Slavery has been practiced for thousands of years and justified by many religions. But slavery changed over the years and what happened off the west coast of Africa and the Americas starting in the 16th and 17th centuries was qualitatively different than anything the world had seen before.

To help put slavery in a historical and religious context is Professor Ali Mazrui, a professor of humanities at the State University of New York at Binghampton and the host of the critically-acclaimed nine-part series for PBS and the BBC — The Africans. He spoke recently at Columbia University.

TAPE:

PROFESSOR ALI MAZRUI, a professor of humanities at the State
University of New York at Binghampton and the host of the
critically-acclaimed nine-part series for PBS and the BBC — The
Africans.