/2007), but about 10% to 20% of its population is estimated to live in slavery.
    Slavery predates written records and has existed in many cultures. Most slaves today are debt slaves, largely in South Asia, who are under debt bondage incurred by lenders, sometimes even for generations. Human trafficking is primarily used for forcing women and children into sex industries.
    In pre-industrial societies, slaves and their labour were economically extremely important to those who benefitted from them. Slaves and serfs made up around three-quarters of the world's population at the beginning of the 19th century.

Mauritania? I've heard of that place, haven't I? It's one of those island nations in the Indian Ocean, right? No, actually not. It's on the West Coast of Africa and it has got to be one of the most desolate places on earth. This should not be a surprise because it is the Westernmost part of the Sahara desert.

What's weird is that the desert goes right down to ocean's edge. Most everywhere else you look in the world, wherever land meets ocean there is green stuff growing. Not here. No wonder no one talks about it, everyone is too parched to be able to speak.

    Mali borders Mauritania on the South and East. Mali is where the Jihadists have been causing trouble recently and the French sent troops to "pacify" them. Not surprisingly Mauritania is an Islamic country. Islam and desolation often seem to go hand in hand.

    There are only three million odd souls in Mauritania, so even if a quarter of the population is being held in slavery, that is less than a million people. Shoot, that's fewer people than the number inconvenienced by New Jersey Governor Christie's recent shenanigans [/sarcasm].

Update March 2021 replaced missing map.