The Horrors of the Middle

Passage (1789)
This story was a journey of much suffering for
Africans because it was a crucial part of their
transatlantic slave trade. Mainly causing extreme
cruelty inhumane conditions unimaginable
suffering. From the moment they were captured,
they were forced to march towards the coast until
they were embarked on slave ships that were not
designed for comfort but to maximize profits,
ignoring human needs.

Life on these boats as taught in the story told by Equiano shows

us the nightmare suffered by thousands of Africans, who were
piled into the boats with little room to move and chained in narrow
rooms. The situation was so extreme for these people because it
was suffocating thanks to the little ventilation in the place, the
extreme heat, etc. Even poor hygiene in the facilities caused
diseases that spread super fast. Another problem that these slaves
had was the smell of human waste, vomit, and the smell of the
dead that lingered in the air. The smell was unbearable, plus the
conditions they already had, which is why many died of diseases,
malnutrition, or from overextending themselves. The Africans
suffered so much mistreatment that when they were sick, in order
not to spread all that disease, they would throw that man into the
water to die so that they would not lose more people who were
considered the gain.

Not ignoring the physical,

emotional, and psychological
suffering that these people had to
go through during their slavery. It
affects people in thousands of ways
such as the separation of families,
different languages, cultures,
violence, abuse, and death. For all
Africans, they suffered
incomparably because at that time
they suffered from an excess of
dehumanization, exploitation,
cruelty, and brutality arising from
discrimination for interest in power
and money.